19 Chinese Recipes for Dinner Plates and Snack Trays

Chinese food night can be a full dinner plate, a snack tray, or a little of both. Pick a saucy main, rice dish, or crisp appetizer when you want one solid recipe to start with. Set it out for dinner, snacks, or a tray to pass around.

A bowl of stir-fried beef with red bell peppers, onions, and chopped green onions, served on a white plate. — Panda Express Beijing Beef. Photo credit: Pocket Friendly Recipes.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Crisp chicken pieces give Sweet and Sour Chicken a sturdy center beneath pineapple, bell peppers, onion, garlic, and ginger. Pineapple juice, brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, and rice vinegar create the glossy coating before everything returns to the wok. Four servings take 35 minutes from prep through cooking. Spoon it over white rice when dinner needs meat, vegetables, and a sweet-tangy sauce on the same plate.
Get the Recipe: Sweet and Sour Chicken

Shrimp Toast

Close-up of open-faced sandwiches topped with avocado, shredded carrot, microgreens, and pieces of cooked salmon on whole-grain bread. — Shrimp Toast. Photo credit: Hungry Cooks Kitchen.

Open-faced bread makes Shrimp Toast easy to place on a snack tray without cutting or wrapping each portion. Seasoned shrimp, sautéed carrots, romaine, sprouts, Parmesan, lime, and sesame seeds layer over four toasted slices. The recipe makes four servings in 25 minutes. Serve each piece whole for lunch, or cut the toast into smaller sections when several appetizers need to share the same platter.
Get the Recipe: Shrimp Toast

Chinese Lemon Shredded Chicken

A colorful salad with shredded carrots, zucchini, chicken, orange slices, and sesame seeds on a brown plate, garnished with fresh herbs. — Chinese Lemon Shredded Chicken. Photo credit: Hungry Cooks Kitchen.

Cool vegetables turn Chinese Lemon Shredded Chicken into a lighter main that also works on a shared platter. Shredded drumstick meat is arranged with cucumber, carrots, and onion, then coated with lemon, soy sauce, oyster sauce, cilantro, garlic, sesame, and chili. Four servings take 25 minutes. Prepare it before guests arrive and serve it cold or at room temperature when the table already has several hot dishes.
Get the Recipe: Chinese Lemon Shredded Chicken

Tofu Fried Rice

A bowl of fried rice with grilled tofu, diced carrots, peas, chopped green onions, and a drizzle of dark sauce, served on a red cloth. — Tofu Fried Rice. Photo credit: Two City Vegans.

Day-old jasmine rice gives Tofu Fried Rice firm grains that can brown without becoming soft in the wok. Golden tofu, peas, carrots, green onions, garlic, soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, and a thickened brown sugar sauce fill four servings. The full dish takes 30 minutes. Use it as a meatless dinner or place it beside stir-fries when the table needs a rice option with protein already mixed through.
Get the Recipe: Tofu Fried Rice

Beef and Broccoli

Thinly sliced flank steak keeps Beef and Broccoli within a 30-minute dinner window. Four cups of broccoli cook separately before returning to the skillet with soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, vinegar, and a cornstarch-thickened sauce. The recipe yields four servings. Add steamed rice or noodles when a quick dinner plate needs beef, vegetables, and enough sauce to connect everything.
Get the Recipe: Beef and Broccoli

Egg Roll

A wooden tray with spring rolls and lime wedges lined with parchment paper sits next to a small bowl of dipping sauce on a light surface. — Egg Roll. Photo credit: Hungry Cooks Kitchen.

Ground pork gives Egg Roll a substantial filling with ginger, soy sauce, green onions, and coleslaw mix. Twelve wrappers are sealed with flour paste, fried at 375°F, and drained before serving. The batch takes 30 minutes and produces 12 pieces. Stack them on a snack tray with sweet-and-sour or soy dipping sauce, or add fried rice and soup when the rolls need to become part of dinner.
Get the Recipe: Egg Roll

Panda Express Black Pepper Sirloin Steak

A bowl of stir-fried beef strips with red and green bell peppers, topped with sesame seeds. — Panda Express Black Pepper Sirloin Steak. Photo credit: Pocket Friendly Recipes.

Black pepper leads Panda Express Black Pepper Sirloin Steak, coating thin beef with bell peppers and onion in a glossy skillet sauce. Soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, garlic, broth, sesame oil, and cornstarch bring four servings together in 25 minutes. The vegetables stay slightly crisp because they cook only three to four minutes. Serve the stir-fry over rice or noodles for a fast copycat dinner.
Get the Recipe: Panda Express Black Pepper Sirloin Steak

General Tso’s Chicken

Stir-fried chicken pieces in a spicy sauce, garnished with chopped green onions, served in a round metal dish on an orange placemat. — General Tso’s Chicken. Photo credit: My Reliable Recipes.

A 30-minute marinade starts General Tso’s Chicken before the breast pieces are coated with flour, cornstarch, and egg whites. After frying, the chicken is tossed with rice vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin, garlic, broth, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Six servings take one hour. Keep steamed rice ready and let this dish handle the main role when the table can support a little extra frying work.
Get the Recipe: General Tso’s Chicken

Chow Mein

Vegetables run through Chow Mein, with cabbage, celery, red onion, carrots, and green onions surrounding the noodles. Soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, garlic, beef broth, and cornstarch form the coating in the wok. Four servings are ready in 20 minutes. Place it beside chicken or beef, or serve larger portions as dinner when a quick noodle dish needs crunch without requiring a separate side.
Get the Recipe: Chow Mein

Egg Fried Rice

Oval dish filled with fried rice garnished with chopped green onions. — Egg Fried Rice. Photo credit: Splash of Taste.

Soft egg curds and lightly crisp rice give Egg Fried Rice two textures from one hot wok. Jasmine rice, four eggs, green onions, soy sauce, sesame oil, and vegetable oil make four servings in 25 minutes. The short ingredient list leaves room for peas, carrots, or other leftovers if needed. Serve it as a quick plate on its own or use it to fill the space beside saucy chicken and beef.
Get the Recipe: Egg Fried Rice

Bang Bang Shrimp

A bowl of rice topped with shrimp in a creamy sauce, garnished with cucumber slices, lime wedge, cilantro, and sliced green onions. — Bang Bang Shrimp. Photo credit: My Reliable Recipes.

Creamy heat coats Bang Bang Shrimp after the seafood is seasoned with lime, dusted with cornstarch, and browned in a skillet. Mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, sweet chili sauce, and Sriracha form the sauce for four servings. The recipe takes 20 minutes. Arrange the shrimp with cucumber on a snack tray, or spoon it over basmati rice when the same dish needs to move from appetizer to dinner.
Get the Recipe: Bang Bang Shrimp

Crispy Egg Rolls

Vegan egg rolls in a wooden tray. — Crispy Egg Rolls. Photo credit: Two City Vegans.

Baking keeps Crispy Egg Rolls suitable for a tray without managing a pot of frying oil. Twelve wrappers hold cabbage, mushrooms, carrots, green onions, ginger, garlic, cilantro, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Six servings take 40 minutes, including 25 minutes of preparation. Put sweet-and-sour sauce beside the rolls, then pair them with noodles or fried rice when the appetizer needs to help build a larger meal.
Get the Recipe: Crispy Egg Rolls

Scallion Pancakes

Coiled layers give Scallion Pancakes their flaky structure, with chopped scallions and peanut oil rolled inside a simple flour dough. Four pancakes are pan-fried until golden and served with soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar for dipping. The recipe takes 1 hour and 10 minutes, including a 30-minute rest. Slice each pancake into wedges for a snack tray or serve them whole beside soup and stir-fries.
Get the Recipe: Scallion Pancakes

Chinese Steamed Chicken

A bowl of steamed chicken pieces with mushrooms, garnished with chopped green onions, with chopsticks picking up a piece. — Chinese Steamed Chicken. Photo credit: Your Perfect Recipes.

Steam cooks Chinese Steamed Chicken with shiitake mushrooms while the ginger-scallion sauce comes together separately. Boneless chicken thighs are finished with hot vegetable oil, light soy sauce, sesame oil, green onions, salt, and pepper. Four servings take 30 minutes. Arrange the sliced chicken and mushrooms over rice or noodles when dinner needs a main without breading, deep frying, or a thick sauce.
Get the Recipe: Chinese Steamed Chicken

Pork Fried Rice

Close-up of fried rice with chunks of meat, peas, diced carrots, and bean sprouts mixed together. — Pork Fried Rice. Photo credit: Your Perfect Recipes.

Hoisin-glazed pork makes Pork Fried Rice substantial enough to cover dinner without another main. Day-old jasmine rice cooks with eggs, carrots, green onions, ginger, garlic, peas, bean sprouts, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Four servings take 35 minutes. Bring it straight from the wok to the table, or use smaller portions beside egg rolls and soup when several dishes are being shared.
Get the Recipe: Pork Fried Rice

Kung Pao Chicken

A close-up of a stir-fry dish featuring pieces of chicken, snap peas, red bell peppers, scallions, and black sesame seeds. — Kung Pao Chicken. Photo credit: Pocket Friendly Recipes.

Chicken breast, bell pepper, and snap peas fill Kung Pao Chicken with protein and vegetables in one wok. Soy sauce, rice wine, vinegar, broth, sugar, garlic, ginger, cornstarch, and sesame oil create the coating for four servings. The recipe takes 30 minutes. Put rice underneath to catch the sauce, then add extra red pepper flakes only at the table when people prefer different levels of heat.
Get the Recipe: Kung Pao Chicken

Hot and Sour Soup

Mushrooms, tofu, shredded chicken, and egg ribbons make Hot and Sour Soup substantial enough to open dinner or serve as a lighter main. Dark and light soy sauce, white pepper, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, broth, and cornstarch build the seasoned base. Four servings take 35 minutes. Ladle it into cups for a shared tray, or use larger bowls with egg rolls and noodles for a complete meal.
Get the Recipe: Hot and Sour Soup

Chinese Salt & Pepper Shrimp

A close-up of a serving of shrimp garnished with chopped green onions, red chili slices, and cilantro, placed in a bowl with chopsticks on the side. — Chinese Salt & Pepper Shrimp. Photo credit: My Reliable Recipes.

Coarsely ground peppercorns finish Chinese Salt & Pepper Shrimp after the seafood is marinated, coated, and fried. Garlic, ginger, red Thai chilies, scallions, fish sauce, flour, cornstarch, and coarse salt give four servings a crisp, strongly seasoned finish. The recipe takes 35 minutes. Serve the shrimp from a platter as a snack, or add rice and vegetables when it needs to hold the center of dinner.
Get the Recipe: Chinese Salt & Pepper Shrimp

Panda Express Beijing Beef

A sweet, tangy sauce surrounds Panda Express Beijing Beef with fried flank steak, red bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Hoisin, ketchup, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sweet chili sauce, vinegar, sugar, and red pepper flakes make the coating. Four servings take 1 hour and 40 minutes, including the marinade. Save it for a dinner when extra preparation is workable, then serve it immediately over rice while the beef remains crisp.
Get the Recipe: Panda Express Beijing Beef