Chinese takeout cravings can show up on a regular night, even when you still want to cook at home. You can pick a fuller plate for dinner, add a side to the table, or start with a small bite while everything else comes together. Keep one for a noodle night, a rice plate, or a snack before the main meal.
Chow Mein
Chewy noodles and crisp vegetables make Chow Mein in four servings in 20 minutes. Cabbage, celery, red onion, carrots, green onions, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, garlic, beef broth, and cornstarch fill the wok. The quick noodle base can stand alone or support one of the saucy meat dishes in this collection. Serve it with sesame chicken, beef and broccoli, shrimp, tofu, or a cool cucumber side.
Get the Recipe: Chow Mein
Shrimp Toast
Pan-fried seafood turns this Shrimp Toast into four servings in 25 minutes. Whole wheat bread is layered with romaine, sautéed carrots, Parmesan, sprouts, and shrimp seasoned with chili, rosemary, cayenne, smoked paprika, garlic, sesame seeds, and lime. The open-faced pieces cover the small-bites section without requiring a separate dipping sauce. Cut each toast into smaller portions and serve it beside fried rice, slaw, cucumber salad, or sweet chili sauce.
Get the Recipe: Shrimp Toast
Panda Express Black Pepper Sirloin Steak
High-heat stir-frying puts Panda Express Black Pepper Sirloin Steak on the table in 25 minutes with four servings. Flank or sirloin steak cooks with green and red bell peppers, onion, soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, garlic, beef broth, sesame oil, cornstarch, and black pepper. The beef and vegetables create a complete takeout-style main in one glossy pan. Spoon it over steamed rice, fried rice, chow mein, or noodles and add sesame seeds.
Get the Recipe: Panda Express Black Pepper Sirloin Steak
Vegetable Stir Fry
Broccolini, mushrooms, and three colors of bell pepper fill Vegetable Stir Fry, a 27-minute recipe with four servings. Soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey or maple syrup, sesame oil, and cornstarch create the quick sauce before green onions and sesame seeds finish the pan. It gives the table a vegetable-heavy side among several fried and saucy mains. Serve it over rice or beside beef, chicken, pork, shrimp, tofu, or noodles.
Get the Recipe: Vegetable Stir Fry
Crispy Sesame Chicken
A coated chicken breast base gives Crispy Sesame Chicken four servings in 30 minutes. Egg, cornstarch, flour, paprika, garlic salt, vegetable oil, sesame oil, garlic, rice vinegar, honey, sweet chili sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame seeds, and scallions build the crisp pieces and glaze. The recipe brings a familiar takeout-style main to the table without a long marinade. Serve it over boiled rice with stir-fried vegetables, noodles, egg rolls, or cucumber salad.
Get the Recipe: Crispy Sesame Chicken
Egg Fried Rice
Jasmine rice and four eggs make Egg Fried Rice a 25-minute recipe with four servings. Vegetable oil, chopped green onions, soy sauce, and sesame oil keep the ingredient list short while high heat gives the rice lightly crisp edges. The simple base can stretch several meat or vegetable dishes without adding another complicated recipe. Serve it with General Tso’s chicken, beef and broccoli, shrimp, tofu, vegetable stir fry, or scallion pancakes.
Get the Recipe: Egg Fried Rice
Chinese Lemon Shredded Chicken
Boiled drumsticks become Chinese Lemon Shredded Chicken, a 25-minute main with four servings. Ginger, Shaoxing wine, cucumber, carrots, onion, cilantro, garlic, sesame seeds, chili, sesame oil, light soy sauce, lemon juice, oyster sauce, and lemon zest fill the cold salad. The lighter format breaks up a lineup with several fried dishes and thick sauces. Serve it chilled or at room temperature with rice, noodles, scallion pancakes, or cucumber salad.
Get the Recipe: Chinese Lemon Shredded Chicken
Spicy Cucumber Salad
A 30-minute draining period gives Spicy Cucumber Salad its crisp texture within a 35-minute total. Four servings combine thin cucumbers with gochugaru, scallion, sugar, garlic, rice wine vinegar, sesame seeds, sesame oil, and salt. This Korean side is one of the collection’s two cuisine outliers, but its cool heat works well beside Chinese-inspired mains. Serve it with fried chicken, beef and broccoli, pork, shrimp, noodles, or fried rice.
Get the Recipe: Spicy Cucumber Salad
Shrimp Fried Rice
Large shrimp and cold rice make Shrimp Fried Rice, four servings in 25 minutes. Onion, mixed vegetables, egg, soy sauce, water, vegetable oil, and spring onions join one pound of shrimp in the wok. Protein, rice, vegetables, and seasoning cook in the same pan, which makes this one of the collection’s complete meals. Serve it alone or pair it with cucumber salad, scallion pancakes, sesame chicken, beef and broccoli, or vegetable stir fry.
Get the Recipe: Shrimp Fried Rice
Tofu Fried Rice
Golden tofu gives Tofu Fried Rice four servings in 30 minutes. Cold jasmine rice, peas, carrots, green onions, garlic, soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, brown sugar, cornstarch, and water round out the one-pan dish. The tofu adds enough substance for a main while the rice still works beside other dishes on a larger table. Serve it with vegetable stir fry, spicy cucumber salad, scallion pancakes, or extra chili sauce.
Get the Recipe: Tofu Fried Rice
Kung Pao Chicken
Snap peas and red bell pepper keep this Kung Pao Chicken colorful through a 30-minute cook for four servings. Chicken breast, soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, cornstarch, vinegar, chicken broth, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and green onions form the Guizhou-style stir-fry, which skips peanuts. The quick wok method gives the roundup another full dinner without repeating a fried coating. Serve it with steamed rice, egg fried rice, chow mein, or cucumber salad.
Get the Recipe: Kung Pao Chicken
Sweet and Sour Pork
Crisp pork and pineapple make Sweet and Sour Pork in four servings in 35 minutes. Pork tenderloin is coated with cornstarch and corn flour, fried, then tossed with garlic, ginger, green and red bell peppers, onion, pineapple, and sweet-and-sour sauce. The mix brings pork into a collection led heavily by chicken, beef, and shrimp. Serve it immediately over white rice, egg fried rice, chow mein, or vegetable stir fry.
Get the Recipe: Sweet and Sour Pork
Copycat Panda Express Teriyaki Chicken
Skillet-browned thighs make Copycat Panda Express Teriyaki Chicken in four servings in 25 minutes. Brown sugar, soy sauce, water, garlic powder, ground ginger, cornstarch, salt, pepper, and vegetable oil create the short ingredient list and glossy sauce. Teriyaki is Japanese-style, making this the lineup’s other cuisine outlier, but the Panda Express copycat angle supports the takeout theme. Serve the sliced chicken over rice with scallions, sesame seeds, broccoli, or stir-fried vegetables.
Get the Recipe: Copycat Panda Express Teriyaki Chicken
Beef and Broccoli
Thin flank steak and four cups of broccoli anchor Beef and Broccoli, a 30-minute main with four servings. Olive oil, soy sauce, water, apple cider vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, cornstarch, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, and sesame seeds build the sauce. The beef and vegetable combination needs only rice or noodles to become a full takeout-style plate. Serve it with jasmine rice, chow mein, fried rice, scallion pancakes, or cucumber salad.
Get the Recipe: Beef and Broccoli
Scallion Pancakes
Rested dough creates the flaky layers in Scallion Pancakes, a 1-hour 10-minute recipe with four servings. Flour, boiling water, cool water, chopped scallions, peanut oil, and vegetable oil form the pancakes, while soy sauce, Chinkiang or rice vinegar, and sugar make the dip. The longer hands-on project gives the collection a crisp appetizer or side beyond stir-fries and rice. Cut them into wedges and serve with soup, chicken, beef, shrimp, or cucumber salad.
Get the Recipe: Scallion Pancakes
Bang Bang Shrimp
Creamy chili sauce coats Bang Bang Shrimp, a 20-minute recipe with four servings. Shrimp, lime juice, cornstarch, mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, sweet chili sauce, Sriracha, basmati rice, cucumber, green onions, and cilantro create both an appetizer and a full bowl. The seafood adds a fast main that can move between the small-bites and dinner sections. Serve it over rice, in lettuce cups, or beside vegetable stir fry and cucumber salad.
Get the Recipe: Bang Bang Shrimp
Cashew Chicken
Crunchy nuts and vegetables fill Cashew Chicken, a 40-minute main with four servings. Chicken breast, cornstarch, soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, chili garlic sauce, ginger, garlic, red bell pepper, broccoli, cashews, and edamame cook in one skillet. The mix combines protein, vegetables, and sauce without relying on a fried coating. Serve it over steamed rice, fried rice, chow mein, or noodles with a cool cucumber side.
Get the Recipe: Cashew Chicken
Pork Fried Rice
Hoisin-glazed pork gives Pork Fried Rice four servings in 35 minutes. Day-old jasmine rice, eggs, carrots, green onions, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, peas, and bean sprouts join diced pork tenderloin in the wok. The recipe turns leftover rice into a complete main rather than another supporting side. Serve it with scallion pancakes, vegetable stir fry, cucumber salad, or one of the shrimp dishes when the table needs more variety.
Get the Recipe: Pork Fried Rice
Chinese Salt & Pepper Shrimp
Thai chiles and coarse peppercorns season Chinese Salt & Pepper Shrimp, a 35-minute main with four servings. One pound of shrimp is marinated with fish sauce, coated in flour and cornstarch, then finished with garlic, ginger, scallions, salt, and cilantro. The fried seafood can work as a plated dinner or a smaller shared bite. Serve it with egg fried rice, chow mein, cucumber salad, stir-fried vegetables, or steamed rice.
Get the Recipe: Chinese Salt & Pepper Shrimp
Chinese Steamed Chicken
Steam keeps Chinese Steamed Chicken tender through a 30-minute recipe with four servings. Boneless thighs are cooked with shiitake mushrooms before a hot mixture of ginger, green onions, vegetable oil, light soy sauce, and sesame oil goes over the sliced meat. The no-fry method gives the collection a lighter main besides several crisp chicken dishes. Serve it immediately with steamed rice, noodles, vegetable stir fry, or spicy cucumber salad.
Get the Recipe: Chinese Steamed Chicken
General Tso’s Chicken
A 30-minute marinade is included in the 1-hour total for General Tso’s Chicken, which makes six servings. Chicken breast is coated with cornstarch, flour, egg whites, garlic powder, ginger, and soy sauce, then fried and tossed with rice vinegar, hoisin, garlic, stock, sugar, and red pepper flakes. The larger yield suits a family takeout-style dinner. Serve it with rice, broccoli, scallion pancakes, chow mein, or cucumber salad.
Get the Recipe: General Tso’s Chicken