Chinese takeout cravings can lead you toward more than one kind of plate. Choose chow mein for a noodle dinner, wonton soup for a bowl, or tanghulu when you want a sweet bite. Serve one as dinner, add a side to the meal, or save a small treat for after.
Caramelized Fried Banana
With ripe banana slices glossed in butter or oil, honey, brown sugar, and cinnamon, Caramelized Fried Banana comes together in 10 minutes. The skillet softens the fruit while the sugar mixture forms warm, sticky edges and pan juices. This two-serving sweet works over pancakes or oatmeal in the morning, then shifts easily to dessert with vanilla ice cream. It is a small-batch option when a full baked treat is more than you need.
Get the Recipe: Caramelized Fried Banana
Copycat Panda Express Teriyaki Chicken
Seared in a skillet and coated with a brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger glaze, Copycat Panda Express Teriyaki Chicken is ready in 25 minutes. Boneless chicken thighs keep the four-serving dish juicy while cornstarch thickens the sauce so it clings to every slice. Spoon it over white rice, brown rice, or noodles for an at-home takeout dinner. The straightforward pan method also makes it practical for meal prep and reheated lunches.
Get the Recipe: Copycat Panda Express Teriyaki Chicken
Air Fryer Honey Walnut Shrimp
Coated in egg and cornstarch before a quick blast of hot air, Air Fryer Honey Walnut Shrimp pairs crisp shrimp with honey mayonnaise and brown sugar walnuts. The recipe takes 45 minutes, serves four, and air-fries the shrimp at 400°F before everything is gently tossed together. Green onions add a fresh finish without covering the sweet, creamy sauce. Bring it out for a seafood dinner that has takeout-style texture without deep-frying the shrimp.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Honey Walnut Shrimp
Egg Fried Rice
Built from jasmine rice, eggs, green onions, soy sauce, and sesame oil, Egg Fried Rice turns six basic ingredients into a four-serving dish in 25 minutes. The eggs cook into small pieces while the rice absorbs the soy and sesame seasoning. Set it beside saucy chicken or shrimp, or make it the main plate when dinner needs to stay simple. It also gives leftover rice a clear purpose instead of letting it sit unused in the fridge.
Get the Recipe: Egg Fried Rice
Chinese Salt & Pepper Shrimp
After a fish sauce marinade, Chinese Salt & Pepper Shrimp gets a flour and cornstarch coating before frying until golden. Thai chilies, garlic, ginger, scallions, crushed peppercorns, and coarse salt bring heat and bold seasoning to the four-serving dish. The full recipe takes 35 minutes and finishes with fresh cilantro. Pair it with steamed rice and a cool vegetable side when you want a crisp seafood dinner with plenty of contrast.
Get the Recipe: Chinese Salt & Pepper Shrimp
Kung Pao Chicken
Cubed chicken breast cooks with red bell pepper, sugar snap peas, garlic, and ginger in this 30-minute Kung Pao Chicken. Soy sauce, vinegar, chicken broth, sugar, and cornstarch form a glossy stir-fry sauce that coats four servings. Sesame oil and green onions finish the pan without adding another cooking step. Serve it over rice for a weeknight dinner, or pack portions ahead when you need something with vegetables, protein, and a little heat.
Get the Recipe: Kung Pao Chicken
Panda Express Beijing Beef
Following a 30 to 60 minute marinade, Panda Express Beijing Beef fries thin flank steak strips until crisp, then tosses them with onion and red bell pepper. Hoisin, ketchup, sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar, and red pepper flakes create the sticky sauce. The recipe serves four and takes 1 hour 40 minutes including marinating time. Save this one for a night when a food-court-style beef dinner is worth a little extra prep.
Get the Recipe: Panda Express Beijing Beef
Candied Tanghulu
Fresh fruit turns into a crackly street-style sweet in Candied Tanghulu, made by dipping strawberries, grapes, kiwi, or apples into hot sugar syrup. The recipe uses only sugar, water, and fruit, takes 40 minutes, and makes 12 servings. A candy thermometer helps track the syrup before it hardens into a shiny shell. Set the skewers out after dinner or make them for a hands-on dessert that looks far more involved than the ingredient list suggests.
Get the Recipe: Candied Tanghulu
Panda Express Super Greens
Broccoli, green cabbage, and kale share the skillet in Panda Express Super Greens, a 20-minute side that serves four. Garlic, soy sauce, vegetable broth, sesame oil, and olive oil season the vegetables while keeping the ingredient list focused. The mix brings a softer cabbage bite alongside firmer broccoli and chopped kale. Add it to rice bowls or serve it next to a richer chicken, beef, or shrimp dish when the plate needs something green.
Get the Recipe: Panda Express Super Greens
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Fried chicken pieces meet pineapple, red and green bell peppers, onion, garlic, and ginger in Sweet and Sour Chicken. A sauce of pineapple juice, brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, and rice wine vinegar coats four servings in 35 minutes. The fruit and vegetables keep the dish from being only batter and sauce. Spoon it over white rice, then finish with sesame seeds and green onions for a full dinner with color, crunch, and plenty of sauce.
Get the Recipe: Sweet and Sour Chicken
Egg Roll
Wrapped around ground pork, coleslaw mix, green onions, ginger, garlic powder, and soy sauce, Egg Roll fries into 12 crisp portions in 30 minutes. A simple flour-and-water paste seals the wrappers before they go into 375°F oil. Serve them warm with sweet and sour sauce, soy sauce, or duck sauce. They work as a side for fried rice and noodles, or as a snack when a crunchy handheld bite fits the table better than another bowl.
Get the Recipe: Egg Roll
Chicken Fried Rice
Using cooked basmati-style rice, diced chicken breast, eggs, peas, carrots, red bell pepper, and green onions, Chicken Fried Rice fills four bowls in 35 minutes. Garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and low-sodium soy sauce season the skillet, while brief undisturbed cooking helps the rice develop crisp spots. Serve it straight from the wok as a complete dinner. It also packs well for work lunches or casual potlucks when one pan needs to cover the main dish.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Fried Rice
Wonton Soup
Simmered with shiitake mushrooms, broccolini, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and soy sauce, Wonton Soup uses frozen wontons to keep the process manageable. Six cups of chicken broth create four servings in 30 minutes, with sliced green onion added at the end. The vegetables cook directly in the broth, so there is no separate side to prepare. Bring it to the table as a lighter dinner or pair smaller bowls with egg rolls and fried rice.
Get the Recipe: Wonton Soup
Cashew Chicken
Chicken, broccoli, red bell pepper, edamame, and cashews come together in the 40-minute Cashew Chicken. Soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, chili garlic sauce, ginger, and garlic make the sauce for four servings, while cornstarch helps it coat the chicken. The cashews add crunch against the tender vegetables and thickened sauce. Spoon it over rice for dinner, then save any extra portions for a reheated lunch that still has plenty of texture.
Get the Recipe: Cashew Chicken
Bang Bang Shrimp
Tossed with lime, cornstarch, and a small amount of oil, Bang Bang Shrimp cooks in 20 minutes before meeting a sauce of mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, sweet chili sauce, and Sriracha. The recipe serves four and includes basmati rice, cucumber slices, green onions, and cilantro for the plate. Creamy heat and cool cucumber balance each other in every bowl. Use it as a fast seafood main or serve smaller portions as an appetizer.
Get the Recipe: Bang Bang Shrimp
General Tso’s Chicken
Marinated chicken breast gets a flour and cornstarch coating in General Tso’s Chicken, then fries until crisp before going into a thick garlic, ginger, soy, hoisin, and vinegar sauce. The one-hour recipe serves six and lets you adjust the red pepper flakes to control the heat. Green onions and steamed rice round out the plate. Choose it when dinner calls for a substantial homemade takeout dish rather than a quick stir-fry.
Get the Recipe: General Tso’s Chicken
Chinese Steamed Chicken
Steamed over gentle heat with shiitake mushrooms, Chinese Steamed Chicken uses boneless chicken thighs for a four-serving meal in 30 minutes. Ginger, green onions, light soy sauce, sesame oil, and hot vegetable oil form the scallion sauce that goes over the chicken. The hands-off steaming time leaves room to prepare rice or a cucumber side. It is a useful option when you want a Chinese chicken dinner without breading or frying.
Get the Recipe: Chinese Steamed Chicken
Spicy Cucumber Salad
Salted cucumber slices rest before being dressed with gochugaru, scallion, garlic, rice wine vinegar, sesame seeds, and sesame oil in Spicy Cucumber Salad. Most of the 35-minute total is draining time, and the recipe makes four servings. The rest pulls out excess water so the cucumbers stay crisp under the spicy dressing. Serve it cold beside fried shrimp, saucy chicken, or noodles when the rest of dinner needs a fresh, crunchy counterpoint.
Get the Recipe: Spicy Cucumber Salad
Chow Mein
Noodles and crisp vegetables share a wok in Chow Mein, a 20-minute main dish that serves four. Cabbage, celery, red onion, carrots, and green onions cook briefly before soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, garlic, beef broth, and cornstarch coat the noodles. The sauce thickens directly in the pan, keeping cleanup contained. Put it on the table as a vegetable-packed noodle dinner, or add cooked chicken, beef, or shrimp when you want more protein.
Get the Recipe: Chow Mein