Chinese takeout sounds easy until the delivery fee climbs and the fried food arrives softer than you wanted. These 23 recipes cover the dishes people usually order by the carton, including fried rice, noodles, soups, stir-fries, crispy shrimp, saucy chicken, pork, beef, and vegetable sides. The mix ranges from 15-minute copycats to slower weekend projects, with enough variety to build one full dinner or pick a single dish for a weeknight. Cooking them at home also means the crisp dishes can reach the table before steam has time to undo the texture.
Chinese Salt & Pepper Shrimp
Crisp edges and peppery heat give Chinese Salt & Pepper Shrimp the kind of texture that never survives a ride in a takeout box. The 35-minute recipe coats large shrimp with flour and cornstarch, then finishes them with garlic, ginger, Thai chilies, scallions, and crushed peppercorns. A quick fry keeps the coating crunchy while the aromatics stay bold. Serve it straight from the pan when you want a restaurant-style seafood dinner for four without waiting on delivery.
Get the Recipe: Chinese Salt & Pepper Shrimp
Hot and Sour Soup
Steaming bowls of Hot and Sour Soup come together in 35 minutes with chicken broth, shredded chicken, mushrooms, tofu, soy sauce, sesame oil, and eggs. White pepper and red pepper flakes bring heat, while the cornstarch gives the broth its familiar body. The recipe makes four servings and works well when a soup order alone will not justify delivery fees. Pair it with fried rice or egg rolls for a fuller homemade Chinese dinner.
Get the Recipe: Hot and Sour Soup
Chow Mein
Fast wok cooking keeps Chow Mein on the table in 20 minutes, which is often quicker than choosing a delivery order and waiting for it to arrive. Chow mein noodles are tossed with cabbage, celery, carrots, red onion, and green onions in a soy, oyster sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and beef broth sauce. Four servings make it an easy dinner base. Add a soup or shrimp dish alongside when you want a broader takeout-style spread.
Get the Recipe: Chow Mein
Spicy Cucumber Salad
Cool, crunchy slices make Spicy Cucumber Salad a useful counterpoint to the fried and saucy dishes in this lineup. Korean cucumbers rest with salt before being dressed with gochugaru, scallion, garlic, rice wine vinegar, sesame seeds, and sesame oil. Most of the 35-minute total is hands-off draining time, and the recipe serves four. Set it beside richer mains when you want a cold, crisp side instead of another carton of cooked vegetables.
Get the Recipe: Spicy Cucumber Salad
Panda Express Honey Walnut Shrimp
Golden batter and candied nuts make Panda Express Honey Walnut Shrimp a 15-minute copycat that is best eaten before the coating has a chance to soften. Medium shrimp fry in a sparkling-water batter, then get tossed with mayonnaise, honey, and lemon juice before the caramelized walnuts go on top. The recipe serves four. Make it for a takeout-style dinner when you want the contrast of crisp shrimp, creamy sauce, and crunchy walnuts fresh from the kitchen.
Get the Recipe: Panda Express Honey Walnut Shrimp
Crispy Egg Rolls
Crackly wrappers give Crispy Egg Rolls their appeal, while a cabbage, mushroom, carrot, green onion, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce filling keeps the center savory. The recipe makes six servings in 40 minutes, with the rolls baked until golden rather than sitting under a heat lamp. Sweet and sour sauce is the straightforward dipping choice. Put them out before soup or stir-fry when you want the appetizer part of a Chinese restaurant order made at home.
Get the Recipe: Crispy Egg Rolls
Sweet Orange Chicken
Glossy sauce clings to every piece of Sweet Orange Chicken, with cubed chicken coated in cornstarch, egg, and corn flour before frying. Fresh orange juice, orange zest, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, and red pepper paste build the sauce that goes over the crisp chicken. The recipe serves four and takes 40 minutes. Spoon it over rice for a familiar takeout-style dinner that arrives at the table while the coating is still crisp.
Get the Recipe: Sweet Orange Chicken
Tofu Fried Rice
Day-old rice gets a second life in Tofu Fried Rice, a 30-minute dish built with jasmine rice, cubed tofu, peas, carrots, green onion, garlic, soy sauce, and sesame oil. The recipe serves four and uses cold rice so the grains stay separate as they cook. It works as a main or a substantial side when the usual delivery fried rice sounds too predictable. Add cucumber salad or stir-fried vegetables to round out the plate.
Get the Recipe: Tofu Fried Rice
Kung Pao Chicken
High heat keeps Kung Pao Chicken moving from prep to plate in 30 minutes. Cubed chicken cooks with red bell pepper, sugar snap peas, garlic, and fresh ginger, while soy sauce, vinegar, chicken broth, sugar, and cornstarch form the sauce. The recipe makes four servings, so it fits an ordinary weeknight without scaling. Serve it with plain rice when you want a spicy, vegetable-packed main rather than another lukewarm carton from the delivery bag.
Get the Recipe: Kung Pao Chicken
Vegetable Stir Fry
Bright vegetables stay slightly crisp in Vegetable Stir Fry, which cooks in just 27 minutes from start to finish. Broccolini, three colors of bell pepper, mushrooms, and green onion are tossed with a sauce made from soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey or maple syrup, sesame oil, and cornstarch. The recipe serves four and works as either a main or side. Pair it with fried rice or a chicken dish when you want more vegetables in a takeout-style dinner.
Get the Recipe: Vegetable Stir Fry
Pork Fried Rice
Cold rice and quick skillet cooking give Pork Fried Rice the separate grains and browned edges that are hard to keep after delivery. The 35-minute recipe combines pork tenderloin, hoisin sauce, eggs, carrots, green onions, ginger, garlic, jasmine rice, peas, bean sprouts, and soy sauce. Four servings make it useful as dinner or as a side for a larger spread. It is also a practical way to use leftover rice without turning to another restaurant order.
Get the Recipe: Pork Fried Rice
Bang Bang Shrimp
Creamy heat coats Bang Bang Shrimp without burying the seafood under a heavy sauce. Shrimp are seasoned with lime juice, cornstarch, salt, and pepper, then paired with a sauce of light mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, sweet chili sauce, and Sriracha. The 20-minute recipe serves four and includes rice, cucumber, green onions, and cilantro for serving. Use it as a quick main when you want spicy shrimp with fresher texture than a closed takeout container can keep.
Get the Recipe: Bang Bang Shrimp
Panda Express Beijing Beef
A longer marination gives Panda Express Beijing Beef its tender center before the thin flank steak strips are coated with cornstarch and fried. Red bell pepper, onion, and garlic go into a sweet, tangy sauce built from hoisin, ketchup, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sweet chili sauce, and apple cider vinegar. Total time is 1 hour 40 minutes for four servings. Save this one for a planned copycat night when you want the beef crisp straight from the pan.
Get the Recipe: Panda Express Beijing Beef
Wonton Soup
Light broth and tender dumplings make Wonton Soup a 30-minute option when a full takeout order would be more food than you need. Sixteen frozen wontons simmer with chicken broth, shiitake mushrooms, broccolini, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and soy sauce. The recipe makes four bowls and finishes with sliced green onion. Serve it on its own for a simple dinner or alongside scallion pancakes when you want the soup-and-appetizer combination at home.
Get the Recipe: Wonton Soup
Scallion Pancakes
Flaky layers separate as Scallion Pancakes hit the skillet, giving them crisp edges and a chewy middle that is best served immediately. The dough uses flour, boiling water, cool water, and salt, then gets layered with chopped scallions and peanut oil before pan-frying. A soy and Chinkiang vinegar dipping sauce comes alongside. The recipe serves four and takes 1 hour 10 minutes, including resting time, making it a good weekend project for a homemade Chinese starter.
Get the Recipe: Scallion Pancakes
Egg Drop Soup
Silky egg ribbons form in Egg Drop Soup in just 20 minutes, with four cups of chicken broth providing the base. Ginger, garlic, sesame oil, black pepper, Sichuan pepper, eggs, and cornstarch keep the ingredient list focused while still building plenty of flavor. The recipe serves four and can be topped with green onions, cilantro, or chili oil. Make it when you want a light first course that does not arrive with a film on top from sitting in transit.
Get the Recipe: Egg Drop Soup
Sweet and Sour Pork
Crisp pork and bright vegetables meet in Sweet and Sour Pork, a 35-minute dinner that serves four. Pork tenderloin is coated with cornstarch and corn flour before frying, while pineapple, red and green bell peppers, onion, garlic, and ginger cook with sweet and sour sauce. The fresh-from-the-pan texture is the reason to make this one yourself. Spoon it over rice when you want the familiar sweet, tangy combination without letting the fried coating steam inside a delivery box.
Get the Recipe: Sweet and Sour Pork
Chinese Lemon Shredded Chicken
Fresh citrus and a cool serving style set Chinese Lemon Shredded Chicken apart from the heavier fried dishes on the list. Cooked drumsticks are shredded and paired with cucumber, carrots, and onion, then dressed with lemon juice, lemon zest, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic, sesame oil, cilantro, and chili. The recipe takes 25 minutes and serves four. Bring it out for lunch or dinner when you want Chinese flavors with a lighter, crisp vegetable contrast.
Get the Recipe: Chinese Lemon Shredded Chicken
Panda Express Super Greens
A short 20-minute cook keeps Panda Express Super Greens from turning into the soft vegetables that often arrive after a long delivery ride. Broccoli, green cabbage, and kale cook with garlic, soy sauce, vegetable broth, sesame oil, and olive oil. The recipe makes four servings and stays firmly in side-dish territory. Put it next to Beijing beef, orange chicken, or fried rice when you want the vegetable part of a Panda Express-style order handled at home.
Get the Recipe: Panda Express Super Greens
Shrimp Fried Rice
Hot wok cooking gives Shrimp Fried Rice browned rice, just-cooked shrimp, and vegetables in 25 minutes. Day-old cooked rice is paired with large shrimp, onion, mixed vegetables, egg, soy sauce, and green onions, with water added as needed while everything cooks. The recipe serves four and can cover lunch or dinner by itself. It is especially useful when leftover rice is already in the fridge and a delivery app is starting to look tempting.
Get the Recipe: Shrimp Fried Rice
Cashew Chicken
Crunch from nuts and vegetables keeps Cashew Chicken interesting from the first bite to the last. Cubed chicken cooks with red bell pepper, broccoli, edamame, and cashews, while soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, chili garlic sauce, ginger, and garlic form the sweet-savory coating. The 40-minute recipe serves four. Make it for a weeknight dinner with rice when you want the familiar takeout combination but still want the vegetables and cashews to keep their texture.
Get the Recipe: Cashew Chicken
Egg Fried Rice
Simple pantry staples carry Egg Fried Rice through a 25-minute cook, making it one of the easiest homemade alternatives to adding another carton to an order. Jasmine rice, four eggs, green onions, soy sauce, sesame oil, and vegetable oil make four servings with no long ingredient list. Serve it beside stir-fry, soup, or shrimp, or use it as a quick lunch on its own when you have rice and eggs ready to go.
Get the Recipe: Egg Fried Rice
General Tso’s Chicken
A crisp coating and a bold sauce give General Tso’s Chicken the contrast that tends to disappear once fried chicken sits in a closed container. Chicken breast cubes are marinated with soy sauce, ginger, and garlic powder, then coated with flour and cornstarch before frying. The sauce adds rice vinegar, hoisin, garlic, chicken stock, sugar, and red pepper flakes. The recipe serves six and takes 1 hour, making it a strong choice for a planned takeout-at-home dinner.
Get the Recipe: General Tso’s Chicken