Some nights, waiting on a delivery tracker takes longer than making the food yourself. These 23 Chinese recipes cover the dishes people usually reach for on takeout menus, from fried rice and noodles to soups, stir-fries, crispy starters, and Panda Express-style copycats. The mix includes quick weeknight options as well as a few longer recipes worth starting earlier. You can build a full dinner from one main and a side, or combine several for a homemade takeout spread.
Egg Drop Soup
Silky and light with those familiar egg ribbons, Egg Drop Soup comes together in 20 minutes and makes four servings. Chicken broth gets extra depth from sesame oil, ginger, garlic, black pepper, and Sichuan pepper before the eggs are streamed in. Green onions, cilantro, or chili oil can finish each bowl. This is an easy starter when the rest of dinner is richer, or a quick lunch when you want something warm without ordering out.
Get the Recipe: Egg Drop Soup
Shrimp Fried Rice
Golden-edged rice and plump shrimp make Shrimp Fried Rice a strong answer to the takeout craving, and the full recipe takes 25 minutes for four servings. Cold cooked rice is tossed with shrimp, mixed vegetables, onion, egg, soy sauce, and green onions in a hot pan. The rice can pick up a lightly crisp bottom as it cooks. Serve it as the main dish or alongside a stir-fry when dinner needs more variety.
Get the Recipe: Shrimp Fried Rice
Scallion Pancakes
Crisp at the edges with chewy layers inside, Scallion Pancakes bring the snack-shop side of Chinese cooking home in about 70 minutes, including a 30-minute rest. The dough uses flour, hot and cool water, while chopped scallions and peanut oil form the savory layers. A simple soy sauce and Chinkiang vinegar dip comes with the recipe. Make these when dinner needs something crunchy to go beside soup, rice, or a saucy main.
Get the Recipe: Scallion Pancakes
Chinese Lemon Shredded Chicken
Bright, savory, and easy to serve warm or cool, Chinese Lemon Shredded Chicken takes 25 minutes and yields four servings. Cooked drumsticks are shredded and dressed with lemon juice and zest, soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic, sesame oil, toasted sesame, cilantro, and chile. The citrus keeps the dish lively without making it heavy. It works well for a takeout-style dinner when you want chicken without breading or a thick sauce.
Get the Recipe: Chinese Lemon Shredded Chicken
Panda Express Beijing Beef
Crunchy beef under a glossy sweet-savory sauce gives Panda Express Beijing Beef the full copycat treatment. The recipe serves four and takes 1 hour 40 minutes, including an hour of marinating. Flank steak is paired with onion and red bell pepper, while hoisin, ketchup, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sweet chili sauce build the coating. Start it earlier than the faster dishes, then serve with rice once the beef and vegetables are ready.
Get the Recipe: Panda Express Beijing Beef
Chinese Salt & Pepper Shrimp
Crisp-coated shrimp with chile and peppercorn heat make Chinese Salt & Pepper Shrimp a lively main that takes 35 minutes for four servings. Large shrimp are seasoned with fish sauce, garlic, ginger, Thai chiles, peppercorns, and coarse salt, then coated with flour and cornstarch. Scallions and cilantro finish the dish. Pair it with steamed rice and a cooler cucumber side when you want a seafood dinner with plenty of crunch.
Get the Recipe: Chinese Salt & Pepper Shrimp
Vegetable Stir Fry
Colorful and quick, Vegetable Stir Fry puts a full pan of vegetables on the table in 27 minutes and serves four. Broccolini, red, green, and yellow bell peppers, mushrooms, and green onion cook with a sauce of soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey or maple syrup, and cornstarch. The vegetables stay the focus instead of getting buried in sauce. Serve it over rice or next to chicken, beef, or shrimp when you want vegetables to take up more room on the plate.
Get the Recipe: Vegetable Stir Fry
Spicy Cucumber Salad
Cool, crunchy, and lightly fiery, Spicy Cucumber Salad takes 35 minutes for four servings, with most of that time used for resting the cucumbers. Korean cucumbers are tossed with gochugaru, scallion, garlic, rice wine vinegar, sesame seeds, sesame oil, sugar, and salt. The chilled texture is a useful break from fried or saucy dishes. Put it on the table beside noodles, fried rice, or a richer copycat main for contrast.
Get the Recipe: Spicy Cucumber Salad
Hot and Sour Soup
Peppery broth with mushrooms, tofu, chicken, and ribbons of egg makes Hot and Sour Soup substantial enough to start dinner or stand on its own. The recipe takes 35 minutes and serves four. Chicken broth is seasoned with dark and light soy sauce, white pepper, red pepper flakes, sesame oil, and a little sugar, while cornstarch thickens the base. Serve it before a stir-fry, or add rice on the side for a simple soup night.
Get the Recipe: Hot and Sour Soup
Tofu Fried Rice
Hearty enough for dinner but still fast enough for a weeknight, Tofu Fried Rice takes 30 minutes and makes four servings. Cold jasmine rice cooks with cubed tofu, peas, carrots, green onion, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger. The tofu adds substance while the vegetables keep the rice from turning one-note. Serve it as a main dish, or use smaller portions alongside egg rolls and cucumber salad for a takeout-style spread.
Get the Recipe: Tofu Fried Rice
Crispy Egg Rolls
Crackly wrappers and a savory vegetable center make Crispy Egg Rolls a useful starter when the main dish needs something to dip and share. The recipe takes 40 minutes, serves six, and uses 12 wrappers filled with cabbage, mushrooms, green onions, carrot, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and soy sauce. They bake for 15 minutes until golden and crisp. Serve them with sweet and sour sauce beside fried rice, noodles, or soup.
Get the Recipe: Crispy Egg Rolls
Panda Express Black Pepper Sirloin Steak
A hot skillet gives Panda Express Black Pepper Sirloin Steak browned beef and tender-crisp vegetables in just 25 minutes for four servings. Flank or sirloin steak cooks with red and green bell peppers and onion, then gets coated in soy sauce, oyster sauce, beef broth, garlic, sesame oil, brown sugar, and freshly ground black pepper. Spoon it over steamed rice or noodles when you want a fast copycat dinner without waiting on a pickup order.
Get the Recipe: Panda Express Black Pepper Sirloin Steak
Egg Fried Rice
Simple, savory, and built from pantry basics, Egg Fried Rice takes 25 minutes and makes four servings. Jasmine rice, four eggs, green onions, soy sauce, sesame oil, and vegetable oil keep the ingredient list short while still giving you the familiar fried-rice profile. It works as a quick lunch, a side for beef or chicken, or the base of a larger homemade takeout dinner. Add one crisp starter and dinner is already well covered.
Get the Recipe: Egg Fried Rice
Panda Express Super Greens
Fresh crunch gives Panda Express Super Greens a lighter counterpoint to fried rice, noodles, and saucy mains. The recipe takes 20 minutes and serves four, using broccoli, green cabbage, kale, garlic, soy sauce, vegetable broth, sesame oil, and olive oil. The vegetables are stir-fried just until they begin to soften. Serve them next to orange chicken, Beijing beef, or shrimp when you want a green side that keeps the plate balanced.
Get the Recipe: Panda Express Super Greens
Sweet and Sour Pork
Crisp pork, pineapple, peppers, and a sticky sauce make Sweet and Sour Pork a familiar takeout-style dinner that is easy to recognize from the first bite. It takes 35 minutes and serves four. Pork tenderloin is coated with cornstarch and corn flour before frying, then paired with pineapple, red and green bell peppers, onion, ginger, garlic, and sweet and sour sauce. Spoon it over rice while the pork is still crisp and the sauce is glossy.
Get the Recipe: Sweet and Sour Pork
Kung Pao Chicken
Spicy, saucy, and packed with crisp vegetables, Kung Pao Chicken comes together in 30 minutes for four servings. Cubed chicken breast cooks with red bell pepper, sugar snap peas, garlic, and fresh ginger, while soy sauce, white vinegar, chicken broth, sugar, and cornstarch form the sauce. A little sesame oil and green onion finish the pan. Serve it with rice when you want a weeknight chicken dish with more heat than the sweeter copycat options.
Get the Recipe: Kung Pao Chicken
Panda Express Honey Walnut Shrimp
Crisp shrimp under a creamy honey sauce makes Panda Express Honey Walnut Shrimp a fast copycat dinner with a sweeter edge. The recipe takes 15 minutes and serves four. Shrimp are battered with cornstarch, flour, egg, and sparkling water, then paired with a mayonnaise, honey, lemon, and salt sauce. Candied walnuts add the final crunch. Serve it right away with rice and a green side so the coating stays crisp.
Get the Recipe: Panda Express Honey Walnut Shrimp
Chow Mein
Saucy noodles loaded with vegetables make Chow Mein an easy centerpiece when delivery would take longer than cooking. The recipe takes 20 minutes and serves four. Chow mein noodles are tossed with cabbage, celery, red onion, carrots, and green onions, plus a sauce of soy sauce, oyster sauce, toasted sesame oil, garlic, beef broth, and cornstarch. Serve it on its own for a quick dinner, or add egg rolls and a stir-fry for a larger spread.
Get the Recipe: Chow Mein
Beef and Broccoli
Tender beef and bright broccoli make Beef and Broccoli a straightforward takeout-style main that takes 30 minutes and serves four. Thinly sliced flank steak and broccoli cook in a sauce built from soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, toasted sesame oil, cornstarch, and optional red pepper flakes. The sauce is thick enough to coat both beef and vegetables. Serve it over steamed rice for a complete dinner with very little extra work.
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Wonton Soup
Brothy and filling without becoming too heavy, Wonton Soup takes 30 minutes and makes four servings. Frozen wontons simmer with shiitake mushrooms, broccolini, ginger, garlic, low-sodium chicken broth, sesame oil, and soy sauce, then green onion goes on top. Using frozen wontons keeps the recipe practical for a weeknight. Serve a bowl before a stir-fry, or make it the main dish with egg rolls or scallion pancakes on the side.
Get the Recipe: Wonton Soup
Panda Express Orange Chicken
Crisp chicken coated in a glossy citrus sauce gives Panda Express Orange Chicken the familiar sweet-tangy bite people expect from the restaurant version. The dish takes 25 minutes and makes four servings. Chicken breast is breaded with flour and cornstarch, fried, then tossed with soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, fresh orange juice, and garlic. Serve it with rice and Super Greens for an easy copycat dinner at home.
Get the Recipe: Panda Express Orange Chicken
Shrimp Toast
Toasted bread topped with seasoned shrimp gives Shrimp Toast a different kind of crunch from heavier fried appetizers and saucy mains. The recipe takes 25 minutes and serves four. It combines bread and fresh shrimp with carrot, romaine, sprouts, Parmesan, lime, coconut oil, rosemary, cayenne, smoked paprika, sesame seeds, and garlic powder. Serve it as a starter or light lunch when you want seafood without making a full stir-fry.
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General Tso’s Chicken
Crisp chicken with a sweet, garlicky, spicy sauce makes General Tso’s Chicken a strong choice when the takeout order usually includes something bold. The recipe takes 1 hour and serves six. Chicken breast is coated with cornstarch, flour, egg whites, garlic powder, and ginger, then paired with a sauce using rice vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin, garlic, chicken stock, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Serve it with rice and a green vegetable side.
Get the Recipe: General Tso’s Chicken