Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Chinese Buffet at Home
It is no secret that I have an obsession with Chinese cuisine. The place that started it all was a local Chinese buffet here in Michigan. After frequent visits to the buffet over the years, I finally decided to take a stab at cooking my own Chinese dishes at home. The majority of the dishes were delicious and I began cooking different Chinese meals every week, but I had always wanted more variety just like the buffet. I had always wondered, “what if I could create a Chinese buffet at home?” I have wanted to do this for along time so I was very excited when I was chosen to be part of the 24,24,24 event presented by Foodbuzz.
In this article I will explain how to create your own Chinese buffet at home. I have posted 10 different recipes which include main course, appetizers, soups, side dishes and a dessert. All of these items can be found at almost any Chinese buffet in the United States. The entire meal was all cooked in the same day and took me approximately 7 hours of straight cooking. Luckily I had 1 person to help me or it would have taken even longer. In the end it was well worth it, the result was a delicious meal that my entire family enjoyed. The biggest hits of the night were the Kung Pao chicken, crab rangoons, and egg drop soup. This is great for anyone that wants to host a dinner party. Enjoy.
The Menu:
Main course-
Sesame Chicken
Orange Chicken
Kung Pao Chicken
Meat on a Stick (Chicken Skewers)
Appetizers-
Crab Rangoons
Egg Rolls
Side Dishes-
Garlic Green Beans
Fried Rice
Egg Drop Soup
Dessert-
Buffet Style Doughnuts
The Recipes:
Sesame Chicken-
Ingredients:
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons raw sesame seeds
2 green onions (sliced)
Marinade-1 teaspoon chicken base
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sesame oil
ground white pepper (to taste)
¼ teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon raspberry wine (or any fruity flavored wine)
Batter-
½ cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg (beaten)
½ cup water (or as much as needed to make batter smooth)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
salt (to taste)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Sauce-
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons sugar
Salt (to taste)
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
a sprinkle of ground black pepper
Cooking Instructions:
Step 1: Cut chicken breasts into 1” chunks and in a glass bowl combine all of the marinade ingredients and mix well. Add the chicken and coat evenly. Cover and marinade for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Step 2: Meanwhile, in separate bowl combine all of the batter ingredients and mix thoroughly. The batter should be thick enough to coat the chicken but thin enough to flow around the pieces. Set aside.
Step 3: Using a fork or tongs remove the pieces of chicken from the marinade and dip them into the batter to coat evenly (one by one). Deep fry the chicken in batches in your deep fryer for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. (or you can fry in hot oil at about 325 degrees in your wok for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown
Step 4: In your wok combine the sauce ingredients and warm over medium heat. Bring to a boil while stirring and simmer until sauce slightly thickens.
Step 5: In the wok or in a serving dish coat chicken with the sauce and garnish with sliced scallions and sesame seeds.
Orange Chicken-
Ingredients:
Chicken-
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1-1/2” cubes)
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 eggs (beaten)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Oil (for frying)
Orange Sauce-
1 ½ cups water
2 tablespoons orange juice
¼ cup lemon juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon orange zest (grated)
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon ginger root (minced)
½ teaspoon garlic (minced)
2 tablespoons green onion (chopped)
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
Cooking Instructions:
Step 1: Combine flour, salt, and pepper. Dip chicken in egg mixture and shake in flour mixture to coat. Deep fry chicken in batches at 375 degrees in a deep fryer (or use a wok) until completely cooked.
Step 2: Meanwhile, in a large saucepan combine 1 ½ cups water, lemon juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger garlic, and onion. Bring to a boil.
Step 3: Combine 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens. Pour sauce over breaded chicken, and if desired add red pepper flakes and garnish with green onions.
Kung Pao Chicken-
Ingredients:
1lb boneless-skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1” pieces)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons green onions (chopped)
3 garlic cloves (minced)
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon powdered ginger
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts
Cooking Instructions:
Step 1: combine the chicken and cornstarch in a small bowl and toss to coat. Heat sesame oil in a wok over medium heat, add chicken and stir fry 5-7 minutes or until no longer pink inside. Remove chicken from wok.
Step 2: Add green onions, garlic, red pepper flakes and powdered ginger to the wok and stir fry for 15 seconds.
Step 3: Combine vinegar, soy sauce and sugar in a small bowl. Mix well and add the sauce to the wok.
Step 4: Return chicken to the wok and coat with sauce. Stir in roasted peanuts. Heat thoroughly. Top with additional green onions if desired and serve over white rice.
Meat on a Stick (Chicken Skewers)-
Ingredients:
1lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 (10 ounce) bottle teriyaki marinade
1 teaspoon garlic (minced)
1/8 cup creamy peanut butter
½ teaspoon sesame oil
Wooden skewers
Cooking Instructions:
Step 1: Cut chicken breasts into long strips. In a large bowl combine teriyaki marinade, garlic, peanut butter and sesame oil. Place chicken breasts into bowl and coat with the mixture. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
Step 2: Soak skewers in cold water. Slide each strips onto a skewer.
Step 3: Cook on a grill until chicken is fully cooked. You can also do this with a broiler.
Crab Rangoons-
Ingredients:
12 ounces of cream cheese (at room temperature)
50 wan ton wrappers
1 cup imitation crab meat (or canned)
2 green onions (minced)
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon soy sauce
1 egg (beaten)
oil (for frying)
Cooking Instructions:
Step 1: In a bowl cream the cream cheese, soy sauce, green onions and garlic powder. Stir in the crab meat (if using imitation crab it should be chopped into pieces).
Step 2: In a separate bowl beat 1 egg. Lay out a wanton wrapper so it forms a diamond shape and place 1 teaspoon of filling just below the center of each wrapper.
Step 3: Brush the opposite corners of the wanton wrapper with the egg mixture. Fold over the edges of the wrapper to form a triangle and seal tightly.
Step 4: Deep fry the rangoons in batches at 375 degrees for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.
Egg Rolls-
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 package egg roll wraps
1 bad shredded cabbage and carrot mix
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
1 egg (beaten, for sealing)
2 eggs (cooked and scrambled)
Oil (for frying)
Cooking Instructions:
Step 1: Fry ground beef with salt, pepper and garlic powder until beef is completely browned (tip- add the salt, pepper and garlic powder to your taste. You want the flavor to be strong but not overpowering).
Step 2: In a large bowl combine cabbage and carrot mixture, cooked ground beef mixture, and scrambled eggs.
Step 3: Lay out an egg roll wrapper. Place 1-2 tablespoons of filling in the corner of the wrapper, but not so the filling is actually touching the corner. Fold over that corner and roll about half of the way up. Fold over the left and right corners to the middle. Using a brush or the bottom of a spoon, brush the cornstarch/water mixture on the edges of the wrapper. Finish rolling up tightly and secure to make sure there are no leaks. Repeat until all the egg roll wraps are used.
Step 4: Deep fry egg rolls in batches until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
Garlic Green Beans-
Ingredients:
1lb fresh green beans (washed with strings removed, ends trimmed)
Sauce-
1 tablespoon black bean sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 ½ teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon garlic (minced)
1 tablespoon ginger (minced)
2 green onions (minced, white part only)
½ teaspoon chili paste
3 tablespoons oil (for frying)
Cooking Instructions:
Step 1: In a small bowl combine black bean sauce, soy sauce, sugar and rice vinegar. Set aside.
Step 2: Heat your wok and add 2 tablespoons of oil. Add green beans and fry for 10 minutes or until beans have reached your desired tenderness. Remove beans from the wok.
Step 3: Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the wok. Add garlic, ginger and green onions. Stir fry for 15 seconds. Add chili paste. Add the sauce mixture a cook for a few seconds. Return beans to the pan tossing to coat. Serve.
Fried Rice-
Ingredients:
5 cups cooked leftover white rice (that’s at least 1 day old)
1 medium onion (diced)
6 cloves garlic (minced)
2 eggs (beaten)
1 cup frozen peas and carrots (thawed)
½ tablespoon tumeric
Soy sauce (to serve)
2 tablespoons oil (for frying)
Cooking Instructions:
Step 1: Add a little bit of oil or cooking spray to a heated fry pan. Add beaten eggs and scramble until fully cooked. Remove from heat and set aside.
Step 2: Heat a wok and add oil. Add garlic, onion, and peas and carrots. Stir fry until vegetables have reached your desired tenderness. Add rice and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add turmeric and eggs. Mix well.
Step 3: Serve with soy sauce.
Egg Drop Soup-
Ingredients:
3 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1 dash white pepper
1 green onion (sliced)
2 eggs (slightly beaten)
Cooking Instructions:
Step 1: In a sauce pan heat chicken broth, salt, and white pepper. Bring to a boil.
Step 2: Pour beaten egg in a thin stream into the broth (or drizzle with a fork). Stir with a fork until the egg forms shreds. Add green onions and serve.
Buffet Style Doughnuts-
Ingredients:
1 (10 count) refrigerated biscuits
1/3 cup sugar
Oil (for deep frying)
Cooking Instructions:
Step 1: Heat oil to 350 degrees. Fry disquiets 2 at a time until browned on each side. Drain on paper towels.
Step 2: Pour sugar into a container. Once the doughnuts have cooled toss them lightly in the sugar 1 at a time coating both sides.
Yumm, I wish I were eating chinese with you! This all looks delish!
I am going to be cooking these things soon. They look so tasty!
Have you ever cooked Szechuan chicken or Chicken with Broccoli?
HoneyB – Thanks, it was amazing.
Russell – I have never cooked either of them but I have been wanting to make Szechuan Chicken or along time.
This is fabulous Bobby! You are amazing! Im so excited with all the chinese recipes!, especially the “yellow” fried rice! I was wondering if you knew how some of the chinese buffetts make the reddish color Chicken sticks, if youve seen them.
Also have you seen a dish called “Black Pepper Chicken”? Its little diced up chicken and just diced up onions, I think in a dark tamari or soy sauce, so delicious! Oh wait a minute, I think you might have it on here, Ill have to check.
Once again, your website is the tops! Your recipes are fantastic! Keep cooking, posting & keep up the great work!
WOW!! This is a great post!! I’ll be trying some of these too!! Thanks!!
Wendy – Thank you, thank you! The red color chicken sticks, yes we have them at all the buffets here. I am wondering how they marinade them exactly to get the reddish color, I don’t know but I am always trying to replicate great buffet dishes and if I find out, I will be sure to post it. The black pepper chicken actually almost made it on this buffet list but I decided to go with kung pao chicken instead. I do have black pepper chicken on this site but its not exactly what they have at the buffets, but its really good and worth trying. Here is a link: http://blogchef.net/black-pepper-chicken-recipe/
Bunny – Thank you, I hope you enjoy the recipes!
I am sure bookmarking this page all the dishes looks so yummy delicous, i have the feeling i just had a visual tour of chinese delicious food.
What a feast! Everything looks mouth-watering! Crab rangoon is new to me…I’ll have to try that!
WoW! These are the most scrumptious sounding Chinese dishes ever. I’m so glad you posted them as Chinese is my favorite cuisine. I love lo-mein and General Tso’s chicken too. Thanks for providing these great recipes and pictures too. God bless you and please keep the posts coming.
Wow Bobby, everything sounds amazing. I want to try all your recipes.
I wish I could eat some of that Chinese food right now! Everything looks delicious!
I have an obsession with Asian (Chinese) cuisine too! Must be why I like your blog so much. Thanks for the great recipes, easy-to-follow directions and awesome pictures.
All I can say is WOW! I mean, how much time did it take to make this spread? Everything looks so yummy though! And BTW…how big is your serving counter?
Cookie – Haha, my serving counter is decent sized
This took me about 7 hours with the help of one person.
This could be my last meal on earth… Everything looks absolutely wonderful!
Thank you, Bobby. I have tried several of your recipes, and my husband has loved them! The sweet and sour chicken is his favorite! I will try some of your buffet recipes as well! Thanks again for helping to make it so easy for us to print your recipes without the pictures.
Yum, this is so cool! I love this type of food and I will have to give one of these recipes a try (I don’t think I could manage them all at once!)
Holy cow, this looks fantastic! Thanks for sharing!
*BOWS DOWN*
YOU ARE JUST TOO AMAZING!
Must have been a pain to clean up afterward though.
Bobby, both me and my husband a great fan of your site….. thanks for sharing des amazing recipes….. i will surely try all des recipes….. thanx once again…u rock….
wow! you have recipes that will last a lifetime. i wanted to make them all. if i do, and i start tomorrow, i don’t know if i’d still be alive to finish all these recipes. thanks! this is a tresure chest. it’s like i’ve struck gold!
This is a fantastic selection of dishes – they look so delicious. I really would like to try the sesame chicken, but you make it difficult to choose with such lovely photographs!
Now I want to have a dinner party just to try all this out…and the General Tso’s chicken recipe you have.
Your family is so lucky! They all look so good, I love Chinese buffets.
I think I must print out this recipes, they look delicious ALL of them and we do love chicken.
I always had this complain to god that he dropped me one step down the China border..am crazy about chinese food too!! My god you said it took you 7 hrs with a help to make all this?? I am going to split the menu for two days as i don’t have any help but got 3 hungry mouths instead. Your recipes have never failed to make me look like a great chef. I have tried a few of them and the black pepper chicken and peanut chicken are my faves till now!! Keep the recipes coming
My son loves you for this! He loves Chinese buffets, and now we can have one at home. This looks better than a buffet.
Such beautiful food. I will definitely have to try some of these recipes. That bowl of fried rice looks especially good!
Congrats on your 24 post!
(I’m featured as well this month.)
Amazing! I love every single dish you made!
Wonderful 24 post! My husband would be in seventh heaven with this food.
I am so glad I stumbled on your site. We have 4 children adopted from China and the one complaint they have is that I cannot cook Chinese food.
I can’t wait to try these recipes! Thanks so much for sharing them.
Great post!
Where in michigan are you located? I’m currently living in muskegon,but moving near detroit in a few weeks.
1 bad shredded cabbage and carrot mix
Can we use a good one instead?
These recipes sound great. I’ll certainly be trying several of them soon. Thanks!
Posted a comment already…thought of a question.
How did you keep all the different dishes warm until dinner time?
Nila Rosa – I am from the upper peninsula
CallieMo – Opps! I knew that I had to have some mistakes somewhere in here. Thanks for pointing that out, I am having problems with wordpress at the moment but I will get it fixed.
Meg – In the oven
They all didnt really fit but I managed.
I’ve never quite seen a post so intensely detailed and delicious!!!
Wow! All the dishes looked awesome. Plus your great photography skills, anyone’s jaw will dropped and flooded with saliva. Great job!
Great post! it’s been a while since I’ve had chinese food…way to spark a craving!
Where in Michigan are you? I’m in downriver Detroit, and I have a few buffets I truly love. <3
Cat- Upper Peninsula by the marquette area.
I know how they get the reddish color for the chicken on a stick” thigh meat! Also being in Michigan, what about Almond Chicken? I’m in the south and grew up near Flint. I remember loving almond chicken.
omg.. i am so bookmarking this! wonderful and now Im starving!
I made the egg fried rice this evening. Yum
This is so awesome! Next time I plan a party I’m going to use your recipes!
Thank you so much for posting the garlic green beans! I love them and fill my plate whenever we go to the buffet! I live in T.C Mi and we have a few great buffets…as well as a few bad ones
OMG, I’m in heaven! I’m totally obsessed with Chinese buffets and these recipes look absolutely delicious!
I don’t even know where to start…I’ll definitely be making many of these at home. Thanks so much!
That’s a stunning array & each dish is beautiful. Brilliant spread for a great event. Well done on the 24, 24, 24!!
How wonderfully ambitious for a family meal! Looks good!
i have been looking for some good Chinese recipes and you seem to have some very good ones. i can’t wait to try them !! you might want to use red peeper instead of black or white, just to taste as black is real bad for stomach.
Thanks for the recipes. I love Chinese food, but due to a severe soy allergy I know longer eat it. Some of these recipes require no soy at all!! I’m going to make some of this at home to enjoy!! Thanks!
The fried rice seems really good, I could almost taste it! I’m gonna head straight to the kitchen when I get home… Oh it’s making me hungry as a bear!! HmmMMMmm..really good food!
Thanks for sharing the recipe ^^,
Everything looks delicious and authentic. And, your post was very nicely presented.
Wow, what a feast! Everything looks great!
What a great Chinese feast! Warning however-Once you start cooking your own take-out will never be good enough!!
What a fantastic spread and effort!! 7 hours of cooking!! That’s amazing…everything looks so delicious and I am totally bookmarking all of these recipes. I LOVE Chinese!!!
PS…what a great idea to do this at home!
Nice post. These recipes are quick & easy. However, let me make a couple humble suggestions.
Ground beef is a no-no in eggrolls. Use ground pork or baby shrimp.
Add a tablespoon or so of oyster sauce to the fried rice. (and maybe a little chili paste?)
More veggies in the Kung Pao! Baby corn, chopped bok choy, or perhaps some carrots.
Keep up the good work, Bobby…
Oh my gosh! I just discovered your site today, and there’s a wok in my kitchen that will get the workout it deserves this weekend!!! Everything looks so good!! I can’t wait to get crackin’.
I like these-thanks
Looks really good, you can definitely take a photo, but with just a little bit of photoshop it would be amazing… Im only saying cause i think youre ready.
so good! i made the sesame chicken the other day & it came out great. the only addition i did was adding sesame oil to the sauce itself after simmering – perfect! i also skipped the wine and chicken base in the marinade, the sauce is what makes it.
My mouth is totally watering! Love the pics.
Oh my god the sesame chicken looks YUm but can i use any oil instead of sesame oil?
Sandra – The result would not be the same because sesame oil is a strong flavor. You could probably just leave it out.
Made the seasame chicken and they were just so so yummy delicous, thankyou for one of the best sesame chicken i have ever had.
Just blogged in my place
http://mykitchentreasures.blogspot.com/2009/05/sesame-chicken.html
thank you so much
I’m never going out to eat for Chinese ever again, all of this is SOOO much better than a restaurant, and I just made 52 crab rangoon for under 10 dollars.
That’s less than 17 cents per rangoon
You can’t beat it!
Out of all the recipes i have looked for, these by far are the best. I have been looking for wok recipes and i made the sesame chicken which was so amazing that i made it a second time and also gave my friends the recipe so they can try it. Very great recipes that taste actually better than the restaurants, as well as much more cost friendly! :] Thank You
Thanks for sharing these recipes with us. I made the fried rice, garlic green beans, and black pepper chicken. YUM! Can’t wait to get started on some of your desserts. Thanks again for the easy to follow directions and pictures.
Oh my. I made the orange chicken tonight. So yummy and very close to take out. I added a kittle baking powder to the flour mixture to get a fluffier coating. Will definitely add this one into the rotation. Beats expensive take out any night. Thank you so much for sharing.
This wonderful I think it work especially well for a party!
When you make these things, how do you keep them warm while making other things? Do you use the oven?
I’m curious because I was just thinking about doing a buffet and this is perfect!
Ashley – Yes, I used the oven. It worked out well.
This is great. I can see my family and I eating this on a saturday or a sunday evening.
one of the first places my boyfriend took me when we started dating was china buffet i told him i’ll mary any man i find that could make the dounuts & he said he would marry anyone who could make the crab ragu.so i thank u sooo much for these recipes. noah was at a loss as to how he would put my ring in a dounut with out me knowing lol
Some great looking food here. I have made chinese food before and always turns out great. I see there are a few recipies that i just havent tried yet. Thanks for the recipies. Will be cooking these very soon.
great recipes! i made the orange chicken and it turned out perfect. great cornstarch ratio! thanks!
Wow, thanks! I really want to make a complete chinese dinner for my parents and brother that has the kinds of yummilicious foods that I had at a chinese buffet that is popular around where I live and this contains all of the recipes that I wanted to cook and they all have great pics and look delicious =)!