Happy Family (Chinese Combination Stir-Fry)
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Happy family (全家福, quán jiā fú — "whole family reunion") is the deluxe American-Chinese combination stir-fry: several proteins, usually chicken, beef, and shrimp (often with pork, char siu, or scallops too), tossed with a colorful mix of vegetables in a glossy, savory brown sauce. The name reflects the dish's spirit — a little of everything, all together — and it's a restaurant favorite for exactly that reason. The keys to a great one are velveting each meat separately (the cornstarch-and-egg-white marinade that keeps restaurant stir-fry meat silky), blanching the harder vegetables so everything finishes at the same time, and stir-frying fast over high heat so nothing overcooks. It's more of a project than a single-protein stir-fry because of the multiple components, but it comes together in about 40 minutes and feeds a crowd. Serve it over steamed rice to catch all the sauce.
Why you'll love this happy family (chinese combination stir-fry)
- A little of everything — chicken, beef and shrimp in one glossy, savory dish.
- The velvet-and-blanch method keeps every protein and vegetable perfectly tender.
- Restaurant-deluxe, but totally doable at home in about 40 minutes.
- Endlessly flexible — use whatever proteins and vegetables you like.
Ingredients
Proteins & velvet marinade
- 6 oz chicken breast, thinly sliced
- 6 oz flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
- 6 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 egg white
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing winesubstitutes →
- ½ tsp salt
Vegetables
- 1.5 cups broccoli florets
- 1 carrot, thinly sliced on the bias
- ½ cup snow peas
- 4 shiitake or button mushrooms, sliced
- ½ cup water chestnuts, slicedsubstitutes →
- ¼ cup baby corn, optional, halved
Brown sauce & aromatics
- 3 tbsp light soy saucesubstitutes →
- 1 tbsp oyster saucesubstitutes →
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce, for colorsubstitutes →
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¾ cup chicken stock
- 1 tbsp cornstarch, mixed with 2 tbsp water
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp ginger, minced
- 3 tbsp neutral oil, divided
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Stock the pantry once and you can cook this anytime: Shaoxing wine, water chestnuts, oyster sauce. Asian groceries deliver nationwide.
Equipment
- Wok — High heat keeps the many components from overcooking.(shop →)
- Spider strainer — For blanching the vegetables and lifting proteins.(shop →)
Instructions
Velvet the proteins
Velvet the meats: toss the chicken, beef, and shrimp (in separate bowls) with the egg white, cornstarch, Shaoxing wine, and salt divided among them. Let sit 15 minutes. Stir the brown-sauce ingredients (except the slurry) together.
💡 Velveting — the egg-white-and-cornstarch coating — is the restaurant secret that keeps each protein silky and tender through the stir-fry.
Blanch the harder vegetables
Blanch the vegetables: boil the broccoli and carrot for 60 seconds, add the snow peas for the last 15 seconds, then drain and rinse with cold water. This sets their color and ensures everything cooks evenly.
Sear the proteins in batches
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok over high. Cook the chicken until just done, 2 minutes; remove. Add another ½ tbsp oil and cook the beef 1 minute; remove. Add the shrimp and cook 1 minute until pink; remove.
💡 Cook each protein separately and briefly — crowding the wok steams them, and overcooked shrimp turns rubbery.
Stir-fry the aromatics & vegetables
Add the last 1.5 tbsp oil, then the garlic, ginger, and mushrooms; stir-fry 1 minute. Add the blanched vegetables, water chestnuts, and baby corn and toss 1 minute.
Combine & finish
Return all the proteins, pour in the brown sauce, and bring to a simmer. Stir the cornstarch slurry and add it; toss for 1–2 minutes until the sauce is glossy and coats everything. Serve over rice.
Tips & notes
- Mix and match the proteins — pork, char siu, scallops, or imitation crab all work. Three proteins is classic, but two is fine.
- Velvet each meat and cook it separately for the best texture; combining only at the end keeps everything tender.
- Blanching the broccoli and carrot first is what lets the quick-cooking shrimp and snow peas stay perfect — don't skip it.
- Want it lighter? Increase the vegetables and use more chicken and shrimp, less beef.
- Gluten-free: use tamari for the soy sauces and a gluten-free oyster sauce.
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Happy Family (Chinese Combination Stir-Fry)
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Intermediate
Ingredients
- 6 oz chicken breast, thinly sliced
- 6 oz flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
- 6 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 egg white
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- ½ tsp salt
- 1.5 cups broccoli florets
- 1 carrot, thinly sliced on the bias
- ½ cup snow peas
- 4 shiitake or button mushrooms, sliced
- ½ cup water chestnuts, sliced
- ¼ cup baby corn, optional, halved
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce, for color
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¾ cup chicken stock
- 1 tbsp cornstarch, mixed with 2 tbsp water
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp ginger, minced
- 3 tbsp neutral oil, divided
Instructions
- Velvet the meats: toss the chicken, beef, and shrimp (in separate bowls) with the egg white, cornstarch, Shaoxing wine, and salt divided among them. Let sit 15 minutes. Stir the brown-sauce ingredients (except the slurry) together.
- Blanch the vegetables: boil the broccoli and carrot for 60 seconds, add the snow peas for the last 15 seconds, then drain and rinse with cold water. This sets their color and ensures everything cooks evenly.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok over high. Cook the chicken until just done, 2 minutes; remove. Add another ½ tbsp oil and cook the beef 1 minute; remove. Add the shrimp and cook 1 minute until pink; remove.
- Add the last 1.5 tbsp oil, then the garlic, ginger, and mushrooms; stir-fry 1 minute. Add the blanched vegetables, water chestnuts, and baby corn and toss 1 minute.
- Return all the proteins, pour in the brown sauce, and bring to a simmer. Stir the cornstarch slurry and add it; toss for 1–2 minutes until the sauce is glossy and coats everything. Serve over rice.
Nutrition (est., per serving): 360 cal · 34 g protein · 18 g carbs · 16 g fat
Happy Family (Chinese Combination Stir-Fry) FAQ
What is happy family Chinese food?
Happy family (全家福, "whole family reunion") is a deluxe American-Chinese combination stir-fry of several proteins — typically chicken, beef, and shrimp, often with pork, char siu, or scallops — plus a mix of vegetables in a savory brown sauce. The name reflects the all-together spirit of the dish: a little of everything in one plate.
What proteins are in happy family?
It varies by restaurant, but the classic trio is chicken, beef, and shrimp. Many versions add pork, char siu (barbecue pork), scallops, or imitation crab, and some include lobster in deluxe "seafood happy family" versions. The idea is a generous combination, so use whatever proteins you like — two or three is typical at home.
What's the difference between happy family and other combination dishes?
Happy family is the most generous combo, mixing three or more proteins with lots of vegetables in a brown sauce. "Four seasons" or "subgum" dishes are similar mixed stir-fries; "triple delight" usually means three specific proteins (often chicken, beef, shrimp). They're all multi-protein stir-fries — happy family is just the deluxe, everything-together version.
Why do you velvet the meat?
Velveting — coating the sliced meat in egg white and cornstarch before cooking — is the technique that gives Chinese restaurant stir-fries their signature silky, tender texture. It forms a thin protective layer that locks in moisture during the high-heat stir-fry. With three proteins in happy family, velveting each one keeps them all tender instead of tough.
Can I make happy family ahead of time?
It's best fresh, since stir-fries lose their texture when they sit. You can prep ahead, though: velvet the proteins, blanch the vegetables, and mix the sauce up to a day in advance, then do the quick final stir-fry just before serving. That breaks the work into manageable steps without sacrificing the just-cooked texture.
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