Whether you order smoky Cantonese stir-fries, delicate soup dumplings, or fiery Sichuan dishes, Chinese cuisine is not the type of food that people skip. Even if you get Chinese catering three times in a row, there’s enough variety to keep things interesting. The next time you need Chinese food for a meeting, try these 12 delicious catering ideas.

1. Beef Chow Fun

This fragrant stir-fry is a tangle of rice noodles and sizzling beef. The chewy noodles get even better with a fistful of crunchy bean sprouts and charred green onions. A quick toss in a roaring-hot wok imbues the dish with a smoky flavor. 

Pro tip: If you’re planning catering around your team’s dietary restrictions, many Chinese restaurants offer gluten-free versions of beef chow fun and other dishes.

2. Kung Pao Chicken 

If your office keeps daring you to bring on the spice, try this Sichuan peppercorn–powered dish. A hot, lightly oiled wok is littered with aromatic ingredients like spears of scallion, garlic, ginger, dried chilies, and lip-numbing Sichuan peppercorns. Once the oil pulls out all the flavors in the aromatics, diced chicken is thrown in and browned. Splashes of sweet and salty condiments ensure a bold sauce.

3. Shanghai Soup Dumplings

These juicy soup dumplings are one of the most iconic dishes of Chinese cuisine. Shaped like money bags, these dumplings are stuffed with tender pork and jellied stock. Pick up the parcel with a pair of chopsticks, snip off a corner, and enjoy the steamy, concentrated broth.

4. Beef and Broccoli 

Rich slices of beef are seared in a smoky wok with tender broccoli florets. A few shakes of soy sauce and oyster sauce bring together the deep umami flavors of the dish. Paired with fragrant jasmine rice, a catering tray of this Chinese stir-fry is dangerously addictive.

5. Egg Rolls

Your office might be able to eat a zillion of these deep-fried apps. The extra-crunchy shell collapses into a fragrant heap of stir-fried ingredients like minced pork, julienned carrot, mushroom, and cabbage. If you want something sweet to play against the savory bite, dunk the egg rolls in duck sauce.

6. Sesame Chicken

After a quick shake in cornstarch, bite-size pieces of marinated chicken are stir-fried in a red-hot wok, where they form a golden crust. The chicken is tossed and coated in honey, dark soy sauce, and fragrant sesame oil. The sticky-sweet sauce caramelizes in the wok, lending the chicken a deep, toasty sweetness.

7. Dumplings 

If you need to feed meat eaters and vegetarians alike, this is a great Chinese catering menu idea. The pleated dumplings are stuffed with savory fillings like pork and chives, or mushroom, bok choy, and ground chicken. Whether you get them boiled or crisp-skinned, you’ll love the tender-chewy wrapper and the fragrant, steaming meatball inside.

8. Twice-Cooked Pork Belly 

Meltingly rich pork belly and leeks get a punch of flavor from sweet, savory, and spicy ingredients. Think salty, caramelly dark soy sauce; umami-rich chili bean paste; tingly Sichuan peppercorns; and dried red chilies blackened in a smoky wok.

9. Crab Rangoon

If you need to ditch the silverware for a company event, consider ordering a catering tray of Chinese finger foods like crab rangoon. These deep-fried wonton packages are a crowd-pleaser. Bite into this delicately crunchy appetizer and its sumptuous cream cheese center gushes out.

10. Wonton Soup

Golden, aromatic broth is poured over a bowl of springy noodles and silky wontons filled with juicy pork and shrimp.

Pro tip: Ask your caterer to pack the wontons and noodles separately so they don’t dissolve in the broth during delivery. Because it can get a bit messy pouring the broth back into the noodles, wonton soup works best for a casual team lunch rather than a large or formal meeting.  

11. Fried Rice

Cooked rice is fried in a glistening wok with a blizzard of ingredients, like slices of chicken or beef, sweet charred scallions, funky kimchi, or even rich bacon. The crispy, salty bits keep every spoonful interesting. Order a tray of Chinese fried rice to stretch your budget and round out your catering menu.

12. Mapo Tofu

Soft tofu cubes are braised until they nearly melt into a spicy, rust-red sauce flecked with crumbly pork. This Sichuan-style ragù is great for family style office lunches, especially in the colder months.