Chicken Chow Mein
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This Chicken Chow Mein recipe is so simple to make at home and just as good (or even better!) than your favorite takeout restaurant. Noodles, veggies, and a terrifically tasty, slightly sweet, slightly spicy sauce come together in a flash in this easy, one pot meal!
For more quick one-pot meals, go to my posts for Chicken Parmesan Pasta, Creamy Tuscan Garlic Spaghetti, and Curry Chicken and Rice.
Why This Recipe Works
My simple summary of why this recipe works for us — and will for you, too!
Flavor — These chow mein noodles are covered in a quick sauce that hits all the right notes: sweet, spicy, salty, savory.
Customizable — Use the veggie ideas listed here, use whatever you have on hand, or add to the ingredients list with any of your favorite diced vegetables to pack this chicken chow mein full of nutrition.
Fast — This one-pot recipe takes less than 30 minutes to come together, even faster if you use pre-cooked chow mein noodles.
Great leftovers — I like to eat any leftover noodles cold, straight from the container, sometimes for breakfast. If cold noodles aren’t your thing, they reheat in a jiffy in the microwave.
Pantry staples — Even if you don’t consider oyster sauce a pantry staple, you will after making this Asian chicken dish. Buy it once and use it forever, as a little goes a long way and will be so worth the purchase!
Ingredients for Chicken Chow Mein
- Chicken Breasts or Tenderloins – cut into 1-inch pieces.
- Sesame Oil
- Minced Garlic
- Shredded Cabbage
- Shredded Carrots
- Green Onions
- Stir Fry Noodles
- Stir Fry Sauce (oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, corn starch, red pepper flakes, water)
Here’s How You Make It
Prepping the Sauce
1. Get a small bowl out or mix together right in a large, liquid measuring cup the following sauce ingredients: chicken broth, oyster and soy sauces, sesame oil, sugar, corn starch, and red pepper flakes or Sriracha. Whisk until the cornstarch is completely dissolved.
Making the Chow Mein
- Drizzle oil into a large skillet set over medium-high heat. (not pictured)
- Add the chicken pieces and cook for about 3-4 minutes until browned on all sides and cooked through. Remove them from the skillet with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a dish. Cover to keep warm. (photo 1)
- Add the veggies and garlic to the same pan and sauté for 1-2 minutes or until the veggies start to become tender. (photo 2)
- Add the chicken back to the pan with the veggies, then add the noodles, and pour the sauce over. Give it a good stir to combine everything into the sauce. (photo 3)
- Keep the chicken chow mein cooking for another 1-2 minutes to thicken, then add the sliced green onions. Serve immediately. (photo 4)
Frequently Asked Questions
“Chow mein” translates to “stir fry noodles,” and the chicken, well, that speaks for itself. The recipe is generally created as a soft noodle dish that incorporates chow mein noodles, chicken, and then a sauce that’s all tossed together and eaten hot.
Although both of these dishes are quite similar, the biggest difference is that when making chow mein, the noodles are “fried” or cooked a bit more crispy. Lo mein noodles are typically boiled and present softer in the dish.
Here are some of my favorite ingredients to add to my stir-fry dishes, in no particular order:
Shredded cabbage
Baby corn (or roasted corn cut off the cob)
Broccoli or cauliflower
Snow peas or sugar snap peas
Shredded carrots
Onions
Bell peppers
Water chestnuts
Bamboo shoots
Mushrooms
Zucchini
Garlic
Ginger
Fresh cilantro
Expert Tips and Tricks
- I like to purchase cooked chow mein noodles whenever possible, but if you can’t find them, then I’ll just buy uncooked noodles. They cook very fast, just follow the instructions on the package and complete the task prior to the beginning of the recipe.
- Although oyster sauce is commonly found in the Asian section of grocery stores, your store may not have it. In that case, substitute soy or hoisin sauce.
- I find that using tongs is the easiest way to toss the noodles, veggies, chicken, and sauce together, but you can also use a wooden spoon or another utensil you have on hand. The bonus of using tongs is that it makes one less thing to wash because you can toss and stir in the pan, then serve right away with the same utensil. One pot, one serving tool, so much less to clean up!
- If you love spicy food (and don’t have picky people in your house) then may I suggest adding even more red pepper flakes (about ½ a teaspoon at a time) or pile on the Sriracha if you like! Another option would be to add sliced jalapenos to the veggies while you cook — depends on how brave you are I suppose.
- If you are adding a variety of veggies to the chicken chow mein, the best way to cook them is to saute the thickest vegetables first (think broccoli, peppers, sugar snap peas) and let those cook for a minute or two before adding the faster-cooking veggies like cabbage, mushrooms, and zucchini.
More Asian-Inspired Recipes
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Chicken Satay Skewers with Peanut Sauce
- Thai Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk
- Instant Pot Broccoli Beef
- Teriyaki Steak Stir-Fry
- Chicken and Asparagus Stir-Fry
Did you make this recipe? Please rate the recipe below!
Chicken Chow Mein
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts , or tenderloins, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil, or other cooking oil
- 1 cup chopped cabbage
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 packages chow mein noodles, see note
- 4 green onions, chopped
chow mein sauce
- ½ cup water , or low sodium chicken broth
- ¼ cup oyster sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or 1/2 teaspoon sriracha sauce
Instructions
prepare the sauce
- In a bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients until the corn starch is dissolved. Set aside.
make the chow mein
- Drizzle oil into a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add chicken and saute 3-4 minutes until browned and cooked through. Use a slotted spoon to transfer chicken to a dish and cover to keep warm.
- In the same pan, saute cabbage, carrots, and garlic for 1-2 minutes until veggies are tender.
- Return chicken to the pan and add the noodles and sauce. Give it a good stir to coat the chicken and noodles in the sauce.
- Allow the sauce to thicken up for 1-2 minutes, then stir in the green onions. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How much chow mein is involved? This just says 2 packages. That’s incredibly vague and unhelpful.
I buy a package that has 2-7.1 oz bags in it.
This dish is soooooo good!!! I decided to try the recipe without the noodles and serve with brown rice instead. Still very good! Thank you for a great recipe!
Super happy to hear how much you enjoyed this recipe, Jan!
Would you check your pkg and tell me How many ounces oz of chow mein noodles per pkg Thank you
Pretty good! I had to sub rice noodles (which i know changes the entire thing), but Where I live you cannot find chow mein noodles. It would be nIce if you could include a quantity by weight or Volume for the noodles (this is the seCond recipe of yours that skipped that iMportant info!), since you have readers far and wide without the same Items And brands you use, please keep that in mInd.
Greetings from africa 🙂
My husband and I LOVE TRADER JOE’S CHOW MEIN AND HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO GET IT SINCE WE MOVED UP TO VERMONT. THIS RECIPE IS AN EVEN BETTER REPLACEMENT! THE VEGETABLES STAYED NICE AND CRISPY, THE SAUCE WAS FANTASTIC, AND THE WHOLE THING WAS SUPER QUICK AND EASY TO PUT TOGETHER. I WILL DEFINITELY BE MAKING THIS A STAPLE.
Thank you your great feedback, Caitlin! Happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe!
Thanks for your awesome recipes.
You are so welcome! 🙂