A quick and easy chicken chow mein recipe to make at home within 20 minutes!
This dish is healthier than the takeout version as it contains less sodium and I dare to say that it tastes better!
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Stuffed with gorgeous flavors, Chinese cuisine is definitely one of our Asian foods.
This chicken chow mein is all your if you are starting to learn how to make Chinese noodle dishes at home.
This dish is healthy or let's say it's healthier than your take-out meal because you know what's in it!
Jump to:
📕 What is Chow Mein?
Chow Mein is a Chinese Cantonese noodle dish.
Noodles are quickly stir-fried over high heat with other ingredients.
The egg noodles are traditionally made from wheat flour from scratch, but crispy hard noodles are commonly used all over the world.
In fact, noodle dishes such as the chicken chow mein are a popular takeaway dish across the Asian continent, in America and Europe.
Chow Mein vs. Low Mein vs. other Asian noodle stir fries?
Chow Mein noodles are dry stir cooked. A low mein dish is usually a wet noodle dish.
However, in the US, low mein and chow mein are often while called the same thing.
Chow means to stir cook/ fry, and Mein means noodles.
You will also come across other traditional Asian noodle stir fries such as chicken yaki udon or chicken yakisoba and then there are always Asian inspired dishes such as this Chicken Ramen Stir Fry.
🔪 How to make it?
To make this chicken chow mein you will need to prep the ingredients first before you start to stir cook.
Read up the complete recipe card located at the bottom of this post. The how-to video is the pop up on mobile.
Step 1
Prepare and keep your ingredients ready: carrots, green onions, cabbage, chicken, ginger and garlic.
Prepare your stir fry sauce by mixing the ingredients together.
Step 2
Cook your noodles according to package instructions.
Heat up shallow pan or wok with oil and stir cook your ingredients quickly.
Step 3
Add noodles to the wok and pour stir fry sauce over noodles.
Stir cook and mix until you are satisfied with the result.
Serve hot.
📜 Variations
You can pep up, enhance or make your chicken chow mein to suit your dietary needs. This is how!
- scramble in eggs
- make it spicy by adding hot sauce or chili flakes
- add baby bok choy or other leafy greens such as spinach
- add bean sprouts
- add broccoli or other vegetables such as celery stalks
- bring out the umami with msg (I avoid because mine is low sodium)
- use noodles without egg to make it eggless
- with homemade egg noodles
- use gluten-free Chinese noodles to make gluten-free
- with leftover chicken
Don't use spaghetti noodles instead of Chinese egg noodles. It's just not the same. Just don't (getting hysterical)!
💭 FAQs
Yes, if they have been refrigerated. But honestly, why don't you just warm them up? Your choice anyway. 🙂
You can reheat your chow mein dish in the microwave, oven or in a pan over the stovetop. For the microwave, place noodles into a microwave container and make it hot. For the oven place into an oven-safe dish to warm up. The easiest way to warm up is in a pan over the stovetop.
I don't recommend freezing because making it from scratch is quick and easy. Thawing your noodles would take much longer.
Eat your noodles the Chinese way with chopsticks or simply with a fork.
👁️ More Noodle Dinner Bowls
📖 Recipe
Chicken Chow Mein Recipe
Ingredients
Stir Fry Sauce
- 3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 1½ Tablespoon Rice Vinegar *see Notes
- 1 Teaspoon Chili Sauce *see Notes
- 2 Teaspoon Sugar
Chow Mein
- 1 packet Lo Mein Noodles *see Notes
- 2 Tablespoons Oil
- 1 small Carrot diced
- 3 ounces Green Cabbage chopped, *see Notes
- 5 ounces Chicken Boneless cut into pieces
- 2 Tablespoon Water
- 3 stalks Green Onions sliced
Instructions
- Prepare the stir fry sauce by combining the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and chili sauce.
- Keep a pot to boil with water. Cook egg noodles according to package instructions.
- Heat up a shallow pan or wok and stir cook your sliced onion bulbs on high heat for a minute.
- Add the carrot pieces and stir cook on high heat. Then the chicken pieces and cabbage. Cook always on high heat, each for a minute or two or until done.
- Place cooked noodles into the pan and pour stir fry sauce over the noodles. Pour water into the sauce bowl and mix (sugar gets stuck at the bottom). Pour water over the noodles quickly.
- Stir cook and mix noodles and ingredients over high heat for 2 minutes or until done.
- Garnish with sliced fresh green onion stalks. Serve hot.
Notes
- If you can't get rice vinegar, substitute with regular white vinegar
- Use Sriracha style chili sauce or ketchup if you don't want it spicy. I also like to use ketchup with a few drops of tabasco sauce.
- Lo mein noodles are also sold as chinese egg noodles or simply chow mein noodles.
- Use regular green cabbage or chinese cabbage (napa cabbage)
- See post for flavor variations. I share a list of inrgedients that you can add to call this chicken chow mein recipe your own.
this does look good and will try for dinner tonight... Thanks for posting
very delicious 😋
Very flavorful 🥡🥢🤩
Very simple to make, and very delicious.
Awesome! Glad to hear that you like it 🙂
Fabulous recipe! My kids loves the chicken chowmein. So yesterday I prepared your recipe for my kids. The recipe was prepared so quickly and the taste was yum too. Thanks much for sharing this recipe.
Thank you Helene nice version just cant wait to try it.best wishes to you and Paul.
I don't have White Wine Vinegar so which can be replace it? Should i add some Japanese dried red chilies (chile japones) to this chicken chow mein recipe ?
Lita, you can use regular synthetic vinegar in this recipe. I don't know Japanese chilies. I usually don't add too much spice, so that's up to you if oyu want to add some or now.
mmmmmm me too helene
i like old things to do n eat.old type of food .i know to cook rice.fish curry.
Fish curry rice is such a delicious dish, I agree with you. 🙂
I realized I missed this post...oh how miss the Indo Chinese noodles. More the fact that the authentic Chinese don't even use Hakka Noodles in their chowmein. The dish looks spectacular.
I love Chinese food!! I'm definitely going to try this out:)Simple yet delicious!!
I'm going to make this this Thursday to celebrate Chinese New Years! Sounds so delicious!
I love chow mein dishes... I am totally craving this for breakfast now. 🙂
that looks wonderful! Absolutely wonderful and flavorful
I have NEVER made a good Chow Mein, but this makes me want to try again! Thanks for sharing!! <3 - http://www.domesticgeekgirl.com
I love Chinese food and I do cook it but I've never made a chow mein. Your chow mein looks really good and I'd love to give this a go xx
looking at your ingredient list, I would say that your version is pretty authentic. I very seldom eat Chinese out, so I always make up the flavours to suit what I have at home 🙂
John loves chow mein and so do I. I like chicken and he likes seafood in his. I think we'll both love yours!
I have had Chinese Chow Mein and it is different. I don't know for sure why it is but the indo chinese is different and I love it. This is a winner all the way. I remember all the plates of chow mein on the streets, oh I miss it. You reminded me to go make some.
I have never tried making authentic Chinese chicken chow mein - thanks so much for this recipe Helene - I have had some gluten free noddles sitting in my pantry for awhile as I had no idea what to do with them - till now!
simple and delicious...That's my kind of recipe!!
This is simple yet very delicious, Helene.
These noodles look so delicious, I love Indo-Chinese cuisine 😀
The perfect fusion!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
I'm horrible at Chinese food, so I'm always on the look out for great recipes and tips. This is a winner, Helene.
Never met a noodle dish I didn't like! And Asian ones are among the best. This looks terrific -- loads of flavor. Good stuff -- thanks.
And THIS is why I love your blog. You do it right. Gawd, I could go a giant bowl of these right now for breakfast!! 🙂
My eldest daughter is a vegetarian, and so at Chinese places, she orders noodles like this. The ones at restaurants tend to be more gloppy and dark. These noodles look fresh and appetising. I'm a fan of Indo Chinese, I like all the flavours and the spicy kick that Indo Chinese food tends to have.
These are really delicious looking! I'd enjoy a bowl.
Scrumptious! I love noodle dishes.
Cheers,
Rosa