Chicken Chow Mein Recipe - Khin's Kitchen (2024)

Who doesn’t love simple, tasty chicken chow mein? It’s loaded with egg noodles, succulent chicken, vegetables, and delicious savoury chow mein sauce. And the best part? It’s easier than you’ve imagined, and I’m sharing the best Chinese cooking secrets to make it perfect in under 30 minutes!

If you’re craving more Authentic Chinese restaurants and takeaway-inspired noodle dishes, try our Prawn Chow Mein and Singapore Chow Mein recipes!

Watch How to Make Chicken Chow Mein Recipe Video

Why does everyone love our chow mein recipe?

• Our chow mein recipe video is a great hit on our social media: Facebook,Instagram,YouTube, andTikTok!
• It’s simple, healthy, and economical!
• Faster and tastier than ordering from takeaways.
• This is a quick one-pan noodle meal that you can whip up in under 30 minutes. It's a great meal to serve for busy days’ dinners.
• Bursting with authentic Asian home cooking flavour!
• Easy to customise to your own liking!
• Great for meal prep and school or office lunch bento!

What goes in Chicken Chow Mein

Following is a quick guide with photos, please scroll down and see the measurements on the recipe card.

• Egg noodles dried or fresh
• Boneless chicken breast or thigh
• Vegetables: Onion, garlic, spring onions, bell peppers, cabbage, and carrot.
• Cooking oil
• Sauce Ingredients: Lighty soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, white pepper, sugar, water.
• Chicken Marinade Ingredients: Light soy sauce, corn starch, baking soda, sugar, white pepper, sesame oil

What type of noodles should you use?

Chow mein noodles are yellow-coloured Chinese egg noodles made of flour, egg, water, and salt. They are thinner in texture compared to lo mein noodles. As chow mein is a Chinese stir-fry noodle dish you use most egg noodles, which are great for stir-fries. It doesn’t have to be written Chow Mein Noodles on the packaging.

Medium-thick egg noodles are ideal for making chicken chow mein. You can either use dried egg noodles or fresh egg noodles for this recipe.

Dried Egg Noodles

I used dried egg noodles in this recipe. They are easy to buy at our local supermarkets in the UK, are cupboard-friendly, and are perfect for making chow mein.

Chow Mein Sauce

Like other Chinese Stir-Fry Recipes, chow mein sauce is the key to making this delicious savoury Chinese noodle dish. The basic ingredients are light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, white pepper, sesame oil, and sugar.

Chicken

You can either use boneless chicken thigh or breast. Thinly slice or dice the chicken into small, bite-size pieces. All chicken pieces should be cut or diced into same-size pieces so they cook evenly when you stir fry them.

You can swap chicken with prawns, beef, or minced meat, as I’ve shared in my Prawn Chow Mein, Beef Chow Mein, and Beef and Broccoli Noodle recipes.

Vegetables

Shredded cabbage, bean sprouts, carrots, green onions ( spring onions ), and carrots are the most used vegetables for chow mein recipes. You can also add baby corn, mangetout ( snow peas ), pak choy, bok choy, bell peppers, and green beans, according to your liking.

Recipe Instructions for Chicken Chow Mein

1. Start with Chicken Marinade

Before heating the wok, you first need to marinate the chicken. Cut the chicken into thin slices and marinate it with soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, white pepper, cornstarch, sugar, and baking soda. Set it aside and let the velveting process go for at least 15 minutes.

2 Prepare Noodles and Vegetables

The next step is to prepare the noodles. Boil the noodles according to the packet instructions. Drain the water, rinse it with cold water, and set it aside.

Also, wash and prepare the vegetables.

3 Mix Chow Mein Sauce

Do not add the sauces one by one while stir-frying. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl or jar, whisk everything well, and set it aside. This will allow you to pour the sauce evenly over the noodles without a hassle.

4 Stir Fry Chicken

Now let’s heat the wok over medium-high heat and stir fry the marinated chicken for 3-4 minutes until the chicken is cooked. Then, remove it from the pan and set it aside.

5 Cook Vegetables and Noodles

In the same pan, drizzle more oil if needed. Saute the garlic and onions until fragrant, then add the carrots, bell pepper, and cabbage.

6 Pour Sauce and Combine All Ingredients

Now add the noodles and cooked chicken and pour the chow mein sauce over them. Bring the heat to high and combine all the ingredients well. Once the noodles absorb all the sauces, add spring onions and make a final quick toss.

Expert Tips for making the best Chow Mein

Velveting Chicken is the Key

As I’ve mentioned in my previous chicken stir fry recipes, meat velveting is an important step in achieving tender and juicy chicken slices. Do not skip the chicken marinating step.

Choose the Right Noodles

Many recipes mention using any type of noodles for chicken chow mein. Do not use any type of noodles! Do not use pasta or sticky noodles like rice noodles. Using pasta and spaghetti won’t give you an authentic Asian chow mein flavour or texture.

If you are using dry noodles

Follow the packet instructions, but it’s important not to overcook the noodles. Reduce the cooking time by 1-2 minutes to prevent overcooking, as once you’ve boiled them, you add them to the stir fry again. Drizzle some cooking oil and toss the noodles to prevent them from sticking to each other.

For Fresh Noodles

You can just add them straight to the wok. If the noodles are sticky, you can rinse them with hot water to loosen them up. Then, rinse with cold water and drain the water out.

Prepare Ingredients Before Cooking Start

Preparation takes more time than actual cooking time, but once you’ve prepared all your chicken, veggies, and sauces, it’s super fast to cook the noodles.

Use a Large Wok or Pan

Chow mein shouldn’t be soggy and mushy. To ensure perfect cooking, use a large wok, pan, or skillet. If you are cooking for a crowd, do not dump all the ingredients in a big batch; cook only 1-2 servings at one time.

I used a ceramic wok, and it works really well, just like a traditional carbon steel wok.

Do not Dumb All Ingredients at One time

Do not add vegetables in chunks; cut them into small strips or pieces uniformly. If you are adding hard vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower, you might want to blanch them in the hot water for 2-3 minutes first before adding them to the stir fry.

Make sure to add the hard vegetables first before adding the soft ones like cabbage and spring onions. So they all cooked evenly. If you like your vegetables crispy texture, quickly toss on high heat and add noodles straight away.

Storage and Reheating

Chicken chow mein can be simply reheated in the microwave or over the stove. Add a tablespoon of water to prevent the noodles from drying while reheating.

You can store the leftover chicken chow mein in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Make extra chow mein sauce and keep it in a clean storage jar in the fridge for later use. It lasts in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

Frequent Questions and Answers

More Easy Chinese Noodles Recipes To Try

My family calls me the Chow Mein Specialist because I love making it with various meats and veggies. Here are more of my multiple-time tried-and-tested chow mein recipes that you can experiment with at home!

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