Note: This is an updated version of my Chicken Chow Mein recipe that was first published in March 2015.
The thing I hate about ordering takeout from a restaurant is that it always takes forever for the food to arrive. Restaurants always underestimate the time it takes for the food to be ready. By the time the food gets to me, I will have eaten a mini-meal just to stave off my hunger. That’s why I prefer to make my own dinner, even when I’m exhausted and cooking seems like the last thing that I want to do.
I usually keep noodles around the house, like chow mein, so I that I can whip up a meal quickly. This chicken chow mein is one that I make often. Keep in mind, I don’t always use the exact combination of vegetables described in the recipe below. Feel free to substitute the vegetables with whatever you have.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN CHOW MEIN
Making chow mein at home is very simple, and you can actually cook it without a recipe. Here are the general steps I usually follow:
- Prepare the vegetables: For chow mein (or any stir-fried noodle dish), I typically slice my vegetables quite thinly. The vegetables are easier to cook and eat.
- Prepare the chicken: I chop the chicken into small 1-inch chunks. In this recipe, I used chicken breasts, but you can use chicken thighs. Once cooked, chicken breasts can be quite dense. A trick to make them more tender (if you have the time), is to mix the raw chicken pieces with 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Let the chicken sit for about 15 minutes. Then, rinse the chicken under water and pat dry with towels. The chicken is now ready for cooking. You can definitely taste the difference in the texture of the chicken breast.
- Cook the noodles: Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the chow mein according to the package instructions. It usually takes around 5 minutes for fresh noodles to cook and a few more minutes for dried noodles. After they are cooked, drain the noodles and rinse under cold water.
- Prepare the sauce: Mix all the sauce ingredients together. In this recipe, I used Lee Kum Kee’s oyster sauce. You can find it on Amazon, but it is significantly cheaper at an Asian supermarket. If you prefer not to use oyster sauce, you can swap it for my homemade teriyaki sauce.
- Cook the chicken: I always cook the chicken by itself because it releases liquid when it cooks. If I cook the chicken together with the vegetables, there would be too much liquid inside my wok. This can lead to soggy chow mein, which nobody wants! I cook the chicken pieces for about 5 minutes. Then, I dish them up.
- Cook the vegetables: My wok is quite hot when I add the vegetables, so they only need a few minutes of cooking.
- Add the remaining ingredients: Once the vegetables have softened a little, I add the chicken back to the wok. Then, I add the noodles and sauce and toss everything together.
WHAT CHOW MEIN NOODLES DO I USE?
I have no brand loyalty when it comes to chow mein noodles—I grab whatever looks best at Asian supermarkets. For these photos, I am using Wyzen’s noodles, which I bought at SF Supermarket in Sacramento. Although the noodles look more authentic, the manufacturers added yellow food coloring to get that hue. If you are looking for noodles that contain more natural ingredients, you can try Fortune’s yakisoba. I made my vegetable chow mein with those noodles. My local Safeway and Raley’s sell these noodles in the refrigerated section.
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5 from 7 votes
PRINTPIN
Servings: 4
Author: Lisa Lin
30-Minute Chicken Chow Mein
This simple chicken chow mein recipe is a delicious meal that’s ready in 30 minutes. It is much less greasy than Chinese takeout! You can also customize this recipe by substituting your favorite protein and vegetables.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time15 minutes mins
Total Time30 minutes mins
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (225g) chow mein noodles
- 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
- 8 ounces (225g) chicken breast, chopped into 1-inch chunks
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 large red pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 large carrot, julienned
- 3 cups sliced green cabbage
- 2 stalks of scallions/green onion/spring onion, sliced
Sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper (optional)
Instructions
Cook the noodles:In a pot, bring about 6 cups of water to boil. Add the chow mein and cook them according to the package instructions. I cooked mine for about 5 minutes. Drain the water and rinse the noodles under cold water.
Cook the chicken:Heat a wok or large sauté pan over high heat. Swirl in 1 tablespoon of canola oil. Sauté the chicken pieces for about 5 minutes, until they are nearly cooked. Season with a tiny pinch of salt, and turn off the heat. Transfer the chicken to a dish and wipe off the wok.
Cook the vegetables: Get the wok on high heat again and add the remaining tablespoon of oil.Add the onions and cook them for a minute. Next, add the sliced pepper, carrots, and cabbage and cook them for 2 minutes.
Combine remaining ingredients:Get the chicken back to the wok and sauté with the vegetables for another minute. (See note 1) Finally, add the noodles and the sauce, and toss everything together. Taste the noodles and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Serve immediately.
Notes
- The cooked chicken will release more juices as it rests. When you add the chicken back to the wok, leave out the juice.
- Mama Lin typically adds a bit of five-spice powder for more flavor. You can add a 1/2 teaspoon of it to the sauce if you want to give it a go.
- The original recipe used gai lan (Chinese broccoli)instead of cabbage. Because the stalks are quite thick, you need to cook the vegetables a little longer, about another minute or so.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 480kcal | Carbohydrates: 53.2g | Protein: 19.5g | Fat: 20.5g | Saturated Fat: 2.5g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 1169mg | Fiber: 5.2g | Sugar: 8.2g
Did you make this recipe?Tag @hellolisalin or leave a star rating and comment on the blog!
Cuisine: Chinese
Category: Noodles
Reader Interactions
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Love those easy, quick meals. What an absolutely stunning photo that first one is! I’m definitely drooling over here – love those fantastic flavours!
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Lisa says
Thanks, Alessandra!
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This looks just like the noodles my mom used to make – love it!
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Sarah | Broma Bakery says
Boyfriend and I are huge stir fry fans. This looks so up our alley, and the whole 30 minutes thing is a deal breaker, so yeah. Want.
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Lisa says
How about I make you a batch of this, and you make me some of your gorgeous chocolate chip brownies??
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lindsay says
I think i need more chow mein in my life. Must go get some GF egg noodles or use zucchini noodles STAT! LOVE THIS beautiful dish
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This looks so good, Lisa! You and I are on the same page today with recreating takeout food at home! 🙂
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Yummy! I used to love chow mein as a kid!
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Can never go wrong with a 30 minute meal AND noodles. So comforting! I just love a big bowl of noodles. Have a great weekend, Lisa!
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Lisa says
Thanks, Liz! My weekend was great! Well, except when I found out that every one and their mother was going out for St. Patty’s Day bar crawl last Saturday! That totally derailed my plans to drink with my friends at a beer garden.
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I’ll admit that before I read a couple of books about China and I had a friend from there, I had no idea how vast the country was and how there were so many different “food regions”. It’s actually a cool topic – you could definitely write a book on it! This chow mein looks amazing, definitely pinning!
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Lisa says
Yes, the food is so distinct depending on where you go! I could use any excuse to go back to China to eat some good food!
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Looks great! Can’t wait to try it out.
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Lisa says
Thanks, Sheryl!
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This looks so, so good! Pinning for sure!
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Lisa says
Thanks, Alyssa!
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Bam's Kitchen says
Stunning photos Lisa!!! I love a quick noodle dish for my boys too. Living here in HK i am sure I can get that sauce as well but I hear you it is probably full of MSG so have to look for some alternatives. Sharing of course!!!Reply
Lisa says
Thanks, Bobbi! I need to go back to HK soon. I miss all the little eats they have there!
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Tina Muir says
Oh this sounds amazing!!!! I LOVE chow mien, and I miss it from when I used to have it in england. I never had a recipe before….now I do 🙂 Time to try it!
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Lisa says
Thanks, Tina! Let me know how it goes!
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Colorado Gal says
I love easy noodle recipes like this because they look so good and taste great but don’t require the effort. SO up my alley!
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Lisa says
Thanks, Heather!
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Now THAT is a bowl of chow mein. Gorgeous photos!
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Lisa says
Thanks, Des!!
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i’d kill, yes kill, for some of your chow mein right now!
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Lisa says
Haha, thanks, Kelsey!
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Sandra Laflamme says
I would definitely make this in my kitchen. I would need to go for the MSG free version as MSG gives me migraines 🙁
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Lisa says
Absolutely! They do sell MSG-free oyster sauce, but soy sauce + sesame oil is great too!
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Can not wait to try this. Pinning!
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Lisa says
Thanks, Jennifer!
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Wherever it came from, your chow mein looks amazing!! And that African chow mein…lol!
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Lisa says
I know, right? I laughed out loud when I found out what was actually in that African chow mein.
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Maggie says
Very interesting idea to use tianmianjiang in the chow mein and good to know that you can find it in supermarket easily! Although it’s a sauce for Peking duck, we use it as dipping sauce or cook with stir-fry too. Thanks for bringing up this ingredient. I’m gonna make some experiment with it this weekend 🙂
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Lisa says
Yea, I would love to see what you come up with using tianmianjiang!
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Alanna says
I could easily eat this over take-out any day! YUM. Thanks for sharing 🙂
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Lisa says
I totally ate this for breakfast. Strange but good!
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Jasmine says
This recipe is a definite staple in rotation since I found this recipe a year ago it never disappoints!Reply
Keeley says
Was easy to find and follow. And tasted delicious! 🤤 😋 Thumbs up from me! 👍Reply
Cloey says
What could I use instead of oyster sauce?
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Lisa Lin says
My teriyaki sauce is great: https://healthynibblesandbits.com/teriyaki-sauce/
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Bob says
I love Chicken Chow Mein but I have never tried to make it. Thank you for the recipe!Reply