Chinese Chow Mein

This easy Chinese Chow Mein recipe is made with noodles, vegetables, chicken, and a simple chow mein sauce.  It’s better than Panda Express, and healthy too!

Chinese food is good but homemade Chinese food is just next level!  Real ingredients prepared fresh in your kitchen is the healthiest and most delicious way to eat!  I love to serve chow mein with Mongolian Beef, Sweet and Sour Chicken, or a host of other easy Chinese food recipes!

Chinese Chow Mein

I am absolutely obsessed with this chow mein recipe because of how easy it is to make, how fresh it tastes, and how much my family enjoys it. I can have dinner on the table in less than 20 minutes, and it includes vegetables and protein.

If you’re looking to mix-things-up at dinner time, this recipe is a real winner! The flavors are amazing and it’s easy to adapt to add the type of vegetables and noodles that you have on hand.

What is Chow Mein?

Chow mein is a stir-fry noodle dish that is made in many different variations.  Traditional chow mein is made with fried noodles but often chow mein is prepared with boiled lo mine, chow mein, or yaki-soba noodles.  Then it is added to a vegetable stir fry with chicken or beef and a chow mein sauce.

If you would like to make this chow mein recipe even more authentic, try frying the noodles in a little bit of oil before adding them to the pan.

What is Chow Mein made of?

There are many variations of chow mein but this chow mein is made with noodles, cabbage, celery, green onions, and garlic.

Chow Mein sauce is made with sesame oil, soy sauce, oyster sauce, ginger, brown sugar, and cornstarch.

I like to use refrigerated yakisoba noodles to make chow mein, but you can use dried chow mein noodles, lo mein, or spaghetti noodles. Yakisoba noodles can be found at most grocery stores near the tofu and wonton wrappers, in the refrigerated section.

What other vegetables can I add to Chow Mein?

Feel free to add more vegetables to your chow mein! Bok choy, bell peppers, mushrooms, snap peas, broccoli, and water chestnuts would all work well.

How to make chow mein:

• Prepare noodles according to package directions.
• In a small bowl, whisk the sauce ingredients together: sesame oil, soy sauce, oyster sauce, ginger, brown sugar, and cornstarch
• Heat a large pan or wok on high heat. Add oil. Add chicken, season with salt and pepper and stir fry just until cooked through.
• Add cabbage, carrots and the whites of the chopped green onion and stir fry for just for 1-2 minutes or until cabbage has wilted.
• Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
• Add the pasta and sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Add remaining green onion and fresh bean sprouts, if desired. Serve immediately.

What’s the difference between lo mein and chow mein?

Lo Mein and Chow Mein are two popular Chinese-American dishes that are very similar and often even used interchangeably.  The main difference between these two Chinese dishes is in the noodles.  Lo Mein is typically made with thicker noodles (think spaghetti) where Chow Mein is made with thinner noodles that are traditionally fried and crispy.

Don’t miss the full list of all of my CHINESE FOOD RECIPES!  Below are some of my favorites:

• Sweet and Sour Chicken
• Ham Fried Rice
• Mongolian Beef
• Kung Pao Chicken

You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for more great recipes!

Recipe

4.96 from 100 votes

Chow Mein

This easy Chinese-Inspired Chow Mein recipe is made with noodles, vegetables, chicken, and a simple chow mein sauce. It's healthy and quick to make!

Print Pin Review

Author Lauren Allen

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Chinese

Servings 5

Calories 563

Cost 10

Prep 10 minutes mins

Cook 15 minutes mins

Total 25 minutes mins

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 14 oz yakisoba refrigerated noodles , or 16 oz, or chow mein noodles*
• ▢ 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts , or tenders
• ▢ salt and pepper
• ▢ 3 Tablespoon vegetable oil , or canola oil, divided
• ▢ 2 cups finely shredded cabbage *
• ▢ 1 carrot , large, shredded*
• ▢ 2 ribs celery , chopped
• ▢ 4 green onions , chopped, white and green separated
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic , minced
• ▢ 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
• ▢ 1 cup fresh bean sprouts , (optional)

Sauce:

• ▢ 1/4 cup oyster sauce
• ▢ 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
• ▢ 1-2 teaspoons Asian Garlic Chili Sauce , for heat, optional

Instructions

 

• In a small bowl, whisk the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
• Heat a large pan or wok on high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to hot pan. Sauté until cooked through, then remove to a plate.
• Add another tablespoon of oil. Once hot add cabbage, carrots, celery, and the whites of the chopped green onion. Stir fry over high heat for 1-2 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds, then remove everything to a plate.
• Add last tablespoon of oil to the pan and add the noodles. Cook for 1 minute. Add the sauce and cook, tossing to coat. Return veggies and chicken to the pan, along with fresh bean sprouts.
• Serve immediately, garnished with green onion.

Notes

Cabbage and Carrots: If you’re in a hurry, you could use bagged coleslaw mix that has shredded cabbage and carrots.

Vegetables: Try adding more veggies like Bok choy, bell peppers, mushrooms, snap peas, broccoli, and water chestnuts would all work well.

Protein: Substitute beef, tofu, or shrimp.

Vegetarian: Leave out the chicken, or swap with tofu or your favorite vegetarian protein source.

Vegan: Leave out the chicken, or swap with your favorite vegan protein source. Substitute hoisin sauce instead of the oyster sauce.

Chow Mein Noodles: I often use Yakisoba noodles because I can get them at my local grocery stores (discard the seasoning packet), but for the most authentic noodles, use fresh chow mein noodles from a local Asian foods market, or Dry chow mein noodles that are labeled as “hong kong” or “pan fried” chow mein noodles, which have already been par-boiled and can be added right to the pan. You could also use dry wonton noodles or lo mein noodles, cook according to package instructions, drain well, and remove excess moisture from them before adding to stir-fry).

Nutrition

Calories: 563kcalCarbohydrates: 66gProtein: 34gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 58mgSodium: 1609mgPotassium: 601mgFiber: 6gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 2265IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 50mgIron: 4mg

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