Chicken Chow Mein
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken
- 16 oz. chicken breast, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Chow Mein
- 12 oz chow mein noodles
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 3 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces, whites and greens separated
- 1 cup shredded cabbage
- ½ cup shredded carrots
Chow Mein Sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
Instructions
- Place the thinly sliced chicken breast in a bowl and marinate with Shaoxing wine, salt, and cornstarch for 15 minutes.
- While the chicken marinates, thinly slice the onion and cut the scallions into 1-inch pieces, separating the whites and greens. Prepare your cabbage and carrots.
- In a small bowl, combine dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and Shaoxing wine. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
- Heat a pan over medium-high heat with a bit of oil. Add the chicken and cook until browned on all sides, then remove and set aside.
- In the same pan, add the scallion whites and onions. Cook until slightly softened, then add the cabbage and carrots and cook until wilted.
- Add in the chow mein noodles, followed by the cooked chicken and sauce. Toss everything together until the sauce is absorbed and evenly coats the noodles.
- Finish by adding the scallion greens and toss until just wilted.
- Serve in a bowl or enjoy straight from the pan.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Table of Contents
- Chicken Chow Mein Recipe
- Introduction
- Why You’ll Love This Chicken Chow Mein Recipe
- Why This Chicken Chow Mein Recipe Is So Simple Yet Flavorful
- Chicken Chow Mein Recipe Ingredients
- How to Make Chicken Chow Mein
- What to Serve with Chicken Chow Mein
- How to Store Chicken Chow Mein
- Chicken Chow Mein Substitutions
- What to Make Next
Introduction
Chow Mein is always a dish that I wish had more protein, and this Chicken Chow Mein Recipe is the perfect remedy. This recipe has been tested many times to get those authentic salty and umami flavors, and it’s a simple dish you can make at home in less than 30 minutes with just a few ingredients. It’s a complete meal in one pan, packed with both protein and vegetables, and it works just as well for meal prep as it does a quick weeknight dinner. Once everything is in the pan, it comes together super quickly, and it’ll be one of those recipes you can make without even thinking!
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Chow Mein Recipe
A lot of recipes I see are great for when you have a lot of time on the weekend or no activities after a long day of work or school, but this Chicken Chow Mein Recipe is made for what I like to call “real life cooking”. Once you have the chicken and the rest of the ingredients prepped, which takes literally 5 minutes, everything comes together in one pan, which makes it perfect for those busy nights when you don’t want to spend money on takeout but still want something delicious to eat.
Why This Chicken Chow Mein Recipe Is So Simple Yet Flavorful
This Chicken Chow Mein Recipe gets a lot of its flavor from following the steps precisely, which essentially means that each ingredient is cooked in stages to extract the most flavor possible. Searing the chicken first, for example, locks in the juices and builds that charred flavor that a lot of chow mein recipes have. The same also applies to the sauce. The light soy sauce provides most of the saltiness, the dark soy sauce adds umami and color, and the sugar helps round the sauce out and gives this Chicken Chow Mein Recipe that final oomph of flavor! Even though each step is crucial for building flavor, the ingredients are also flexible. Feel free to switch out any vegetables, proteins, or even a different noodle if you don’t have chow mein noodles! It’s your food, you eat it how you like!
Chicken Chow Mein Recipe Ingredients
Chicken + marinade (Shaoxing wine, salt, cornstarch) – The chicken is the main protein of this Chicken Chow Mein Recipe, and the marinade helps give the chicken its restaurant-quality tenderness. A bonus is it also improves how the chicken sears in the pan.
Chow mein noodles – This is the base of the dish. They provide that signature chewy texture and are great at soaking up the sauce without getting too soggy.
Vegetables (onion, scallions, cabbage, carrots) – These vegetables are like a double-edged sword, and they add both texture and balance to the dish. The onions and scallion whites build aromatic flavor while the cabbage and carrots bring that additional layer of texture that’s so good in a chow mein dish.
Chow mein sauce (dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, Shaoxing wine) – A balanced sauce that gives that signature taste to the entire dish, coating everything in that salty, slightly sweet flavor.
Scallion greens – Added at the end for color and balance to cut through the richness.
How to Make Chicken Chow Mein
Place the sliced chicken in a bowl and marinate with Shaoxing wine, salt, and cornstarch for about 15 minutes.
Prepare your vegetables by slicing the onion, cutting the scallions, and shredding the cabbage and carrots.
In a small bowl, mix together dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and Shaoxing wine.
Heat a pan over medium-high heat with oil and cook the chicken until browned, then remove and set aside.
In the same pan, cook the scallion whites and onions until slightly softened.
Add the cabbage and carrots and cook until just wilted.
Add the noodles, followed by the cooked chicken and sauce, then toss everything together. Continue cooking until the sauce is absorbed and evenly coats the noodles.
Finish with the scallion greens and toss briefly before serving.
What to Serve with Chicken Chow Mein
I already love this Chicken Chow Mein Recipe by itself, but if you want to eat it along with some other sides, here are a few of my favorites:
- Sautéed greens. I like to sauté some broccoli or Chinese spinach with a little bit of garlic and oyster sauce. It’s one of my favorite dishes to eat with this meal.
- Steamed dumplings. If you have any frozen dumplings (or fresh), these go perfectly with this Chicken Chow Mein Recipe and adds another flavor element to your meal.
- Egg rolls. Eating this Chicken Chow Mein Recipe with egg rolls reminds me of eating at Panda Express as a kid. You can buy these frozen or make your own! The crunch provides extra texture and is a classic side to any chow mein!
How to Store Chicken Chow Mein
This Chicken Chow Mein Recipe can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. I love to store it for meal prep for my and my partner’s lunches because there’s no other elements like cucumbers that you have to worry about when reheating it. If you have time, the ideal way to reheat this Chicken Chow Mein is tossing the entire container back in a pan and tossing on high heat for a couple of minutes, but the microwave works perfectly find if you’re in the office or don’t want to reheat over the stove. You can microwave your container for up to 3 minutes. If the noodles look a little dry or if the sauce has thickened, add a small amount of water and mix slightly before microwaving or reheating in the pan.
Chicken Chow Mein Substitutions
As previously mentioned, this Chicken Chow Mein Recipe is flexible, and you can substitute some ingredients like the protein or vegetables depending on what you have on hand. A few of my favorite substitutions are:
- Chicken thighs. These are a great alternative to chicken breast if you like your meat a little extra juicy and tender. They also make the dish a little richer.
- Shrimp. This sauce pairs super well with the Chow Mein sauce. Just make sure to slightly undercook it when initially searing to avoid overcooking.
- Yakisoba noodles. If you don’t have chow mein noodles, yakisoba noodles are a great substitute and don’t even require boiling. You can find them usually in the Asian or vegetarian section of your local grocery store.
- Any vegetable! This is one of the easiest parts of the recipe you can substitute. Bell peppers, corn, or bean sprouts all work well in this dish and can be added based on whatever you have.
What to Make Next
Want another noodle dish? Try my Chicken Chow Fun!
Craving some rice instead? You’ll love my Garlic Pork Belly Fried Rice!
Looking for another meal prep idea? Cook my Chicken Tocino!
