Your favorite Chinese restaurant is going to miss you. With this Easy Chicken Chow Mein Recipe, you'll be making dinner in far less time than it takes to get take-out delivered to your doorstep.
Chicken Chow Mein is officially better at home, and it features tender, juicy strips of chicken tossed with a savory mix of noodles, bell pepper, carrots, onion, and cabbage. It's finished off with a quick and easy Chow Mein Sauce, and in just 30 minutes, you'll have an easy weeknight dinner on the table the entire family adores!
Love American-Chinese food? Be sure to check out Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry, Chicken Lo Mein, and Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken!
WHAT IS CHOW MEIN?
The name Chow Mein is used to indicate an American-Chinese stir-fry noodle dish containing vegetables and (sometimes) meat as well. The Chinese word chow translates to "stir-fried" or "sautéed" in English.
In Hong-Kong, Chow Mein is served as a crispy, fried noodle dish, while in America, it is served with soft noodles.
CHICKEN CHOW MEIN VS. CHICKEN LO MEIN
In America, Chow Mein and Lo Mein are essentially the same dishes, although, oftentimes, Chow Mein is made with thinner noodles. As mentioned above, the real difference between the two is more commonly found overseas, where Chow Mein is served with crispy, fried noodles instead of soft noodles. You may find that the noodles in American Chinese restaurants are stir-fried, but they are not typically served crispy.
WHAT'S IN CHICKEN CHOW MEIN?
CHICKEN
The best cut of chicken to use for chicken chow mein is boneless, skinless chicken thighs. They are less likely to overcook than white meat chicken, easy to slice into strips, and are more likely to stay juicy cooked over high heat. The chicken thighs are cooked in oil and seasoned with Kosher salt and black pepper. Be sure to use a flavorless oil with a high smoke point for searing your chicken. Oils such as avocado or canola oil are great choices.
VEGETABLES
Chicken Chow Mein is as much about the vegetables as it is the chicken. The classic veggie combo for this dish is thinly sliced bell pepper, carrots, yellow onion, green cabbage, as well as finely chopped garlic. With the exclusion of the garlic, the trick to even cooking is to get the vegetables sliced as close to the same size as possible. To make prep work easier on yourself, pick up packages of pre-shredded cabbage and julienned carrots in the produce aisle of your grocery store.
NOODLES
We used Wel-Pac Chow Mein Stir Fry Noodles for this recipe and cooked the noodles according to package directions. You can find them in the international aisle of your grocery store, along with the Asian ingredients. These noodles cook in about 3 minutes, so take care not to overcook them!
GARNISH
Garnishes are always optional but chopped cilantro and green onions add a fresh note to this savory Asian staple and a good deal of flavor as well.
CHOW MEIN SAUCE
Of course, you can't have Chicken Chow Mein without a killer sweet-and--savory Chow Mein Sauce. Lucky for us, it's seriously easy to make. Simply combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and sesame oil in a bowl and stir to combine.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN CHOW MEIN
- Make the Sauce - Add all of the sauce ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside until ready to use.
- Prep the Chicken - Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and using a sharp knife, cut the chicken against the grain into thin strips (about a ½" thick). Transfer to a bowl and season with Kosher salt and pepper. Massage the seasoning evenly onto the chicken and set aside.
- Cook the Chicken - Add oil to a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and bring to temperature. Add the chicken to the pan and sear for 4 minutes. Turn the chicken and sear minutes more. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.
- Cook the Vegetables - Add the bell pepper, carrots, and onions to the pan and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring often. Then, add the cabbage and sauté for 2 minutes more. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute more.
- Bring It All Together - If your pan is large enough to house all of the ingredients, add the chicken, the noodles, cilantro, green onion, and sauce and toss to combine. If your pan is not large enough, see notes.
IS CHOW MEIN HEALTHY?
Chicken Chow Mein is loaded with healthy ingredients like lean, dark meat chicken and nutritious vegetables. On the flip side, these healthy ingredients are intertwined with carby chow mein noodles and tossed in a sweet-and-savory sauce that some might deem not so healthy.
However, the Chicken Chow Mein you make at home is going to be far healthier than chow mein at a restaurant, as it is less oily and packed with more of the nutritious ingredients like chicken and vegetables than cost-friendly noodles.
CHICKEN CHOW MEIN CALORIES
Chicken Chow Mein weighs in at about 500 calories per 1 cup serving. For a filling and delicious comfort food pasta dinner, we're thinking this isn't half bad.
5 MORE WEEKNIGHT DINNERS YOU’LL LOVE
- Homemade Alfredo Sauce is rich, creamy, and lacks nothing in the way of flavor thanks to fresh chopped garlic, a generous serving of Parmesan cheese, and a dairy combo that just won’t quit.
- Chicken Pesto Pasta features tender bites of juicy chicken and a creamy Pesto Sauce that cooks quickly in one pan!
- Ground Beef Stroganoff made with ground beef, mushrooms, onions, and sour cream over egg noodles for a beefy, comforting weeknight dinner that’s as easy as it is delicious!
- Homemade Hamburger Helper features savory, seasoned ground beef, a creamy, homemade cheddar sauce, and macaroni, it’s like a chili cheeseburger but in pasta form.
- Weeknight Marinara Sauce comes together with a quick simmer of canned tomatoes, onions, garlic, and more!
Chicken Chow Mein
Ingredients
For the Chow Mein Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon sesame oil
For the Chicken Chow Mein:
- 1 ½ pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons avocado or canola oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 red bell pepper cored, thinly sliced -- then cut the slices in half
- 1 cup julienned (or matchstick) carrots
- 1 yellow onion halved and thinly sliced
- 1 ½ cup thinly sliced cabbage
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (6-ounce) package chow mein stir-fry noodles cooked according to package directions
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 4 green onions, sliced
Instructions
- Add all of the sauce ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside until ready to use.
- Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and using a sharp knife, cut the chicken against the grain into thin strips (about a ½" thick). Transfer to a bowl and season with Kosher salt and pepper. Massage the seasoning evenly onto the chicken and set aside.
- Add oil to a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and bring to temperature. Add the chicken to the pan and sear for 4 minutes. Turn the chicken and sear minutes more. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.
- Add the bell pepper, carrots, and onions to the pan and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring often. Then, add the cabbage and sauté for 2 minutes more. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute more.
- If your pan is large enough to house all of the ingredients, add the chicken, the noodles, cilantro, green onion, and sauce and toss to combine. If your pan is not large enough, see notes.
Notes
Nutrition
Monica says
This is so great! I rarely make Asian-inspired dishes at home but I really want to more to change up our dinner routines. Love how flexible this is with all the added veggies, too - perfect for cleaning out the fridge!
Emese says
I love quick stir-fry dishes and chow mein is one of my favorite Asian dishes. Thanks for this recipe, I'll make it again soon.
Erica Schwarz says
This dinner will now be in our regular rotation. Made it and everyone loved it, and I found it easy to make. Thanks for the recipe!
Jayne says
I love making stir fry recipes and have been looking for a great chow mein to add to them. I have found a good one! thank you so much for sharing.
Tayo says
I love the ease of making this. My family really enjoyed it for dinner!