Chicken Chow Mein is a quick and easy takeout dish you can make at home from scratch. It's packed with chicken, veggies, noodles and the best sauce ever!
This dish is one of my go-to dinners for busy weeknights, just like my Shrimp Stir Fry or the 10-Minute Garlic Noodles.
Asian stir fry dinners are on our weekly menu and I am happy to add another new recipe to my collection. This Chicken Chow Mein is as easy and quick to make as my other Asian takeout dinner recipes. All you need is chicken, veggies, noodles and basic ingredients for the sauce. Grab a wok or a large skillet and a pot to cook the noodles and you can have dinner ready in under 30 minutes! For a vegetarian chow mein, use 6 to 8 ounces of mushrooms in place of the chicken.
Ingredients:
- chicken thighs or breast
- carrots
- garlic
- onion
- cabbage
- soy sauce
- sesame sauce
- ginger
- honey
- oyster sauce
- cornstarch
- rice vinegar
- noodles (chow mein, ramen or even spaghetti)
- chicken stock
- 2 green onions
Instructions:
- Start by shredding the carrots and cabbage. You can also use a coleslaw mix.
- Cut chicken into bite-size pieces.
- Cook noodles according to instructions on the box.
- In a small bowl, mix together stock, soy sauce, vinegar, oyster sauce, sesame oil and cornstarch. Add sambal oelek if you want the sauce to be spicy. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the sauce over chicken and stir.
- Heat up oil in skillet or wok. Add chicken and cook until done. Remove onto a plate.
- Add onion and garlic to skillet and saute for 2 minutes. Add carrots and cabbage and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the cabbage is wilted.
- Add chicken, cooked noodles and sauce to skillet and toss everything together.
The sauce:
In a small bowl or a 1-cup measuring cup, whisk together chicken stock, soy sauce, cornstarch, sesame oil, ginger, vinegar and sambal oelek, if you want to add some heat to the dish. Pour a little bit of the sauce over chicken and marinate for 10 minutes or so (great time to shred the veggies). You can prepare the sauce ahead of time and store it in the fridge. Make sure to stir it well before using it in this dish. You can use apple cider vinegar in place of rice vinegar.
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
The noodles:
When it comes to the noodles, you have a few options here:
- ramen: yep, the ones from a soup package. Discard the seasoning!
- chow mein: found in the Asian section of the grocery store.
- spaghetti: it may seem weird but this pasta totally works in this dish.
Variations:
- skip the chicken and use tofu or mushrooms
- use a mix of red and green cabbage or napa cabbage
- add snow peas, bok choy, bamboo shoots
- for a gluten-free version, use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce and gluten-free noodles.
More easy Asian dinner recipes:
- General Tso's Chicken
- Moo Goo Gai Pan
- Shrimp Fried Rice
- Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Chicken Yakisoba
- Pan Fried Noodles
For more recipes like this one, feel free to browse our Asian Category.
If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out and leave a comment! 😀
Chicken Chow Mein
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs or breast
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 3 cups shredded cabbage
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 6 oz. yakisoba noodles or chow mein or spaghetti noodles, uncooked
- 2 green onions
for the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce optional
- 1 teaspoon sambal oelek optional
Instructions
- Cook noodles according to the instructions on the package. Drain and keep warm.
- In a small bowl or a measuring glass cup, whisk together the sauce ingredients.
- Cut chicken into bite-size pieces. Pour 1 tablespoon of the sauce over chicken and stir. Let it marinate while you prep the veggies.
- In a large skillet or a wok, heat up olive oil. Add chicken and cook, stirring often until done. Remove it onto a plate and set aside.
- Add onion and garlic into the skillet. Saute for 2 minutes, stirring often.
- Add carrots and cabbage and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, until the cabbage is wilted.
- Add chicken and cooked noodles. Pour sauce over the dish. Stir everything together.
- Serve immediately or cool completely and divide into meal prep containers.
- Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
- The nutritional value is an estimate. It will depend on what type of noodles you will use.
- The sambal oelek is an optional ingredient. It adds a little bit of heat to the dish. You can use crushed red pepper flakes instead.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on July 29th, 2019 and updated on March 9th, 2020.
Jola says
I just added a little more garlic (but because I'm a garlic fan)! Great dinner. Thank you
Chris says
I have all the ingredients except sesame sauce. Can I bypass it, or is it crucial? The recipe looks fantastic. I have to do this!
Sarah says
Family loved it!
I marinated chicken then tossed in cornstarch, then fried in olive oil. I then seasoned chicken with garlic powder and seasoning salt.
I didn't have cabbage but used red bell pepper instead. I also added more garlic and added a bit of fresh ginger.
I also used 400g of noodles and suggest tripping the sauce recipe for that much noodles.
Oh also for the sauce for the second and third batch of sauce I used only 1 teaspoon of rice vinegar. I also added about 2 teaspoons of golden/yellow sugar to the second and third batch of sauces.
I then tossed all together and served right away and it was absolutely amazing, the perfect ratio of flavours. 10/10 recommend
Anna says
I absolutely love that you adjusted the recipe to your preferences, Sarah! More garlic and ginger sounds just perfect! Thank you for giving my recipe a try!
Pam says
With peanut allergies, some people only have the option of homemade. It's good to see an option without any peanut oil. It looks yummy!
Becky Hardin says
Who needs take out now when they can make this!! So much better for you and so delicious!
Mallory Lanz says
We love chinese takeout, but sometimes I'm a little sketched out by the ingredients. Thanks for a great make at home version.
Katie says
Delicious, the whole family loved it!
Valentina says
This Chicken Chow Mein recipe is the perfect week night dinner!
Beth Pierce says
Such a great recipe for busy weeknights! Quick, easy and packed with flavor. Definitely making this again later this week!