Chicken Chow Mein

Name: Chicken Chow Mein
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: ½ pound boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, sliced into bite size strips; 2 tablespoons neutral oil such as vegetable oil or peanut oil; 6 ounces chow mein noodles; 1 cup snap peas; 1 green or red bell pepper, thinly sliced into strips; 3 green onions, thinly sliced on the bias (diagonally); 1 cup sliced fresh shiitake mushroom or button mushrooms; 1 teaspoon regular soy sauce; 1 teaspoon shaoxing wine or dry sherry; 1 teaspoon cornstarch; 1 teaspoon sesame oil; 2 tablespoons oyster sauce; 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce; 2 teaspoons shaoxing wine or dry sherry; 3 tablespoons chicken broth; 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

My smoky, umami chicken chow mein is the main event at my place when I crave Cantonese takeout but feel like having some fun in the kitchen. I keep the veggies crisp yet pliant, the noodles on the springy side – and I lock moisture into the juicy chicken with a 4-ingredient marinade.

About This Recipe

If chicken chow mein was a person, we’d be pretty good friends. We’ve known each other for over 40 years now. I appreciate the smoky wok hei and the savory, chewiness of the egg noodles mixed with marinated chicken and colorful veggies. When it’s been a while, I consider picking up the phone to reconnect.

Chow mein hits that perfect spot in my palate that craves excitement, but familiar flavors. Even though I know what it’ll taste like, I’m always excited to dig in.

In fact, there has been a bit of a Chinese noodle renaissance at my house lately. I’ve been leaning on the shrimp lo mein, the spicy pan fried noodles and the crispy Cantonese chow mein rather hard lately. Chicken chow mein is the gateway recipe for my affinity for noodles.

About This Recipe
Ingredients Needed
- Chicken Marinade
- Chow Mein Sauce
How To Make Chow Mein
Caroline’s Cooking Tips
Recipe Variations
Storage and Reheating
What I Serve With Chicken Chow Mein
Frequently Asked Questions

Ingredients Needed

Scroll to the bottom of this page for the full recipe steps and measurements.

Chicken: I use boneless, skinless chicken breast, because it’s moist and tender and easy to find. Dark meat from boneless chicken thighs also works, especially if you like a gamey taste.
Oil: Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point such as vegetable oil, canola oil, or grapeseed oil.
Chow Mein Noodles: Chow mein noodles are egg noodles that are sold fresh or dried. They come sold in nests and can be found at your local Asian supermarket in the frozen section or dried noodles section. I always use dried noodles because I keep a few packages in my pantry at all times to use in last minute stir fries.
Sliced Vegetables: Shiitake mushrooms, bell peppers and snow peas are all popular ingredients to use in Chinese stir fries, but feel free to use any vegetable combination you like.

Chicken Marinade

4 ingredients: soy sauce, shaoxing wine, cornstarch and toasted sesame oil.

Why it works: The cornstarch locks moisture into the chicken while tenderizing the meat at the same time. And it helps the marinade penetrate with maximum flavor in a short time.

Chow Mein Sauce

5 ingredients: oyster sauce, soy sauce, shaoxing, chicken broth, sesame oil.

Why it works: The sharpness from the shaoxing wine cuts through the salty, briny, sweet flavors from the oyster sauce. And the sesame oil adds nutty, toasty undertones.

How To Make Chow Mein

Marinate the chicken. Mix the marinade and add the sliced chicken. Make sure all the pieces are coated evenly. Marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Mix the chow mein sauce in a bowl and set aside.
Boil the noodles according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
Cook the chicken in a pan over high heat. When cooked through, transfer to a plate.
Cook the vegetables in the same pan until tender/crisp.
Put it all together. Once the veggies are cooked, re-add the chicken, chow mein noodles and sauce. Toss until evenly mixed. Serve immediately.

Caroline’s Cooking Tips

Cook the chicken first, but don’t wash the pan. The marinated chicken leaves a ton of flavor in the wok. I take it out as soon as it’s cooked so it stays juicy. But I get some real flavor mileage from the drippings when I use it to cook the vegetables in a second wave. As soon as the cooked chicken is on a plate, I put the pan back on the stovetop and start on the veggies.

Stir fry using high heat. A screaming hot pan allows me to cook things very quickly while using very little oil. Veggies retain their tender crunch, noodles keep their spring loaded bite – and the chicken doesn’t have enough time to dry out. Believe it or not, depending on the recipe, low heat can be the culprit for overcooked food. Since low heat takes so long to cook things, colorful ingredients can end up essentially steaming their vibrance away. Low heat is perfect for things like pinto bean stew. High heat is ideal for stir fries. In fact, for this recipe I don’t even add oil to the pan until it’s hot.

Recipe Variations

Try a different protein. Beef, squid or roast pork are all contenders. And no takeout menu is complete without shrimp chow mein.

Make it vegetarian. Just sub the chicken out for sliced tofu or, better yet, crispy tofu. Rehydrated soy curls would work too. Use veggie broth instead of chicken stock. And pull the oyster sauce in favor of mushroom based oyster sauce.

Use different vegetables. Whatever is handy in the crisper. Sliced carrots, green pepper, broccoli, etc. Or grab a can of bamboo shoots and water chestnuts and use those.

Storage and Reheating

Fridge: Store leftovers in the refrigerator (covered) for up to 3 days. Chinese noodles keep rather well in the fridge – and leftovers are delicious hot or cold.

Freezer: Allow the chow mein to cool to room temperature, then place in freezer bags or single serving food storage containers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, or gently in the microwave. Then microwave until piping hot before serving.

Reheating: Reheat in the microwave or in a hot pan with a little oil on the stovetop. Revitalize the flavors with a dash of soy sauce.

What I Serve With Chicken Chow Mein

Chicken chow mein is a filling dish that I like to serve as a main. It pairs well with other Chinese main dishes or sides such as:

Other popular noodle dishes you might like to try: Miso ramen, spicy vegan sichuan noodles, fried noodles with soy sauce, Korean japchae noodles, yaki udon, easy yakisoba, stir fried glass noodles with shrimp.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a wok to make chow mein?

Nope. Not unless you work at a restaurant with an industrial 100,000 BTU gas burner. Those guys definitely get some real benefits out of the rounded bottom and sloped edges of a wok. For the rest of us, any deep frying pan or skillet works.

My chicken is dry. Where did I go wrong?

This recipe has 2 failsafes against dry, rubbery chicken. First, the cornstarch in the marinade should lock in moisture and flavor while tenderizing the chicken. Second, for this recipe I always cook the chicken first and remove it from the pan as soon as it’s cooked through. I reincorporate it with the noodles, veggies and sauce at the very end – just before serving.

Can I make a vegan version without the chicken and oyster sauce?

Unfortunately, chow mein noodles are egg noodles. So it’ll never be 100% vegan. Try making tofu chow fun with watercress or fiery vegan dan dan noodles instead.

I can’t find shaoxing wine. What can I use instead?

A good substitute for shaoxing wine is dry sherry.

Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!