This is a deliciously sweet and savory Bihon Filipino Pancit recipe that’s easy to prepare and ready in less than 25 minutes!
Filipino Pancit Recipe
Do you prefer rice or noodles?
While I absolutely love both, if you held my feet to the fire and made me choose (please don’t do that!) I would choose noodles. Hands down.
Hey, I will always love rice. But there is just so much that can be done with noodles. Heck, just the variety of noodle types available is quite staggering!
Egg noodles, soba noodles, udon noodles, lo mein, zoodles, wide chow fun noodles, spaghetti, somen noodles, shirataki noodles and – one of my all-time favorites: rice noodles.
Why rice noodles? Well, because to me they feel more delicate and light. Rice vermicilli is just the perfect vehicle for south east Asian flavors (my favorite next to Japanese).
I’m using bihon noodles for this yummy Filipino pancit recipe – although you could use almost any package of rice vermicelli noodles.
What is Pancit Bihon (aka: Bihon Pancit)?
Pancit is a Filipino dish that usually consists of noodles cooked with soy sauce along with some variation of meats and chopped vegetables.
Typically, the term pancit exclusively refers to noodles in Filipino. However, the literal translation, which originated from the Chinese word pien sit, means ready-made food, or cooked food.
During the Spanish colonial times, many Chinese migrants in the Philippines worked as street vendors. They were known as panciteros.
The Chinese panciteros mainly cooked for women who worked in cigar factories. These hard-working women bought meals from panciteros because they had very little time to cook at home.
It was during this time that street food became synonymous with convenience and quality. Noodles – being one of the most convenient to-go, ready made foods – were commonly served at these food stalls.
Well – it’s pretty easy to see why the word pancit eventually took on the meaning it currently has in the Filipino food lexicon.
That’s a little slice of Philippine history for you!
What is the difference between pancit canton and pancit bihon?
Now, while pancit refers to noodles, there are a ton of variations in heavy rotation.
Every pancit recipe is different.
Some are served with boiled eggs and Chinese sausages, while others contain pork and shrimp. Other versions yet have an added citrus flavor – while some are kept super simple and cooked with soy sauce and a little sugar.
Pancit bihon and pancit canton are two of the most popular versions of pancit. While many variations exist even within these two types of pancit, the main difference between the two is the type of noodles used.
- Pancit bihon calls for bihon noodles (thin rice vermicelli, sometimes called rice stick noodles).
- However, in pancit canton, you’ll usually see flour stick noodles used. These pre-fried wheat based noodles are closely related to lo mein noodles.
A third, very popular Filipino noodle recipe is pancit palabok. What stands palabok apart from the crowd is that it calls for rice stick noodles to be covered in a thick shrimp gravy.
Although there are hundreds, if not thousands of different versions of pancit at the local level, one thing remains consistent across the board: noodles signify a long and healthy life. Therefore, noodles should never be cut short.
In light of this symbolism, noodles are commonly served at Filipino birthday celebrations to represent good luck in the years to come.
How to make pancit
Let’s cook!
When whipping up this yummy Filipino bihon pancit recipe, I like to get all my ingredients laid out in front of me. Doing my mise en place ahead of time frees me up to pay 100% attention to the task at hand.
And while these pancit noodles are a suuuper easy Filipino recipe to execute, I’d hate to overcook one ingredient because I was still busy chopping another 🙂
First, I like to tackle the chicken. Get a pan going over medium heat. Add a bit of oil and pan fry your chicken bits until they are just cooked. Transfer these to a plate and set aside. Don’t worry – we’ll come back to them!
Then, in the same pan, add your garlic and onions and cook for a few minutes – until fragrant.
Now, put your cooked chicken back in the pan with the garlic and onions and season it all with a little salt and pepper. Add the veggies and cook until they’re tender (but still slightly crunchy).
It’s time to add all the sauce elements and bring to a boil.
At this point, let’s add our noodles! Just toss the dry pancit noodles into your pan and let the hot liquid cook them. This is great for two reasons:
- It’s super easy.
- The noodles get a massive infusion of flavor when they get cooked in the sauce (as opposed to being pre-cooked and then just having their outsides coated in the sauce).
The noodles should be cooked (and the sauce should be absorbed) in about 3-4 minutes. However, if the noodles are a bit underdone and all the sauce has been absorbed, add a little stock until the noodles are cooked.
Can I make a vegetarian pancit?
Meat not your thing? It’s all good!
A veggie loaded pancit is a delicious thing indeed.
This bihon pancit recipe is already packed with carrots, cabbage, green beans and scallions. However, there’s no need to stop there!
The more the merrier when it comes to goodness from the garden. You might experiment with adding things like red bell pepper, leeks and broccoli to your own homemade veggie pancit creations.
And if you’re a pescatarian, you could easily substitute the chicken in this recipe for shrimp.
As always, make these recipes work for YOU. Think of my recipes as blueprints. The form is there. Your tastes should dictate the final touches!
What about leftovers?
Oooh… this pancit bihon recipe makes the BEST leftovers!
I’ve seen Ben shoveling cold noodles into his mouth by the light of the refrigerator as a savory midnight snack. No joke, hehe.
While this pancit bihon recipe is great fresh out of the wok – or served cold out of the fridge, it also handles a reheat in the microwave pretty well.
Busy mom? You can even make this yummy pancit recipe ahead of time and keep it refrigerated until it’s time to serve dinner. Zapping it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes should do the trick. You don’t want to reheat it for too long, otherwise the chicken will overcook.
What’s your favorite noodle dish? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Other easy and healthy Asian recipes:
- Honey Sriracha Tofu
- Chicken Egg Foo Young
- Spaghetti Squash Yakisoba Style
- Easy Roasted Chicken Pho
- Vietnamese Beef Meatballs
- Singapore Chow Mei Fun
Did you like this Bihon Filipino Pancit Recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
This recipe is one of many included in my ecookbook!
These recipes constantly make “best dish” lists on sites such as Country Living, Self, Shape, Bon Appetit, The Cooking Channel, Men’s Fitness and Woman’s Day. They are favorites among my readers, friends and family!
51 of the best appetizers, sides, stir fries, main, noodles & rice, desserts & drinks from the blog.
Simple and easy dishes made healthier, with calories and fat content provided. Tried and tested by my readers and loved by everyone!
Bihon Pancit Recipe (Filipino)
This is a deliciously sweet and savory Filipino pancit recipe that’s easy to prepare and ready in less than 25 minutes!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 people 1x
- Category: Noodles
- Method: Stir frying
- Cuisine: Filipino
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast (sliced into bite size pieces)
- 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 small onion (finely chopped)
- 8 ounces pack bihon noodles, vermicelli noodles or rice noodles
- 1 1/2 cups mixed veggies such as carrots, cabbage and green beans, scallions, (chopped bite size)
- salt and pepper to taste
- lemon wedges (optional)
Pancit sauce:
- 2 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- In a wok or a large pan over medium heat, add oil and chicken and cook until tender. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add garlic and onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add the cooked chicken and season with a little salt and pepper.
- Stir in the veggies and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until a little tender.
- Add all the ingredients for the pancit sauce and bring to a boil.
- Add rice noodles and stir until all the noodles are coated with the sauce. Keep on stirring and cooking until the noodles are tender (3-4 minutes).
- Add more stock (or water) if the dish is dry before the noodles are tender.
- Season with salt and pepper and more soy sauce if necessary. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
Notes
This Bihon Filipino Pancit Recipe Is:
Low in saturated fat
Very high in niacin
High in selenium
High in vitamin B6
Dark soy is usually thicker and sweeter in flavor. It adds a depth of flavor that regular soy sauce doesn’t have.
Nutrition
- Calories: 167
- Sugar: 2.4
- Sodium: 819
- Fat: 3.8
- Carbohydrates: 17.9
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 14.6
- Cholesterol: 32
Keywords: recipe, main, Asian, easy
Colleen says
Good flavor but sauce made it a little too salty for our tastes…even with low sodium soy sauce.
Easy to make, as long as you prep all the ingredients ahead of time.
★★★★
Fern says
This recipe is PERFECT! I haven’t had pancit since I was a younger teen and this pretty spot on with how my filipino step-mother used to make it. She used to add a roma tomatoe cut up with the garlic and cooked it with the onion until the tomatoes was melted and then added the rest of the ingredients. Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Caroline Phelps says
Thank you Fern for the kind words, I’m so happy you like the recipe! 🙂
Barbara Sobaski says
Made this after a co-worker brought some to work. This was amazing! I have made it several times since and never disappointed. This dish gets better each time you heat it up. Writing down the ingredients to make again today. Caroline, thank you so much for sharing and I too am looking forward to your recipe for lumpia. Will download your ecookbook today.
★★★★★
Caroline Phelps says
Thank you so much Barbara, you just put a big smile on my face! 🙂
San says
So you do not drain the broth? Just let the noodles soak it up?
Caroline Phelps says
That’s correct, it doesn’t take long before they absorb the liquid 🙂
Ginger Abbott says
I’m trying a replicate a recipe we get from a restaurant nearby as my son loves that pancit. I’m worried this will taste sweet which means I’m not on the right track in replicating the recipe. I’m also wondering if the noodles look transparent after cooking. I’m trying to build him a book of favorite recipes for college. Easy and cheap…any suggestions?
Caroline Phelps says
Hi Ginger! This bihon isn’t sweet at all, it’s more on the savory side and the noodles are not transparent once they are cooked. This is a traditional and basic recipe for bihon pancit so I would say it’s a safe one to add to the recipe book 🙂
debra says
would there be a substitute for oyster sauce? i don’t believe it is gluten free, which is what i need 🙂
Caroline Phelps says
Hi debra! You can substitute both the soy sauce and oyster sauce with liquid amino, which tastes a lot closer to soy sauce than tamari sauce. You can then add an extra teaspoon of sugar and it should be pretty close to the original taste 🙂
jazmin says
is there a substitute for the chicken stock?
★★★★★
Caroline Phelps says
Hi Jazmin! You can use vegetable stock, water or kombu dashi 🙂
jackie schwartzinger says
Oh my gosh, I made this and it is awesome! We ate it hot, cold, leftover….any way we wanted!
I want to make this same recipe in my Instant pot. How would I do it? Could I out everything in at the same time? How long should I cook it?
★★★★★
Caroline Phelps says
Hi Jackie, I’m not familiar with Instant Pot but what I would suggest is finding a noodle recipe similar to this one that can be made in an Instant Pot 🙂
Sonia says
Hi there. I’m so excited to make this. Can I use cole slaw mix for the veggies??
Caroline Phelps says
Hi Sonia, cole slaw mix should work just fine! This is a super easy recipe, I often add different veggies to it so it’s a hard one to mess up 🙂 I hope you enjoy it!
MK says
I make this dish all the time, Cole slaw will work but don’t cook the Cole slaw to long or the cabbage will disappear, and when you warm it up later, you can’t find the cabbage. If you cut the cabbage yourself you will get a more vegetable fill and use shredded carrots
matt simcox says
I can’t wait to make this for New Years Eve. Do you have a Lumpia recipe you can share?
Caroline Phelps says
Hi Matt! I don’t have a lumpia recipe but I’ve added it to my list of recipes to make in 2019 🙂 Thanks!
Mark Bader says
Really enjoyed this, couldn’t find the dark soy sauce anywhere to I doubled the soy sauce instead.
trish @ Spoonful Of Butter says
Looks yummy!!! I miss pancit! I would have to try your version soon. 😉
Val says
I grew up spending most of my time at my friend’s house. Her father is Filipino and used to cook pancit all the time. This is exactly what I needed to help ease the homesickness I’ve been feeling. This is definitely a little piece of home! Thank you!!
Kyla says
Hi! I’ve been looking for a pancit recipe to try and can’t wait to o make this one!! Would leaving out the chicken affect he taste at all? Could I just add for veggies?
Thanks so much!!
Caroline Phelps says
Hi Kyla, you don’t need to use chicken to make this recipe, all veggies tastes just as woderful! 🙂
JAB says
I have tried pancit a number of times throughout the years and I find the thicker the noodle the more I enjoy it. Which of the noodles the recipe lists would be the thickest?
Caroline Phelps says
If you like thick noodles I would recommend looking at chow fun noodles or any type of rice noodles that are flat. I bought these from Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Stick-Noodles-Royal-Elephant-brand/dp/B017H0LGIU/ref=sr_1_6_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1494436379&sr=1-6&keywords=thai+rice+noodles and really enjoy cooking with them. I’ve never made pancit using thick noodles but these ones are not as wide as the chow fun and have a great texture.
Benjamin says
This is the beauty about pancit. It is so versatile and you can put almost any vegetable on it. We would usually whip this up if we have a number of leftover veggies and it’s done within 20-30 minutes (including prep). Thank you for sharing this and this is such an amazing recipe. 🙂
One thing I would usually also do is to add 1-2 teaspoons of toasted sesame oil on the end just before serving. It just brings another depth of flavor into the dish. (just be careful not to put a lot as it tends to overpower the dish). 🙂
Sherri says
Can I use vermicelli bean thread for this recipe? And would I prepare it the same or do I have to soak the bean thread vermicelli first?
Caroline Phelps says
Hi Sherri, using vermicelli bean thread with the same preparation should work just as well 🙂
Missd says
This is IT!!! Have been searching for years for the perfect pancit recipe……I use bagged coleslaw mix for the cabbage and carrots……convenient …delicious
★★★★★
E says
Thanks for posting such a great recipe. While it is simple (one cutting board, one pan) it has endless options. I’ve made it twice now throwing in whatever veggies we have in the fridge and it has been a winner.
★★★★★
Elisa says
I’ve made this recipe twice and both times it’s turned out incredibly salty to the point where it’s inedible. what am I doing wrong??? are the sauce measurements tbsp or tsp?
Caroline Phelps says
Hi Elisa, the measurements are in tablespoons. I’m wondering if it could be the soy sauce you are using – can you tell what type it is? Light soy is much saltier than regular soy and dark soy has a sweet element to it. I’m also using low sodium chicken stock. Let me know as I’d love to help you figure out what can be the cause for the over saltiness.
Carol Hieter says
We just finished trying this, & it’s definitely a keeper! I added celery & mushrooms, left out the green beans since I didn’t have any on hand. Thinking I might try shrimp next time I make it!
★★★★★
Caroline Phelps says
Shrimp will be delicious with bihon! I love that everyone is adding their own personal touch to this recipe, and I love that you’ve added more veggies!
Aaron says
Hi, do you break up the noodles or leave them long?
Caroline Phelps says
Hi Aaron, I leave them long or cut them in half. It’s easier to eat that way 🙂
Kristi says
This sounds amazing! I’m finding it rather difficult to track down the dark soy sauce. Is there a substitute that I could use?
Caroline Phelps says
Hi Kristi, you can use regular soy sauce and add a dash of sugar. You can also buy dark soy sauce online, Amazon has some really good options 🙂
Arnette - Round The World Girl says
Sarap!! I am going to make this tomorrow! Love the recipe and history lesson! Salamat
Jayma says
Really enjoyed this recipe! Instead of chicken I used cubed tofu – and the hubs approved! We’ve made it multiple times with whatever veggies are on hand, and it’s been great every time! (and we use Siracha, too!)
★★★★★
Caroline Phelps says
Hi Jayma! I agree about sriracha making a delicious addition to the dish and I too, really enjoy adding more veggies to this recipe. It’s such a versatile one, I’m happy to see that you are adding your own twist to it. Thank you for sharing!
Jasdip says
We loved this! I bought cellophane vermicelli and they worked perfectly. I also substituted thin asparagus for the green beans. Cabbage, onions, carrots and asparagus. I also added minced ginger with the garlic. We put dobs of srirracha sauce on our plate to dip the forkfuls in.
I quickly put this in the keeper binder. Thanks so much for a winner!
★★★★★
Caroline Phelps says
Thank you Sherry! We also put sriracha on our pancit – on everything actually hehe! It’s so good! 🙂
Inês says
Thank you for the recipe! It really is delicious!
I made it with mushrooms and colorful tiny peppers and it also turned out great
★★★★★
Caroline Phelps says
Thanks for sharing Ines!
Mark says
Awesome! I love reading the popular Filipino dish. looks delicious.
★★★★★
Melissa says
For the vegetables, could you add bamboo shoots and snow peas to this recipe? Or would that change the whole flavour?
Thank you!
This recipe looks amazing and I can’t wait to make it!
★★★★★
Caroline Phelps says
Hi Melissa! I love both bamboo shoots and snow peas so I would say go for it!
Caterina says
My best friend was Filipino and growing up, I had dinner at their house a lot! I always loved the food so I am super excited that you posted this recipe! I will be a pro in no time!!!
Caroline Phelps says
Wonderful Caterina!
Jamie B. says
About 33 years ago I stayed after school in 5th grade for a cooking class. After all that time I realize now that we made pancit. The teacher cut the carrots in the shape of flowers. This recipe really brought me back to that great memory. I having been searching for the perfect pancit recipe and I found it here. So very good! Thanks for the great recipe.
Caroline Phelps says
I’m so happy you found what you were looking for Jamie! I had the same thing happen to me but with a red curry soup I had back in the day when I was in high school. A friend of mine posted a similar recipe on Facebook not too long ago so I jumped on it and made a few tweaks. It turned out almost exactly how I remembered it so I totally understand how you feel!
Deborah says
Excellent. This is the real deal
★★★★★
Hannah says
Ooooh this looks amazing! I love bihon noodles but usually have them with Japanese food. Can’t wait to try this, thanks for sharing!!
★★★★★