Chicken Chow Mein

This is the BEST Chicken Chow Mein recipe! Stir-fried noodles, vegetables, and chicken are cooked in a rich savory sauce. Everything is cooked in one skillet and is ready in 30 minutes! Perfect for busy weeknights or a healthier homemade fast food option.

Love making healthy noodle recipes? Try my easy Chicken Lo Mein recipe, and my Healthy Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Noodles is light and low carb!

I love making my favorite take-out dishes at home. They taste so much better and take no time to make! My favorite thing is I can easily use whatever veggies and protein I have on hand. It’s a great way to clear out the fridge before a big grocery shop!

This chicken chow mein comes together in minutes. I saute chicken thighs until golden brown and then I toss them with cooked chow mein noodles, sauteed cabbage, and carrots. Everything gets tossed in an easy stir fry sauce.

I like to serve this chow mein with egg rolls, potstickers, or fried rice!

What is chicken chow mein?

Chicken Chow Mein is a Chinese-style stir fry recipe of chow mein noodles, your choice of chicken thighs or chicken breast, and lots of veggies tossed in a rich savory sauce. 

Ingredients for Chicken Chow Mein

• Noodles: For chow mein, we use egg noodles. You can use either fresh or dried noodles. Whichever is easier for you!
• Chicken: I love cooking with chicken thighs! They are so juicy and don’t dry out at all. Feel free to use chicken breast instead, just be careful to not overcook it!
• Oil: A light flavored oil like olive oil or avocado oil is perfect here. You could also add a little sesame oil for its nutty flavor, however, it’s also in the sauce.
• Vegetables: I added green cabbage and carrots. They both have a little sweetness to them, and the cabbage really makes it feel like there is a lot of food on your plate while keeping it healthy!
• Ginger & garlic: Fresh ginger and garlic provide so much flavor to chicken chow mein! I like sautéing them with the vegetables rather than adding them to the sauce to give them a little more time to cook and become fragrant.

Chow Mein Sauce

• Soy sauce: I almost always go for light sodium soy sauce for a healthier option. If you’re using regular, add a little less so it doesn’t become over salty.
• Oyster sauce: Despite the name, it doesn’t actually taste fishy! It’s salty and sweet, with a hint of earthiness.
• Sesame oil: Rich and nutty, sesame oil is so delicious in Asian cuisine! Definitely, one of my favorite pantry staples to have on hand at all times.
• Sugar: To sweeten up the chow mein sauce I added a little brown sugar. I love making my own sauces so I can control things like the amount of salt and sugar added.

How to make chicken chow mein

• Prepare noodles according to package instructions.

• In a small bowl combine the sauce ingredients, and set aside.

• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet. Add in chicken and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 5-6 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.

• Next, add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the same skillet, and then add the cabbage and carrots. Saute until golden brown and wilted for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook for an additional minute.

• Add in cooked noodles and sauce tossing to coat the noodles. Serve immediately with green onions and sesame seeds on top, if desired.

Want to make this vegetarian? Make my Vegetable Chow Mein!

How to make Chow Mein sauce

For the chow mein sauce, you only need 4 ingredients! Simply whisk together low sodium soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, and sesame oil. Set aside until you are ready to toss the sauce with the cooked noodles and veggies.

Tips for making chow mein

• If you have trouble finding chow mein noodles or egg noodles, you can substitute regular spaghetti noodles or ramen noodles. You could also use any type of stir-fried noodle or a package of Yakisoba noodles and discard the seasoning packet. Just make sure to boil the noodles for a couple of minutes before adding them to the sauce.
• You can always swap out whatever vegetables or protein you have on hand. Check out my list below for easy swaps!
• Like a little spice? I love adding a drizzle of sriracha, or a few pinches of red pepper flakes at the end!

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the difference between chicken chow mein and lo mein? It’s all about the noodles! For lo mein, you simply toss the noodles in the sauce at the end, on the other hand, for chow mein, the noodles are stir-fried in with the other ingredients and sauce.
• What is the sauce in chow mein made of? Just 4 simple ingredients: Soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and brown sugar. It’s sweet, tangy, salty, and has plenty of umami!
• Is Chinese Chicken Chow Mein healthy? Yes! It’s stir-fried lightly in oil and is usually loaded up with healthy vegetables and clean protein. Even if you’re ordering takeout instead of making it at home it is usually a great healthy option.

Chicken Chow Mein Variations

You can add different meats and vegetables to this chow mein recipe. Here are some great ideas:

Meat:

• Shrimp
• Egg
• Tofu
• Beef
• Pork
• Combination (chicken, shrimp, and pork)

Vegetables:

• Snow Peas
• Snap peas
• Bok choy
• Zucchini
• Yellow squash
• Bamboo shoots
• Bean sprouts
• Water chestnuts
• Kale

More delicious Chinese takeout recipes to try!

• Slow Cooker Broccoli Beef
• Ham Fried Rice
• The BEST Fried Rice
• Chicken Lo Mein
• Spicy Szechuan Beef
• Beef and Broccoli Ramen