30 Min Recipes
Easy Chicken Chow Mein
Slippery chicken chow mein noodles with loads of my favourite veggies – checks all the right boxes! They say – a chow mein is only as good as the sauce used to make it! See my tips on how to make amazing chow mein sauce, how to cook
- Serves 5 people
- Prep 15 minutes
- Cook 10 minutes
- Total 25 minutes
Chow mein is easily one of the most popular noodle dishes. I’ve shared other noodle recipes with you, like Chilli Garlic Noodles and Veg Hakka Noodles, but chow mein stands at the top of the heap.
I think my chicken chow mein recipe trumps even take-out food or delivery, and here’s why: It’s fast – I’m talking about dinner being served in 20 minutes. You can sneak in a LOT of veggies and protein of your choice. And more than anything, it’s comforting food that makes for great leftovers! I don’t think you need any more convincing!
How To Prep Chicken and Veggies
These chow mein noodles are loaded with veggies like beans, carrots and cabbage. The vegetable prep is probably going to take you the most amount of time. But you can make this faster by using a mandolin or food processor. The onions should be thinly sliced, carrots julienned, beans sliced diagonally, and cabbage thinly shredded. You can also add thinly sliced bell peppers and quartered mushrooms. The amount of veggies in this dish when it’s ready is deceptive. It’s really a great way to sneak in a ton of veggies!
In this chicken chow mein recipe, we chose chicken thighs because they are juicier than the breast pieces. Cutting the chicken thighs into strips that are approximately half an inch thick makes it perfect for the stir frying and for noodles.
Sauce for Chow Mein
Chow mein is only as good as the sauce you use to make it! This sauce, like all things Asian, has robust ingredients like soy sauce, vinegar, chilli sauce and ketchup. Corn flour gives the noodles that shiny gloss and slippery texture. This sauce also doubles up as a marinade for chicken and helps tenderise it – 10-15 minutes to marinate. The remaining sauce is then added to the stir fry – extra flavour!
Tips To Cook The Noodles Right
In this chicken noodle stir fry, I generally use veg noodles or egg noodles which are easily available at the supermarket.
- The water should be at a rolling boil before you add the noodles
- Add cooking oil to the water so that the noodles don’t clump together
- Salt the water well
- Keep all eyes on the noodles because they can overcook so easily! I recommend a cooking time of about 2 minutes
- As soon as the noodles are cooked, drain them well and rinse them in cold water to stop them from cooking any further. You can also toss them in oil to keep them from sticking
Frequently Asked Questions
Apart from being absolutely delicious, this chow mein is comforting and the perfect weeknight meal after a busy day. It’s one of the dishes that the entire family will love, and no matter how often you make, no one’s getting bored of it!
More Asian Take-Out Recipes
The recipe
Easy Chicken Chow Mein
Slippery chicken chow mein noodles with loads of my favourite veggies – checks all the right boxes! A chow mein is only as good as the sauce used to make it, they say! See my tips on how to make amazing chow mein sauce, how to cook noodles right, and how to get those street style flavours!
- Serves 5 people
- Prep 15 minutes
- Cook 10 minutes
- Total 25 minutes
Ingredients
Noodles
- 250 Grams Noodles (veg or egg noodles)
- Salt
- Water for boiling
Stir Fry
- 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
- 1 Tablespoon minced Garlic
- 200 Grams Chicken thighs (cut into 1 inch strips)
- 1 Tablespoon Spring Onion (whites only, chopped)
- ½ Cup thinly sliced Onion
- ½ Cup julienned Carrot
- ½ Cup sliced Beans (thinly sliced diagonally)
- 1 Cup thinly shredded Cabbage
- 1 Tablespoon Spring Onion (greens only, cut into thirds)
Sauce Mix
- 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 1-2 Teaspoons Red Chilli Sauce
- 1 Teaspoon Tomato Ketchup
- 1 Teaspoon Vinegar
- ½ Teaspoon Cornflour
- ½ cup Water
- 1 Teaspoon Salt (adjust to taste)
- 1 Teaspoon Pepper
Method
Noodles
- 1
Heat water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Ensure that there is enough water to submerge the noodles. Once the water is boiling, add salt and half a teaspoon of oil and give it a stir. Now add the noodles, break them up slightly if you need to and boil on medium heat for 1 minute less than the package instructions (approx 2-3 minutes depending on the brand of noodles you are using).
- 2
Remember noodles can overcook within seconds so pay close attention. Once cooked, strain the noodles and run them under cold water till the noodles come to room temperature. Drain well and keep aside. You can toss them in a little oil to keep them from sticking to each other.
Sauce Mix
- 3
Whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, chilli sauce, ketchup and cornflour in a bowl. Add 1-2 tsp of this sauce mixture to the chicken and marinate for 10 minutes. Reserve the remaining sauce for the later.
Stir Fry
- 4
Heat vegetable oil in a wok and add garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds and add the chicken. Stir fry on high heat for 2 minutes till the chicken starts getting some colour.
- 5
Add spring onion and onion and sauté till the onions are almost translucent. Next add the carrots, beans and cabbage. Saute for 2 minutes.
- 6
Add the cooked noodles, along with the sauce mix and toss to combine. Stir fry for another minute. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with spring onions and serve hot!
Notes
Noodles: I use veg or egg noodles from a brand called Kim’s. You can also substitute these with ramen or instant noodles. Any variety works here Chicken: Chicken thighs are my choice of cut for chinese stir fries and noodles because they don’t overcook easily. You can easily swap these for chicken breasts which can be thinly slices. To tenderise chicken breasts and keep them from becoming rubbery, toss them in 1/4 teaspoon baking soda for 10 minutes. Then wash them well and use as directed. Veggies: I love a combination of cabbage, carrots and green beans in this recipe but you can easily add capsicum, mushrooms, bean sprouts etc as well.
Nutrition
- Calories 350 kcal
- Carbohydrates 44 g
- Protein 14 g
- Fat 13 g
- Saturated Fat 7 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat 2 g
- Monounsaturated Fat 3 g
- Trans Fat 1 g
- Cholesterol 39 mg
- Sodium 734 mg
- Potassium 334 mg
- Fiber 3 g
- Sugar 4 g
- Vitamin A 2291 IU
- Vitamin C 9 mg
- Calcium 40 mg
- Iron 1 mg
Common questions
1. What else can I add to my chicken chow mein?
You can make these Chinese noodles with eggs, prawns, and any other veggies that you like. For the vegetarians out there, just skip the protein and enjoy your veg chow mein! Since this is a dry noodle dish, whip up some appetizers to go with it, like Honey Chilli Garlic Prawns or Chilli Paneer !
2. Which noodles to use for chow mein?
I get a ton of questions around which brand of noodles I use and my favourite by far is Kim’s Veg or Egg Noodles. These are available on Big Basket and Amazon and with a 2 minute cooking time, you’ll have perfect noodles every single time.
