Chicken Chow Mein

4.85 from 13 votes

This easy chicken chow mein recipe is perfect for a quick, healthy meal that beats Chinese takeout any day! With tender chicken, crisp veggies, and a savory sauce, it’s a flavorful dish you can make in under 30 minutes.

Prep Time20

Cook Time10

Total Time30

Course: Noodles

Cuisine: Chinese Recipes

Keyword: Chicken Chow Mein

Servings: people

Author: Bee Yinn Low

Ingredients

8 oz (230g) fresh chow mein egg noodles steamed chow mein or dry chow mein
4 oz (120g) chicken breast cut into pieces
3 tablespoons oil
3 cloves garlic finely minced
2 oz (30g) cabbage finely sliced
1/2 small carrot peeled and cut into thin strips
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon dark soy sauce optional, for coloring purpose
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons water
3 dashes ground white pepper
1 pinch salt
4 oz (120g) bean sprouts rinsed and drained
2 stalks scallion cut into 2-inch (5cm) lengths

Chicken Marinade:

1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions

Prepare the noodles according to the packaging instructions.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Add the soy sauce and cornstarch, then stir to coat well. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Heat a wok or skillet over high heat. Once heated, add the oil. Add the garlic and stir-fry until aromatic, then follow with the chicken.
Stir-fry until the chicken is half cooked or the surface turns opaque, then add the cabbage and carrot, stirring continuously. Add the noodles to the wok or skillet, followed by the oyster sauce, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, water, ground white pepper, and a pinch of salt.
Stir and toss the noodles back and forth for about 1 minute. Add the bean sprouts and stir to combine well. Once the bean sprouts are cooked, add the scallions, stir a few more times, then dish out and serve immediately

Notes

Rinse the noodles thoroughly with cold water, and then drained before cooking. Please follow the packaging instructions to get the best results. If you use dried egg noodles, please also follow the instructions on the back of the package.

Egg noodles, or Chinese chow mein are labeled differently: chow mein, steamed chow mein, pan-fried chow mein, egg noodles, Hong Kong egg noodles, etc. Please refer to the picture above when choosing your chow mein. The picture on the left is the noodles out of the package, and the picture on the right is the noodles after prepping (but before cooking).

To get that tender, silky chicken like you’d find at your favorite Chinese restaurant, we’re going to “velvet” the chicken with cornstarch. Trust me, it makes all the difference!
For the best results, you’ll want a deep skillet or a Chinese wok (I highly recommend the wok). Heat it up on high heat, then add some cooking oil. Once it’s nice and hot, toss and flip the chicken, veggies, and egg noodles back and forth with a spatula to get everything evenly cooked.
If you’ve got a pair of Chinese long wooden chopsticks, use those instead of a spatula. The chopsticks help keep the noodles intact without breaking them up during the cooking process!

Nutrition