Chicken Chow Mein (Chinese Take-Out)

You need to make this chicken chow mein if you’re craving Chinese takeout. This recipe is a must-try and it was a crowd favorite from my parent’s Chinese restaurant. The noodles are sautéed with a delicious savory sauce and the chicken is tender and flavorful.

Almost every customer ordered chow mein at my parent’s Chinese restaurant because it was a perfect balance of flavors with fresh vegetables and protein. The bouncy egg noodles soak up the yummy sauce and you can enjoy with fresh veggies!

To make a spicy chicken chow mein recipe, you can add chili flakes when you fry the onions or top the noodles with your favorite chili oil! 

Ingredients you need for your chicken chow mein recipe:

Chicken Marinade

• chicken breast – can substitute with beef or pork. If you’re vegetarian, feel free to tofu!
• white pepper
• salt
• soy sauce
• sugar
• shaoxing cooking wine – this helps with the gaminess of the meat. You can substitute with dry sherry or sake. If you cannot have alcohol, you can also omit this. 
• cornstarch
• light virgin olive oil 

Chow Mein Sauce

• oyster sauce
• chicken bouillon
• soy sauce
• sugar
• salt
• water

Chow Mein

• lo mein noodles – yellow thick noodles you can get at the asian market like 99 ranch. I like to use the Twin Marquis brand!
• green onions
• white or yellow onion
• bean sprouts – fresh bean sprouts give a nice crunch to the chow mein noodles
• carrots

how to make this easy chicken chow mein recipe:

Slice chicken and vegetables & marinate chicken:

Slice green onions, white onion, and carrots thinly. Slice chicken in thin strips and marinate the chicken with salt, white pepper, sugar, corn starch, soy sauce, chicken bouillon, oil, and water.

Make chow mein sauce:

In a separate bowl, make sauce by mixing oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, chicken bouillon, and water. 

Cook lo mein noodles and set aside:

Cook noodles according to package directions. Then strain the noodles and wash with cold water to get off the starch. 

Fry the marinated chicken and vegetables:

In a large pan on high heat, add oil. Then fry chicken until chicken is cooked through and set aside. Using the same pan with the same oil that you fried your chicken, fry the white onion and carrots first.

Fry everything together:

Then, add the bean sprouts and green onions. Finally, add the chicken and lo mein noodles. Lastly, pour the sauce in the pan and mix well. Turn off the heat and enjoy this easy chicken chow mein recipe.

Expert Tips

To make the chicken chow mein even more delicious, here are some tips that my parent’s would do at the restaurant

• I recommend using a wok. The high heat on the wok gives the chow mein a ‘wok hei’ flavor. ‘Wok hei’ in cantonese means the smokey flavor coming from the heat and caramelization of the sugars and sauces. If you don’t have a wok like me, you can use a pan. Turn the heat to medium-high when frying the chicken, veggies and lo mein noodles. Considering that the temperature is high, you will need to work fast to fry the chicken, veggies and lo mein noodles. 
• Make sure to heat the pan until you can see smoke before adding your oil and frying your food. If the oil and pan is not hot enough, the chicken will soak some of the oil and the chicken will taste oily. Also, keep in mind that the chicken has water content because of the marinade. Please be careful when frying the chicken because the oil will start to splatter.
• Cook the lo mein noodles until al dente and rinse under cold water until all starch is rinsed off. Strain the noodles until there is no water dripping. Add these noodles in the stir fry and it will result in a chewy and springy noodle.
• I recommend marinating the chicken for at least 15 minutes up to 1 hour to have maximum flavor. 

Serve

This quick and easy chicken chow mein pairs well with other Chinese restaurant classics such as Mongolian Beef or General Chicken. If you less time, I recommend serving the chow mein with another vegetable dish like sautéed bok choy!

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