Chicken chow mein is probably already one of your favorite Chinese takeout dishes. This one-pan dinner is so satisfying with chicken, vegetables, classic chow mein noodles, and the best homemade chow mein sauce. Also, it’s way healthier than ordering takeout.
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I can’t wait to share this recipe for chicken chow mein with you because it hits all the marks!
Chicken Chow Mein
Chow mein is a traditional Chinese dish made with egg noodles and stir-fried veggies. We love adding a protein and our favorite is chicken, but you can try different meat or tofu. This dish is pan-fried so the noodles get a nice crisp to them and then tossed in a yummy sauce. Chow mein is perfect for those nights when you don’t want to dirty too many pans or make a big mess of the kitchen.
Chow mein gets its signature flavor from the thick, dark homemade sauce the noodles are tossed with. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and salty and makes putting down your chopsticks absolutely impossible.
Ingredients for Chow Mein:
- Chow Mein Noodles: Chow mein noodles are made with wheat and egg. They are very similar to Italian pasta noodles and have a wonderful bite to them. Most grocery stores carry dry chow mein noodles in the Asian aisle. But, if you are lucky, you will find pre-cooked chow mein noodles in the refrigerated section that can be thrown straight into your pan.
- Vegetables: Carrots, cabbage, green onions, and bean sprouts are the perfect combination of veggies to use for chow mein. However, they can easily be replaced with other veggies like bok choy, celery, broccoli, spinach, kale or baby corn. Feel free to get creative and use what you like or whatever you have hanging around in your fridge!
- Meats: Great quality chicken breasts are your best bet for slicing into chow mein-ready strips. If you like, feel free to swap chicken out for beef, shrimp or pork.
- Hot tip: Hosting vegetarians also? Use vegetable broth and set some of your noodles aside to toss them with cubes of baked tofu.
The BEST Chow Mein Sauce:
The homemade chow mein sauce is amazing in this recipe! Combine soy sauce, light sesame oil, oyster sauce, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and chicken broth to make the signature sweet and savory sauce that makes chow mein taste authentic.
How to Make Chow Mein:
- In a small mixing bowl, combine ingredients for chow mein sauce: oyster sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, chicken broth, and cornstarch. Set aside.
- Cook noodles according to package instructions, set aside.
- Heat a large wok or pan. Add a bit of oil to the pan and cook chicken until it’s golden brown. Remove chicken and set aside.
- Add carrots, cabbage and pressed garlic and saute for a few minutes until veggies are slightly softened.
- Add chicken back to the pan, followed by cooked noodles and pour the sauce right on top. Cook for about 2 minutes, distributing all that saucy goodness around evenly.
- Add chopped green onions and remove from the heat. Serve hot!
We love recreating popular takeout recipes. Noodles are king in Chinese cooking! This Homemade Chow Mein Recipe is simple to make and oh-so-satisfying, these stir-fried noodles are sure to become a part of your weeknight dinner rotation.
More Quick Asian Recipes
- Chicken Stir Fry with Rice Noodles – Make this amazing dinner in just 30 minutes!
- Chicken Stir Fry– so much better than takeout.
- Beef Stir Fry Recipe with 3 Ingredient Sauce– So Easy- perfect weeknight dinner.
- Korean Stir-Fried Glass Noodles a.k.a Japchae– You will be going for seconds!
- Yakisoba Noodles Recipe– A Classic Yakisoba, made in one pan
Chicken Chow Mein with the Best Chow Mein Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast, boneless, skinless
- 3 Tbsp oil
- 12 oz chow mein noodles, (uncooked noodles)
- 2 cups cabbage
- 1 large carrot, julienned
- 1/2 batch green onions
- 2 garlic cloves
Chow Mein Sauce
- 4 Tbsp oyster sauce, or added to taste*
- 3 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 3 Tbsp light sesame oil, (not toasted)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 Tbsp corn starch
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, use a whisk to combine oyster sauce, granulated sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce, chicken broth and cornstarch. Set aside.
- Cook your noodles according to package instructions then drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.
- Heat a large wok or pan with olive oil over medium-heat. Cut your chicken breasts into bite-sized strips and cook them in the oil until golden brown. Remove strips and set aside.
- Add carrots, cabbage and pressed garlic and saute for a few minutes until veggies are slightly softened and the cabbage is a bit translucent.
- Add chicken and noodles back into the pan. Pour sauce over the top and continue cooking all the ingredients together for another 2 minutes.
- Garnish your chow mein with chopped green onions and serve the noodles straight from the pan and piping hot!
Notes
*Oyster sauce can vary in salt content and if you use regular soy sauce rather than reduced, you will want to adjust the oyster sauce to taste.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Hi! I’m Natasha Kravchuk, a New York Times bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, food photographer, and writer. Here you’ll find delicious, reliable recipes made with simple ingredients, plus easy step-by-step photos and videos to help you cook confidently at home. 
Love it. The only thing I added was a can of bean sprout (rinsed). It was delicious! Thank you so much for another awesome recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed that Gigi! Thank you for that awesome review!
Planning on making this tomorrow, can or have you ever tried adding other veggies to the dish? TIA
Hi Michelle, that’s the beauty of chow mein or similar recipes, vegetables go so well with it! I recommend reading through the comments, there are some great suggestions there. Some of our readers have added broccoli and loved it also.
Well just finished dinner and may I start with, my husband is a very picky eater….that said, dinner was a huge hit! Just another amazing Natasha’s kitchen dinner….I don’t know how you keep such a beautiful figure with all the fantastic recipes you share, and may I thank you for all your videos and recipes, every one I’ve made, I’ve made numerous times, that says a lot in my. I’ve never found a blogger or cook of any kind for that matter that I feel so good about sharing recipes with so many friends and family. Thank you again and keep it up, you’re the bomb girl!
You’re welcome! Thank you for this wonderful comment and thoughtful compliments. I’m smiling big reading your review.
Love the chicken chow mein… made this today… and family loved it… my son rarely add a second plate… but with this dish he asked for more.
The recipe is so easy and quick to prepare and the sauce is to die for.
I would definitely be making more of this.
Thanks Natasha
Hello Annette, so happy to know that your son and your whole family enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing and I hope you love every recipe that you try.
I am going to make this tonite but I don’t have any oyster sauce. Could I substitute with something else or will it be ok without the oyster sauce?
Hello Tammy, others shared this “I follow the recipe As it is but instead oyster sauce used Worcestershire and 1 tbsp of vinegar . It turned out well.”
Delicious! Comes together easily and flexible in that can you use different noodles. Since I didn’t have chow mein noodles, just used lo mein.
Thanks for your great feedback, Eva.So good to know that you tried different noodles and it worked well too!
Really enjoyed this, can’t have oyster sauce so substituted 3 tbsp hoisin sauce & increased the broth a little – lovely, thank you!
That’s nice! Thanks for the tip and for sharing that with us.
just finished it for my meal prep can’t wait to eat! yum
where can I send pics also made your chocolate cake and WOW it was great and very easy to make
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Linda! Post your photo on social media – Facebook/ Instagram and tag #natashaskitchen for us to see it.
Want to make this, but the noodles that I found was the wide Lo Main Noodles. Is that ok to use?
Hi Virginia, that may work. If you experiment please let me know how you like that.
I made this last night and it was a big hit for my husband and I. However, I made 8 oz. of the chow mein noodles and it was twice as much as I needed. I only added about 4 oz. What did I do wrong, I wonder?
Hi Janet, I’m not sure I’m understanding your question. Did you add 8oz or 4oz? The noodles will expand as they cook and take on water.
Sorry that was phrased poorly. I made 8 oz. but After boiling them, it was way to much so I I only added about 4 oz to the mixture. I used the dried angel hair chow menu noodles. The recipe called for 12 oz.
I love the “freshness” of this! We all enjoyed it and I cannot wait for leftovers with the sauce soaked in.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Just made this and oh my goodness it is amazing! So much better than any takeout. Super simple yet super delicious. So glad I found your page, Natasha! Thank you
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Way to salty : ( and not enough veggies for me
Thank you for your feedback. If you use less of the stir fry ingredients, it may seem salty, say if you used less noodles, but everyone does have a different love of salt in their foods. I would suggest trying this recipe with low sodium soy sauce.
Delicious recipe! We added some extra veggies. Great sauce!
I’m so glad you enjoyed that!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed this recipe!
Had this tonight Natasha ! Wow !
Loved it and gave it 5 stars BUT we found it too salty. What can I add to counteract all the saltiness ?
Hi Fiona, if you prefer less salt, I would highly recommend using low sodium soy sauce.
Best Asian cooking sauce I’ve found on the web!
It’s hard to imagine a substitute for Sesame oil. That and ginger is what makes Asian food taste Asian. Same for the Worcestershire sauce. IMO
Anyway, this recipe is so close to what I get at our Chinese restaurants in the Pacific NW. I’m cutting back on the sugar this time. I multiply the sauce recipe so I have sauce handy. Then pull out a tablespoon or two for what ever dish I’m making, during my “Asian week” of cooking. Same with ginger and garlic. Saves on the prep time.
Hi Donald!! I’m so glad you found a new favorite on our blog! That’s so awesome!
I made this yesterday with shrimps . I follow the recipe As it is but instead oyster sauce used Worcestershire and 1 tbsp of vinegar . It turned out well . I doubled the sauce because my middle has tumor in his brain stem due to that his left side inside and outside is weak so he can digest it easily . Recipe was great we really loved It I served as a side dish with beef and broccoli .
I haven’t tried using Worcestershire but thanks for sharing that with us. I think should give that a try next time. I’m happy to know that you and your son enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for your wonderful review!
Hi I am going to make this tonight but the ingredients are limited in-store . Can I substitute oyster sauce with Worcestershire sauce .
Hi Rabia, I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Love your recipes.do you have a
Book.
You’re so nice! I do not have a book at this time but we have one in the works. Stay tuned!
I’m so happy to hear Natasha! We really love your recipes and will definitely be buying your book!
This was amazingly easy to make and so good! Will definitely make this again, and again.
That’s so great! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Hi Natasha, my husband is allergic to sesame. What could I use instead of sesame oil?
Hi Joann, I haven’t personally tried a different oil but the usual substitutes are Olive oil, Perilla oil or avocado oil. Please share with us how it goes if you do an experiment.