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
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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. 
I’ve made this twice now, exactly as listed. It is delicious. It is delicious cold the next day when you can’t wait long enough to heat it up! I never used oyster sauce before and was slightly apprehensive, but this is one of the best sauces I have ever tasted. So glad I tried it, Thanks!
Thank you for your comment. I was apprehensive about making this sauce. The soy sauce/oyster sauce mix we get from our local Chinese Restaurant, that I won’t use it (too many cardiac issues). But I might try this one.
I love Chicken Chow Mein, and I have everything to make this… except for the oyster sauce. Is there anything that could be substituted for the oyster sauce?
Hi Jennifer! The oyster sauce will give you the most authentic flavor, but most people would substitute oyster sauce with soy sauce (to taste) if the oyster sauce is left out. You can also mix equal parts of soy sauce and hoisin sauce to get that sweet and salty flavor you are looking for here.
I do that recipe weekly for meal prep. Ive substitute Oyster sauce with Hoisin sauce once. It was just as good !
I have made this followed the recipe exactly how you wrote it down and you know what I don’t think I will ever be ordering another Chinese again now I know how to cook it it tastes just as good actually it tastes better and it’s absolutely amazing I’ll definitely be trying more recipes for you
Would omitting the corn starch make a difference in the unpleasant starchy after taste? Otherwise, it’s delicious!
Hi Inna! Your sauce won’t thicken without the cornstarch. I haven’t noticed an overwhelming starchy taste when I’ve made this. Did you heat it long enough? It needs to be heated to gelatinize, which also gets rid of the chalky/starchy texture and taste.
Can you use whole wheat noodles instead of chow mein noodles, thinking healthier?
Hi Sarah, I haven’t tested that, but I imagine that may work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
i manage a school cafeteria and made this for the students, they wanted seconds!
That’s wonderful to hear!
My husband loved this and it was so easy to make. I cut the recipe in half since it’s just the two of us. I used spaghetti noodles since I could not find Chow Mein noodles in my store and I added celery, bok choy to it as well to bulk up the veggies. It’s a keeper!
Family absolutely loved this chicken dish would recommend it to everyone
What if I don’t have chicken broth, can I use water instead? or will it change the flavour
Hi Sam. The chicken broth helps with the flavor profile. You can use just water if you prefer but adjust the salt/season to preference.
I love everything that you cook. I really want to get your cookbook at this point I can’t afford it.
In that case, I would recommend waiting for Amazon sales. I think there may be one in March and then there will be prime day sales later in the year.
I have made this several times, and it’s a family favorite! I want to make this tomorrow for a potluck event, transfer it into a large crockpot after cooking. I don’t have chow mein noodles on hand. Do you think spaghetti noodles wpyld work for this? Thanks for all your great recipes!
Hi Kirsten. I’m glad you love the recipe. It won’t be quite the same, but I assume that would work fine.
Bad idea to add a tablespoon of granulated sugar. Way too sweet.
Hi Rita, the sauce is normally very balanced. Did you make any other substitutions? If you remove a salty ingredient, it would taste too sweet since it wouldn’t be balanced.
Thank You!
Everyone just raved how Awsome this was the other day!
That’s so great to hear, Sheri!
Hello ,Natasha!
I’m making this for dinner tonight and I’d like to add and a bit of grated garlic and ginger in the sauce (just because I have it on hand). What do you think?
Love all your recipes and I always look forward to Sunday mornings for your email. Ty,Gina
Hi Gina! I think that’d be fine. I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes!
The recipe was okay, the flavor of the sauce was way too strong for my family and I cut down on the amount of oyster sauce the recipe called for, I only used 4 tablespoons instead of the 6 the recipe called for and it was was still too strong. I think I will try again and cut down the oyster sauce to 3 TBSP and the sesame oil as well, in an attempt for a more mild flavor.
I made this and replaced oyster sauce with Fosh sauce – it turned out great and made a LOT!
Good to know that the substitutions that you used worked well. Thank you for sharing!
Very flavourful and much easier than I thought it would be! I’m not the quickest cook in the kitchen, but this came together so fast. Thank you!
Great to hear that! Thank you for sharing that with us.
Add salt/MSG along with miniature corn and it’s perfect, tastes straight out of a restaurant! My go to chow mein recipe. Sometimes I’ll even sub the sugar for honey in the sauce as well.
Sounds great and I’m happy to know that you loved this recipe!
Very good. Would suggest reducing amount of oil. Other.
wise, very tasty. Will do again for my vegetarian family.
Thank you for your feedback and suggestion, MaryAnn. That’s helpful!
Hi is there a substitute for the oyster sauce, or can you leave out? Thanks
Hi Jean! The oyster sauce will give you the most authentic flavor, but most people would substitute oyster sauce with soy sauce (to taste) if the oyster sauce is left out. You can also mix equal parts of soy sauce and hoisin sauce to get that sweet and salty flavor you are looking for here. I hope this helps!