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.

A dish with Chicken Chow Mein

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

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. 

Chow mein with chicken and vegetables close up in pan

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. 

Ingredients for the chicken chow mein.

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.

Chow mein sauce process, two bowls next to each other.

How to Make Chow Mein:

  1. In a small mixing bowl, combine ingredients for chow mein sauce: oyster sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, chicken broth, and cornstarch. Set aside. 
  2. Cook noodles according to package instructions, set aside. 
  3. 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.
  4. Add carrots, cabbage and pressed garlic and saute for a few minutes until veggies are slightly softened. 
  5. 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.
  6. Add chopped green onions and remove from the heat. Serve hot!

Step by step photos of making chicken chow mein.

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. 

Chicken chow mein in a pan.

More Quick Asian Recipes

Chicken Chow Mein with the Best Chow Mein Sauce

4.96 from 1152 votes
Chicken Chow Mein recipe in skillet with noodles, vegetables and homemade chow mein sauce
Chicken chow mein is so much better than takeout! It is filled with chicken, veggies, classic chow mein noodles and the best homemade chow mein sauce. You will love this one pan dinner!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 8 servings
  • 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

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

Note: When using cooked Chow Mein Noodles, it should measure to about 1lb.

Nutrition Per Serving

340kcal Calories36g Carbs19g Protein13g Fat1g Saturated Fat36mg Cholesterol914mg Sodium295mg Potassium3g Fiber3g Sugar1315IU Vitamin A8mg Vitamin C18mg Calcium2mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Chicken Chow Mein with the Best Chow Mein Sauce
Amount per Serving
Calories
340
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
13
g
20
%
Saturated Fat
 
1
g
6
%
Cholesterol
 
36
mg
12
%
Sodium
 
914
mg
40
%
Potassium
 
295
mg
8
%
Carbohydrates
 
36
g
12
%
Fiber
 
3
g
13
%
Sugar
 
3
g
3
%
Protein
 
19
g
38
%
Vitamin A
 
1315
IU
26
%
Vitamin C
 
8
mg
10
%
Calcium
 
18
mg
2
%
Iron
 
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Asian, Chinese
Keyword: chicken chow mein, chow mein
Skill Level: Easy/Medium
Cost to Make: $$
Calories: 340
Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen

4.96 from 1152 votes (832 ratings without comment)

Leave a Comment

Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Kobey
    September 26, 2024

    This recipe is easy to make, has amazing flavor, and is now a family favorite!

    Reply

  • Jonathan Murphy
    September 19, 2024

    Made this tonight…..I used bok choy…added a lil celery and sno peas…bean sprouts
    Absolutely delicious recipe…..will make again
    You need to make this……

    Reply

  • Sarndra
    September 10, 2024

    Great recipe and easy to prepare. I added grated ginger root to the sauce mixture and threw in some roasted cashew nuts for that Fakeaway flavour. Very successful.

    Reply

  • Charles
    September 9, 2024

    Yum yum Made this about 8 times now.Family love it. It is a winner

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      September 9, 2024

      That is the best when the family loves what we parents make. That’s so great!

      Reply

  • Anita Brechtel
    September 6, 2024

    I made shrimp chow mein with your chow mein recipeand it was delicious. I knew it would be. I have followed your cooking style for a while and think it’s great. Easy to follow directions.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      September 6, 2024

      Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback. I’m glad you liked the recipe!

      Reply

  • Nancy
    September 5, 2024

    Fabulous!!!! Will be making this again . Shrimp would be good in it too

    Reply

  • Carolyn
    August 26, 2024

    In MA we’d call this recipe lo mein. Chow mein noodles are about an inch long already cooked and crispy crunchy.
    I’m going to try it

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      August 26, 2024

      Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Carolyn!

      Reply

  • Bea
    August 18, 2024

    If you have a gluten sensitivity, can rice noodles be substitutes?

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      August 18, 2024

      Hi Bea! You can use other noodles here too. Many of my viewers do.

      Reply

  • Lorraine
    August 16, 2024

    It was good, I added onion, red pepper and snow peas. Used hoisin sauce instead of clam !!!

    Reply

  • Alice Ann Wilkerson
    August 16, 2024

    I already gave a 5-star rating awhile back – because this is the best chow mein sauce ever – but last night I served this chow mein with rice instead of noodles – and it was even more delicious. Had to comment.

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      August 16, 2024

      Hi Alice! I’m so glad you’re loving the recipe!

      Reply

  • Melanie Stahlnecker
    August 14, 2024

    Made this and OMG it was delish!! I added bean sprouts.

    Reply

  • Dianne C Zobel
    August 13, 2024

    my husband is allergic to oysters, what can I use in place of oyster sauce?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      August 13, 2024

      Hi Dianne, I haven’t tried a substitute, but here’s what one of my readers wrote: “I too have a shellfish allergy…I used the soy sauce and hoisin (no sugar though) and it was delish!”

      Reply

  • Andrea
    August 10, 2024

    This is so good! I did change the veggies like another commenter to broccoli slaw(still did garlic) to cut down on prep time. And added shrimp because we like it. I thought the sauce might be too salty but once it was all put together it was perfect! Thank you for a great recipe. Bonus is that it took less than 30 minutes from start to plates on the table.

    Reply

  • Lynette Newton
    August 8, 2024

    Thank you SO MUCH for the delicious sauce recipe, you never fail me.
    Have made a lot of your recipes and they always turn out great recipes.
    Thanks Natasha x

    Reply

  • Jody
    August 7, 2024

    WOW! I just made this for my family. I was feeling lazy though so I used a bag of Broccoli slaw and a bag of bean sprouts in place of the veggies. My family raved!!! It is so tasty and very quick to put together. Thanks for another amazing recipe!

    Reply

  • Kimberly Cotta
    August 1, 2024

    I made this for dinner today. Sooooo good and easy to follow instructions. Will definitely be making this again.

    Reply

  • Lorrie
    August 1, 2024

    How do you prepare the cabbage?
    Sliced, chopped, shredded?
    I look forward to making this recipe!!
    Thanks ☺️

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      August 1, 2024

      Hi Lorrie! See the image reference above, it’s shredded, but you can do slice it with a knife to your preferred thickness. I hope you love the recipe!

      Reply

    • Bob
      August 3, 2024

      I coarsely chopped mine and it was just fine.

      Reply

  • Valerie
    July 31, 2024

    I have followed your recipes before and enjoyed them. This one was good up until adding the sauce – way too much sauce for the noodles and veggies. Made it basically inedible due to the salty taste. I would say divide the sauce by 2 or dilute, at the least. The high reviews given for this recipe cause me to question the reviews given on this site.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      August 1, 2024

      Thank you so much for sharing that with me.

      Reply

  • brooke
    July 27, 2024

    i’m only a kid and i made this and my family loved it so much

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      July 27, 2024

      That’s awesome, Brooke! Thank you for sharing that with me.

      Reply

  • paislee
    July 27, 2024

    i made it for my family and it’s so good!

    Reply

    • NatashasKitchen.com
      July 27, 2024

      That’s great to hear!

      Reply

As Featured On

Never Go "Hangry" Again!

Get weekly updates on new recipes, exclusive giveaways plus behind the scenes photos.