A great Chow Mein comes down to the sauce which is made with soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar and cornstarch for thickening. Slippery noodles slick with the savoury Chow Mein Sauce is noodle heaven!
Chicken Chow Mein is firmly planted in the Noodle Hall of Fame as one of the all time most loved noodles, along with other favourites like Pad Thai, Pad See Ew and Singapore noodles. Quick and easy!
Chow Mein
I want to say that Chow Mein is my favourite noodle-child but I’m worried that I’ve said that in another recipe (or two… or three… 😂).
Because there is, after all, some heavy hitting noodle competition in this big wide world. Pad Thai, Pad See Ew (Thai Stir Fried Noodles), Singapore Noodles, Yakisoba (Japanese noodles) – to name just a few.
But Chow Mein is right up there and it’s not just because it’s noodle-slurpingly delicious, but also because of the following:
- Tons of hidden veggies– cabbage, carrot and bean sprouts, all in “noodle shapes” so they just meld right in there with the noodles so you have no idea how much you’re actually consuming (it’s like feeding a child);
- Faster to make that home delivery – 15 minutes from start to finish;
- Versatile– as all stir fries are. Switch the proteins and veg as you please;
- Charlie – Chow Mein Sauce can be made from scratch, or using Charlie, my all purpose Stir Fry Sauce that I always have on hand. Yes, I named him because I love him so much.
What noodles to use for Chow Mein
The thing that distinguishes Chow Mein from other stir fried noodles are the type of noodles used. Chow Mein noodles are thin crinkly looking noodles that are lightly coated in flour.
Here’s a close up of the noodles. The supermarket version by Fantastic Noodles is slightly more yellow than it should be but it’s just as tasty.
Can’t find Chow Mein Noodles?
Use Ramen Noodles or other instant noodles – just toss the packet seasoning! Or use thin spaghetti or other thin egg noodles (check ingredients on packet, should have egg listed).
What goes in Chow Mein
Other than noodles, Chow Mein almost always has cabbage, bean sprouts and carrot, then your choice of protein. I’m pretty sure chicken is by far the most popular, but I have no facts or figures to back that up. 😉
I like to use chicken thigh for stir fries because it’s juicier than breast and tenderloin. If I make this with chicken breast, I always tenderise it using a Chinese restaurant technique using baking soda (bi-carb). It’s super simple, see directions here: How to Velvet Chicken.
Chow Mein Sauce
Here’s what you need for the sauce. The Chinese cooking wine is the key ingredient that makes home cooking truly rival takeout – your local Chinese restaurant uses Chinese cooking wine in virtually everything!!
Difference between Lo Mein and Chow Mein
The difference lies in the noodles. Both are wheat noodles made with egg so they are yellow(ish). Lo Mein Noodles are wet and oily out of the packet, then boiled or soaked until soft before tossing with a sauce, vegetables and protein.
Chow Mein noodles are thinner, and kind of dry and crinkly out of the packet (see photo above). They can be used to make:
- soft noodles (this recipe) – soaked in boiling water until soft then tossed with a sauce, vegetables and meat; or
- Crispy Chow Mein – fried until crisp then served with a saucy stir fry on top – this is the traditional Chinese/Hong Kong way of serving Chow Mein noodles.
How to make Chow Mein
And here’s how to make it. Make sure you have everything ready to toss in because once you start cooking, you’ll be plating up in just over 5 minutes – I told you it’s fast!!
Wok NOT essential!
Totally fine to cook Chow Mein in a skillet instead of a wok. Just be sure to use a big one – so your noodles don’t go flying as you enthusiastically toss!
The fact of the matter is, no matter what protein you use, what vegetables and even what noodles, you’re going to end up with a bowl of slurp-worthy noodles as long as you use the Sauce recipe plus the same quantity of noodles + other stuff (veg, protein etc) so the flavour isn’t diluted.
So don’t get too hung up on the exact noodle type! Concentrate on the sauce. The sauce, the sauce!! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Chow Mein
Ingredients
- 200g /6 oz chicken breast or thigh fillets , thinly sliced (Note 1 tenderise option)
- 4 cups green cabbage , finely shredded (Note 3)
- 1 1/2 tbsp peanut oil (or other cooking oil)
- 2 cloves garlic , finely chopped
- 200g /6 oz chow mein noodles (Note 2)
- 1 carrot , julienned
- 1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
- 3 green onions , cut into 5cm/2" pieces
- 1/4 cup (65 ml) water
Chow Mein Sauce:
- 2 tsp cornflour / cornstarch
- 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce , all purpose or light (Note 4)
- 1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce (sub Hoisin)
- 1 1/2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine OR Mirin (Note 5)
- 2 tsp sugar (reduce to 1 tsp if using Mirin)
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- White pepper (sub black)
Instructions
Sauce:
- Mix together cornflour and soy sauce, then mix in remaining ingredients.
- Alternative: Use 1/3 cup Chinese All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce, if you have some in stock.
Chicken & Noodles
- Marinate Chicken: Pour 1 tbsp of Sauce over the chicken, mix to coat, set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.
- Noodles: Prepare the noodles according to the packet instructions (my pack says soak in boiled water for 1 minute), then drain.
Cooking:
- Heat oil in wok or large fry pan over high heat.
- Add garlic and stir fry for 10 seconds or until it starts to turn golden - don't let it burn!
- Add chicken and stir fry until the surface gets a tinge of browning but inside is still raw - about 1 minute.
- Add the cabbage, carrot, and the white pieces of shallots (i.e. from the base of the stalk). Stir fry for 1 1/2 minutes until the cabbage is mostly wilted.
- Add the noodles, Sauce and water*. Stir fry for 1 minute, tossing constantly.
- Add bean sprouts and remaining shallots/scallions. Toss through for 30 seconds or until the bean sprouts just start to wilt.
- Remove from heat and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes:
- Garlic - don't use mincer/garlic press or jarred garlic, they burn too quickly. Finely chop it.
- Skillet is fine, just use a big one so the noodles don't go flying when you toss.
Nutrition Information:
Originally published 2014, updated over the years with improved photos, process photos, and video!
Love Chow Mein? Here’s more noodles to try!
- Pad Thai and Pad See Ew (Thai Stir Fried noodles)
- Singapore Noodles
- Char Kway Teow
- Build Your Own Chinese Noodles
- Browse the Noodle recipes collection!
Life of Dozer
Throw stick, dashes after it, plonks down and eats it.
Someone needs to teach this Golden Retriever how to retrieve. (I failed)
this has to be one of the best stir fry recipe’s i’ve found. not just in the detail, instructions, but quality of the final result!
thanks for showing how to velvet – huge game changer in making the chicken taste exactly like at an asian restaurant!
I used fresh hong kong noodles, coconut sugar instead of regular sugar, mirin instead of cooking wine. for veggies i used edamame, carrots, bok choy, and baby corn. my husband loved it.
This was delish!! Easy and versatile. 👍🏼👍🏼👌🏼
The sauce does make it. I had planned to use cabbage but it was beyond saving so used a mix of carrot, capsicum, frozen broccoli and beans with chicken and pork mince.
I also left the sugar out as I find oyster sauce has adequate.
Will be going on to our regular meal rotation.
Great!!!
Made this and followed recipe eaxctly, but had to sub cooking sherry for the Chinese cooking wine, I think it worked just fine! Friends loved it too, will def pass this along!
🙌🏼👍🏼👌🏻
Thank you for great notes and recipe!
-a.
Nagi Oh how we love your recipes!!!!! and I do have a question- My son and I are deathly allergic to oyster sauce- is there anything I can substitute it with?
You can buy a mushroom based “oyster” sauce and it’s pretty close to the real thing ☺️
Adding bean sprouts is really a plus, I’ve never tried but I do love them. Next time I’m going to use it in my lo mein for sure 😆
– Natalie
I was just talking to my wife about canned chicken chow mein that my mom used to make, but i balked at the cost of it. I thought to myself, there must be a way to make it from scratch somewhere online. My usual recipe sites, just didnt pass muster to me and i stumbled on yours. After a few days of sorting out all the ingredients, i threw everything together tonight and made it for my wife and I. The only ingredient i could not use was the oyster sauce becasue i am allergic to shellfish. I used hoisin sauce. I also used cheap dry sherry. I managed to cook the carrots and cabbage just enough to soften them but still have that crunch left behind. MAN I TELL YOU WHAT! I am not sure what i am more impressed with, your recipe or the fact that i made it. I mean its edible, my wife loved it, and i could not stop eating it! So FREAKING GOOD!!! I’ll check back here for some more of your recipes!
CANNED chow mein???????? Glad you enjoyed this!! N xx PS Go the cheap sherry, all the way! It’s a perfect sub for Chinese cooking wine 🙂 N x
Just made this for supper. It was delicious! Perfect dish before a gig or rehearsal. Not heavy, not spicy.
I didn’t change a thing!! The flavour of the sauce was perfect!! Thank you for sharing !
Hi Nagi, I tried this recipe and the flavour is great but I find that the noodles become very sticky. I used the fresh noodles and risked it in boiling water. Any tips? Thanks 🙂
Hi Leonie! Is that how the packet says to prepare the noodles??? 🙂 N x
I have just tried this, it is delicious. A simple recipe a teenager could follow.
That’s so great to hear!! So glad you enjoyed it and found it easy to follow! N X
Nagi, I have never left a comment, but want you to know your recipes are the best. I love the layout of your blog and the Notes at the end. They are always informative. Thank you so much! Can’t wait to try this one.
This is so delicious and authentic tasting that I can’t believe it came out of my kitchen! Charlie will be a staple in my fridge for ever more. Looking forward to trying more of your vegan and vegetarian recipes! Very grateful to you and your blog.
Perfect flavor. Followed the recipe exactly. So much better than take out. Thank you so much! The only thing that didn’t quite turn out was that the noodles were a little gooey. Do you rinse your noodles after boiling? Maybe I over cooked them?
I usually put the noodles in a big pot of boiling water for a minute, drain it, then rinse with some cold water. This gets rid of the excess flour on the surface of the noodles and the noodles aren’t gooey.
I’ve read that Lo mein is actually what people in the west call chow mein, i.e tossed in sauce.the lo means tossed or something. And chow mein is the one where the noodles are initially fried till crispy. Chow means fried I believe.
Chow means fry, Lo means mixed.
Lo meaning the noodles is being cooked in the boiling water thus one doesn’t need to fry.
Hi Nagi,
After successfully trying a couple of your delicious recipes I’m wanting to try so many more and so now I want to get a wok (we normally just use our frypan or electric frypan)
Do you have any recommendations on what type (material) is best?
Thanks so much
Hi Katie! If you have a gas burner then I do strongly recommend investing in a wok 🙂 It’s brilliant for all stir fries and because of the way it is shaped, less oil is needed. And when you DO deep fry, wok is the best way because you get max cooking surface area for the least amount of oil!!! Here is a great guide on how to choose and season a wok. Carbon steel all the way! N x https://www.seriouseats.com/2010/06/equipment-how-to-buy-a-wok-which-wok-is-the-best.html
Please resend the brown sauce recipe.
Have a seafood allergy. Can’t use oyster sauce. Is there something else in place for it.
Hoisin will be great! 🙂
Was so awesome with rice noodles, I’ll get egg noodles next time. Served with lightly crisped snapper portions on the side. I’m hooked on your blog too. Gained five pounds just browsing your blog! Cheers!
Hello id really like to make this dish but is there any way I can make it without wine?
I just cooked it now Nagi. Super yummy!!! Thanks so much….
That’s great! So pleased you enjoyed this Sheila – N x
I just made this! I didn’t have any Peanut Oil or bean sprouts, but used all other ingredients and exact measurements. Oh gosh, it was super! It was so good, I think I had an emotional moment, hahaha! Definite repeat recipe! Thank you!
Wow Nagi, this recipe is one of our favourites. I am gradually trying all your beautiful recipes. Thanks for sharing.
Glad to hear you enjoyed this Lee! Thanks for letting me know – N x