Chow Mein Ramen Noodles is the FASTER way to make Chow Mein using a couple of cheeky shortcuts: pre shredded Coleslaw mix and instant ramen noodles. It’s the fastest of fast foods – a 12 minute recipe, including preparation!
Make ramen noodles better – faster!
Next time you’ve had a long day at work and you have to deal with the question that billions of people around the world face every day what’s for dinner??, here’s your answer: Chow Mein Ramen Noodles.
It’s everything you know and love about Chow Mein, except it’s faster to make:
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12 minute recipe including prep
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one pan cooking
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simple, magic 5 ingredient Chow Mein Sauce
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veggie loaded – but you don’t even know it! This has half your daily recommended 5 serves of veg a day.
Handy shortcuts for this recipe
This is not one of those super quick dinner recipes like Jamie Olive 15 Minute Meals style where it’s a whirlwind of manic activity with food flying everywhere, the oven and stove going at the same time, mixing with one hand while flipping steaks with the other, then after all that you’ve got 45 minutes of clean up.
Nope.
This is an easy breezy 12 minute recipe, and here are the handy shortcuts I use:
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instant ramen or any other instant noodles cooked in the same skillet;
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store bought Coleslaw mix – shredded cabbage and carrots – rip the packet open and tip it in!
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5 ingredient Chow Mein Sauce that doesn’t require cornflour/cornstarch for thickening (the starch from the ramen noodles thickens it)
Toss the ramen seasoning packs – we make our own sauce!
Any ramen or instant noodles!
This Chow Mein Ramen Noodles is the latest in a line up of “how to make ramen noodles better” series I started earlier this year (listed at bottom of post!). So I’m pretty sure I’ve made this recipe with every brand of instant ramen and instant noodles I’ve been able to get my hands on – and it works every time.
I have a theory that this recipe is impossible to stuff up because ramen noodles are MADE to be so foolproof that even inebriated college students can boil up some up after a late night out at the pub!?
What Chow Mein Ramen Noodles tastes like
In terms of flavour, it tastes just like “real” Chow Mein. In fact, I recommend in my Chow Mein recipe to use ramen noodles if you can’t find Chow Mein noodles!
The main difference in the eating experience is the texture of the noodles themselves. While they are the same thickness, ramen noodles have a more slippery texture and are white, whereas Chow Mein noodles are yellow. But there’s no difference in the flavour of the noodles!
Faster and healthier than take out
This really is a “faster than take out” recipe for anyone.
Even if you’re one of those people who like to swan around the kitchen sipping a glass of wine, chatting on the phone to your friend with half an eye on the TV so you don’t miss a second of Real Housewives, rummaging around in your pantry to dig out sauces, dragging a chair over to reach up high into the back of the cupboard for that packet of ramen noodles you know is buried there somewhere.
Yes, even if that’s you, you will have this Chow Mein Ramen Noodles on the table, ready to eat, faster than ordering take out (or Uber Eats?). – Nagi x
More Next-Level Ramen Noodles!
Toss the seasoning packet! Be amazed what you can make with a packet of ramen – super quick!
Watch how to make it
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Chow Mein Ramen Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 200g/7oz chicken , sliced (thigh, breast)
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 2 ramen or instant noodle cakes , discard seasoning (Note 1)
- 200g/7oz pre shedded Coleslaw mix , cabbage and carrot (Note 2)
- 3 green onion stems , cut into 5cm/2" lengths
- 1 heaped cup beansprouts
- 1 cup (250 ml) water
Chow Mein Sauce:
- 1.5 tbsp light soy sauce (Note 3)
- 1.5 tbsp Oyster Sauce (Note 4)
- 1 tbsp Chinese Cooking Wine or Mirin (Note 5)
- 2 tsp sesame oil , toasted (Note 6)
- 1 tsp white sugar (SKIP if using Mirin)
Instructions
- Mix Sauce in a bowl.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add garlic, cook 10 seconds.
- Add chicken and cook until mostly changes from pink to white, then add Sauce.
- Cook for 1 minute, then add Coleslaw mix and white part of green onions.
- Cook for 1 1/2 minutes until cabbage wilts, then push everything to the side to make room for the ramen (see video & photos in post).
- Add water then squidge the ramen cakes in side by side.
- When water simmers, leave for 45 seconds. Flip, then leave for 30 seconds.
- Loosen noodles, add bean sprouts and green onion, then toss energetically for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes until sauce reduces and coats noodles. (Note 7)
- Serve immediately!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
You know how you feel in those fancy chocolate shop? That’s how Dozer feels here – we’re in the warehouse of The Free Range Butcher where I bulk purchase offal for Dozer every few months.
I’ve been requested by a number of people to share Dozer’s diet. It’s in progress! I want to get it officially “signed off” by a specialist before going out officially with it. But for those who want a sneak peak of the post in progress, here it is. 🙂
Thanks Nagi, this is a no fail dish! I instead cooked this with the sauce from your Asian glazed salmon, and it worked perfectly. Light Soy, sweet chilli sauce (no need for sugar) plus oyster sauce, garlic & sesame oil. Marinated the chicken for a few hours, then cooked with extra veggies left over from previous night and threw in the noodles. Can even throw on a fried egg. Magic!!
The Chow Mein Ramen noodles here are very good but what really makes this recipe shine is the 45 then 30 seconds noodle cake cooking method. This formula has become a tried and true answer to a quick lunch at home for one.
I examine my fridge contents and then just go for it!
I find some protein and finely slice up about 150g of vegetables that go together well enough then I think about flavours. Either I’ll follow Nagi’s Charlie style sauce or I’ll go off script.
Today I had red onion, pumpkin, beans, zucchini, shelled edamame and a tomato.
For flavour I added red curry paste, fish sauce, tamarind paste and brown sugar and I tossed in fresh basil and coriander to serve.
Thank you for inspiring me.
Just wondering if leftovers can be frozen Nagi or will the noodles turn to mush on thawing?
Love this recipe, now a family favourite.
How many grams are in the serving size
This dish is incredibly quick, easy and delicious! We loved it! Thank you
Absolutely delicious. This will become a favourite.
Made this tonight – super quick and delicious. Daughter has texture issues and can’t struggled with the noodles being ‘slimy’ with sauce. Wondering if I could make this without the noodles and serve over rice?
Amazing, quick meal! This is a keeper. My daughter put siratcha on hers, I put hot mustard on mine. Mmmm,,..
This was DELICIOUS! My husband and I were devouring it with our BTS chopsticks in tow. So good, I loved the sauce so much that I’d like to double it next time. Highly recommend.
Super easy and delicious! Next time I’ll probably add more sauce because it’s so tasty 😋
It took me 4 beers to cook and prep most delicious one minute noodles
I made this according to the recipe with the exception of adding tofu. It was my first attempt cooking tofu. I did some research and decided to try baked tofu. Additionally, I read the comments and found that some had doubled the sauce. I made the recipe a second time with double the sauce, baked tofu and added snap peas. Delicious!!! Thank you for your exceptional recipes and inspiration.
I’m so glad that you liked it Patty!! N x
We loved it!! I used a vegetarian oyster sauce, a little more light soy sauce, soaked TVP instead of chicken and used a yellow capsicum because I didn’t have any bean sprouts. The TVP soaked up the sauce and was delicious! My FUSSY daughter enjoyed it. Looks like a recipe keeper in this household.
Happy New Year Nagi and Dozer 🎉
I have Millet & brown rice ramen noodle cakes that take 4 min to cook. Should I soak in hot water first for a few min, then proceed with the recipe?
This makes a great quick dinner for two! My wife has an allergy to sesame oil so I sub a teaspoon of Thai Red Curry Paste and it works very well. I’ve made this 4 times, using ground chicken and there have been no leftovers yet!
Oh my God…RBI’s was SO good. Easy quick and really yummy.
My wife is allergic to sesame oil so I substituted a teaspoon of red curry paste dissolved in the cup of water. The results are remarkably good!
Can I use Charlie with this? If so, how much?
Hi Vi, yes you can – use 1/3 of a cup in place of the sauce ingredients – N x
We loved this and its going go be on the menu for a long time. Thanks Nagi
Hi Nagi, I typically keep only a premium tamari soy sauce on hand (just soy beans and alcohol) and use that for everything where soy sauce is required. It’s flavourful and seems to work okay where low sodium soy sauce is called for so far (Although admittedly I do like things well seasoned) Do you think it’s essential to have low sodium option in the pantry?
Hi Holly, I don’t have any “low sodium” specific sauces. This post might help you though https://www.recipetineats.com/asian-market-grocery-store-shopping-list/ N x