Chow Mein Ramen Noodles

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:

• 12 minute recipe including prep

• one pan cooking

• simple, magic 5 ingredient Chow Mein Sauce

• 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:

• instant ramen or any other instant noodles cooked in the same skillet;

• store bought Coleslaw mix – shredded cabbage and carrots – rip the packet open and tip it in!

• 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!

• Quick Asian Beef Ramen Noodles

• Chicken Vegetable Ramen Noodles

• Asian Mushroom Ramen Noodles

• 12 Minute Thai Chicken Peanut Noodles

Watch how to make it

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Chow Mein Ramen Noodles

Author: Nagi

Prep: 7 mins

Cook: 8 mins

Total: 15 mins

Mains

Asian

5 from 31 votes

Servings2

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Recipe video above. The fastest, easiest Chow Mein recipe ever! Made using a couple of cheeky shortcuts - ramen noodles, a Coleslaw mix, with the noodles cooked in the same skillet. It's a quicker version of real Chow Mein - 99% of the flavour, but FASTER!

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:

1. Instant noodles/ramen - any brand will work here as long as both the noodle cakes will fit in your skillet! Discard the seasoning packets - we're making our own sauce.

2. Pre shredded Coleslaw mix used for convenience! Green cabbage, carrot and a tiny bit of red cabbage. Can also finely slice your own - 2 cups green cabbage, 1 cup carrot.

3. Soy Sauce - use light or all purpose soy sauce. Do not use dark soy sauce or sweet soy sauce.

4. Oyster Sauce - sub with Hoisin sauce. You'll get a hint of five spice flavour which makes it different to Oyster Sauce, but it's lovely!

5. Mirin - a Japanese sweet cooking wine. Chinese cooking wine also great, otherwise use dry sherry. Non alcoholic sub - use LOW SODIUM soy sauce and sub all water with LOW SODIUM chicken stock.

6. Sesame oil - use toasted sesame oil if you can because it has a stronger flavour. Otherwise use untoasted. (Toasted is dark brown, untested sesame oil is yellow)

7. Noodles doneness - the beauty of instant noodles is that they're basically foolproof. So if the noodles are not tender enough, just add more water and toss more. If the noodles get too thick, add touch of water to loosen!

8. Nutrition per serving. Reduce sodium by 250 mg per serving (500 mg in total) by using LOW SODIUM soy sauce.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 624cal (31%)Carbohydrates: 55g (18%)Protein: 22g (44%)Fat: 26g (40%)Saturated Fat: 5g (31%)Cholesterol: 75mg (25%)Sodium: 1462mg (64%)Potassium: 445mg (13%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 4g (4%)Vitamin A: 420IU (8%)Vitamin C: 44.4mg (54%)Calcium: 71mg (7%)Iron: 2mg (11%)

Keywords: chicken chow mein, Chow Mein, easy chow mein

Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

 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. 🙂