A great Chow Mein comes down to the sauce, made of soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar and cornstarch for thickening. Slippery noodles slick with the savoury sauce is noodle heaven! One of my favourite noodles, up there with all time greats Pad Thai, Pad See Ew and Singapore noodles.
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
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
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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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)
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)
Hello from UK. Made it tonight. Loved it, especially my children. I could only get hold of mirin so reduced the sugar as suggested. I couldn’t get chow mien noodles with so used dried fine egg noodles. Over here in takeaway restaurants they might add bamboo shoots and/or water chestnuts – would you? I had to cook for much longer than the minutes suggested. I wonder my electric hob just doesn’t get hot enough. I’ll definitely make it again.
Hi Char! Electric hob will definitely be less powerful than gas, though I myself have an electric one. I let my wok get smoking hot! I would add bamboo shoots to this – probably not water chestnuts, I feel like the texture is out of place for the chow mein that I’m used too. But if you love the crunch, by all means go ahead!!! 🙂
How is it with shrimp
WONDERFUL!!!!! Even better if that’s possible!
Did you just garnish the chow mein with green onions? I don’t see that in the recipe but that’s what they look like in the photo.
Hi Erica! I think I just sprinkled it on for the photos but I don’t bother with garnish on a day to day basis – and neither does my take out!
I think this is an awesome recipe. I’d like to make it as it is written, but because I wanted to use up what I already had I changed a few things. I’m out of oyster sauce, so I put in a little more soy sauce and a tiny bit of hoisin. I used thinly sliced zucchini to bulk up the veggies because I didn’t have bean sprouts or cabbage. I also used leftover chicken I had shredded from the beer can chicken I had made the night before.
My family loved it!!! I’m making it again tonight, but again, with whatever I have available. One day I’ll make it exactly as written and I’m sure it will be even better. Thank you!
Oh wow! I’m so happy that you tried and enjoyed this Melissa, thanks so much for letting me know! N x
whilst the method and base ingredients on this are sound this is about as close to takeaway chinese chow mein as me running for prime minister… maybe it taste different where you are from but this is nothing like our chow meins here
Hi Matt, where are you from? 🙂
Good attitude for the reply you recieved
Hello,
will wheat flour instead of cornstarch also work?
Hi Dominik! Cornflour is definitely best for this recipe, flour will make it too gluggy 🙂 Not enough sauce. Flour is good for gravy!
This is a delicious recipe – my family thought it tasted better than our local take-out restaurant. Thank you for sharing!
So glad you and your family enjoyed this Carly! Thanks for letting me know! N xx
Thank you.
You’re welcome Rita! (I’m assuming you tried and enjoyed this!!)
WOW!!! Thank you for Charlie. What a fantastic brown sauce. I’ve been looking for a great sauce for my stir-fry and now I have 1. Thank you Tom
You’re most welcome Tom, so glad you’re enjoying Charlie! N xx
Tried your chow mein recipe tonight complete with “Charlie”. Best recipe for chow mein I’ve come across. Thank you b
So glad to hear that Judy! Thanks so much for letting me know! N x
Great site. A lot of helpful info here. I am sending it to a few buddies ans additionally sharing in delicious.
And naturally, thanks to your effort!
Glad you are enjoying it, thanks so much for your message! N x
Do you think it would taste the same using low sodium soy? Trying to keep the sodium level lower for my husbands ‘restrictions’. Also…if I did pork instead of chicken what cut do you think would work best?
Hi Deb! Definitely fine 🙂 Same flavour just slightly less salty. For pork, any quick cooking cut is fine, or tenderloin sliced thinly. I’d stay away from slow cooking cuts like pork shoulder, butt, neck. Steaks are safe.
Thank you Nagi ur chicken chow mein recipe is the one and only recipe for me. I will not change and thank you again for Charlie and I will never buy from the shop again
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Julen! Thanks so much for letting me know! N xx
thank you very helpful. thank you so much. i added finely chopped peanuts and finly chopped red pepper also great as was the your orginal 🙂
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this Kelly! Thanks so much for letting me know! N x
Thank you Nagi for your Recipe to Mr Charlie my stir frys are the best your stir fry sauce change my cooking 4ever thank you very very much
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Julen! Thank you for taking the time to let me know! N xx
I love recipes like this, but because I have to be gluten free, I cannot eat them. do you have any gluten free recipes you could share?
Hi Mary! Here is my gluten free collection, it’s under the recipe index on the menu bar at the top 🙂 https://promotown.info/indexes/recipe-index/gluten-free/%3C/a%3E I am not a gluten free food blog but the recipe in that collection are either entirely gluten free or are easy to make gluten free by, for example, switching out the soy sauce. For this recipe, the main thing is the noodles which you can swap for rice noodles! I’m afraid the sauce is a bit tricky though as gluten is present in oyster sauce and I don’t know the best GF sub for this. 🙂
Thanks Nagi!
This is the tastiest / quickest / easiest Chicken Chow Mein recipe I’ve tried from the internet by far!!
The one thing I wanted to ask is : how do I get really cripsy / crunchy noodles, the way this dish is served in some restaurants ?
(I prefer this texture, it reminds me of my local chinese restaurant when I was a child where I always ordered Chicken Chow Mein because of the crunchy noodles)
I’ve tried and failed a few times; I keep ending up with some noodles stuck to the wok, and the rest staying soft… Do you have any tips?
Jamie, you read my mind! I’ve been thinking of doing the crunchy noodle version! It’s deep fried – so the same noodles, just fry them. Increase the sauce by 50% and add extra water so the veggies etc are saucier, then spoon over noodles. BUT I make mine by baking the noodles, form into cakes, spray with oil and bake. Works a treat!
This is by far my favorite recipe. So good!
Thanks Carol! So glad you like it! N x
Will be making chow mein for my bday this dec. 24. Hope it will turn out well. Will let you know if it will be a success 🙂
Hope you love it!! N xx
I told my wife if you want Chow Mein you make it this time. I never have good luck with it. I made the sweet & sour chicken and egg foo young which I find so easy. Thank you so much for the recipe. It is the first time that it has turned out so well for us. I know what I am having for breakfast tomorrow. Wish we had you here to teach us how to cook Chinese.
Wayne & Mona
Nakusp, B.C.
Thanks Wayne & Mona! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it, thank you for letting me know! N xx
I was scarred by another recipe I found on the internet for Chow Mein which was rubbish. So it took me a while to try this but after your meatballs came out so good, i decided to give more of your recipes a go. Boy am I glad I took the plunge. This is an excellent recipe, definately close to Chinese restaurants, perhaps the only difference being they use more MSG!!! Another top notch recipe Nagi, thanks! Pete
Woo hoo! So glad to hear that you enjoyed it Peter, thanks for letting me know! N x