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Home » Recipes » Chicken Chow Mein {Just Like Takeout!}

Chicken Chow Mein {Just Like Takeout!}

3/12/21

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This Chicken Chow Mein tastes just like takeout, and comes together in one skillet in 30 minutes! The easy sauce uses pantry staples to boot.

Chicken Chow Mein

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Ingredients in chicken chow mein

  • Boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced
  • Cornstarch – The chicken will be coated in cornstarch. As a result, it helps to thicken the chow mein sauce.
  • Sesame oil
  • Fresh mushrooms, cut in half – You can use any type of mushrooms that you like. Just be sure they are small enough that they’ll cook quickly.
  • Carrot, julienned – A julienne cut means you will cut the carrots thinly, similar to the width of matchsticks.
  • Yellow onion, sliced – If you want to use a different type, white onion will be fine as well.
  • Green cabbage, sliced – If you want your chicken chow mein to be authentic, you can use Chinese cabbage. Napa cabbage is another tasty option.
  • Chow mein noodles
  • Chicken broth or stock
  • Green onions (scallions), sliced – I usually just use the green tops, but you can also use the white portion.
  • Sesame seeds, for garnish

What is chicken chow mein?

Chicken chow mein is one of the most popular Asian stir fry dishes. It usually includes white or dark meat chicken, vegetables, and a delicious chow mein sauce. The ingredients are cooked in a wok or skillet with chow mein noodles.

Chicken Chow Mein

What kind of noodles are used for chow mein?

Chow mein is made using wheat egg noodles. To keep things a bit healthier, you can look for whole wheat egg noodles.

Or, get super adventurous and make homemade chow mein noodles! There are videos on YouTube to show how it’s done. It takes about an hour to make egg noodles from scratch.

Ingredients in chow mein sauce

Here are the ingredients you need for chow mein sauce – you should be able to find them all in your pantry!

  • soy sauce
  • honey
  • garlic
  • sesame oil

Authentic chow mein sauce usually includes oyster sauce, sugar, and sometimes cornstarch as well.

Because this recipe doesn't use sugar, this chow mein sauce is a little bit healthier!

Chicken Chow Mein

How to make this recipe

Here's how to make this easy chicken chow mein recipe!

  1. Cut your chicken into cubes and place them into a bowl. Season them with salt and pepper, then add the cornstarch and toss to coat. Meanwhile, mix the chow mein sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
  2. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over med-high heat. Add the carrots and mushrooms and saute them for a few minutes, just until the carrots soften.
  3. Add the chicken and saute for another 5 minutes. Be sure to toss the ingredients every couple of minutes so that all of the chicken browns.
  4. Stir in the onion and cabbage and cook for another 2-3 minutes, then stir in the chicken broth.
  5. Add the chow mein noodles and sauce, cooking for 2-3 more minutes until the sauce thickens.
  6. Stir in green onions and remove from heat. Serve garnished with sesame seeds, if desired. Enjoy!

Chicken Chow Mein

Ingredient substitutions

If you prefer dark meat chicken, you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts. Or, use another protein entirely.

Other tasty protein options for chow mein include beef, pork, or tofu.

Feel free to swap out or omit any veggies that you don’t care for. There are plenty of other veggies that are delicious in this chicken stir fry. Broccoli, bok choy, water chestnuts, and even zucchini are great choices.

You can also substitute tamari or coconut aminos for the soy sauce, use brown sugar instead of honey, or use canola oil instead of sesame oil.

Chicken Chow Mein

Difference between lo mein and chow mein

If you love Asian food, chances are good that you are familiar with both of these noodles. While they do have a couple of similarities, they are also quite different.

Lo mein and chow mein are both made with wheat flour and eggs. So, they are both egg noodles.

For authentic chow mein noodles, the noodles are boiled in water first, then pan fried or added to a wok to stir fry them until they’re crispy.

On the other hand, lo mein noodles are simply boiled. As a result, they are softer and chewier than chow mein noodles.

Chicken Chow Mein

Storing and reheating instructions

If you have any leftovers, let them cool to room temperature. Then, refrigerate them in a covered container and enjoy them within 5 days.

Reheating the meal is easy! You can either microwave the leftovers on high power for a couple of minutes, or toss everything into a wok or skillet and reheat over medium-high heat. I recommend sprinkling some water overtop before reheating so your noodles don't dry out.

Can you freeze chow mein?

Chow mein freezes well, so it’s a great meal prep idea! Before you freeze it, be sure to allow it to cool to room temperature first. This helps to prevent freezer burn. Once it has cooled, transfer the cool chicken chow mein to freezer-safe meal prep containers or other freezer friendly containers. Or, to save some room in your freezer, package the chow mein flat in plastic zip top bags. Once frozen, chicken chow mein will keep well frozen for about 3 months.

To reheat, defrost in the fridge overnight then proceed as normal by reheating in the microwave or in a wok/skillet.

Chicken Chow Mein

More easy stir fry recipes

  • Cashew chicken
  • Best beef stir fry
  • Kung pao shrimp

Meal prep tools for this recipe

  • Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this recipe into your weekly lunches
  • I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen
  • Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months
Chicken Chow Mein

Chicken Chow Mein

This Chicken Chow Mein tastes just like takeout, and comes together in one skillet in 30 minutes! The easy sauce uses pantry staples to boot.
4.73 from 11 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Asian
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 449kcal
Author: Taylor Stinson

Ingredients

  • 2 chicken breasts, diced
  • Salt & pepper, to taste
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 cup mushrooms, cut in half
  • 1 carrot, julienned
  • 1 yellow onion, sliced
  • 1 cup green cabbage, sliced
  • 1 (454g) package chow mein noodles
  • 1/3 cup chicken broth
  • 1 bunch green onions, sliced
  • Sesame seeds, for garnish

Chow mein sauce

  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, season chicken with salt & pepper, then toss with cornstarch. Meanwhile, mix the chow mein sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
  • Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over med-high heat. Add carrots and mushrooms to skillet, cooking for 5 minutes until carrots soften and mushrooms release juices. Add chicken and saute for another 5 minutes until browned, stirring often.
  • Add onion, green cabbage and chow mein noodles to the skillet, sauteeing another 2-3 minutes, then add broth and chow mein sauce, cooking for 2-3 more minutes until sauce thickens.
  • Stir in green onions and remove from heat. Serve garnished with sesame seeds (optional), and enjoy!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 449kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 1123mg | Potassium: 449mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1772IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @GirlonBloor or tag #girlonbloor!

This Chicken Chow Mein tastes just like takeout, and comes together in one skillet in 30 minutes! The easy sauce uses pantry staples to boot. #chowmein #takeout  This Chicken Chow Mein tastes just like takeout, and comes together in one skillet in 30 minutes! The easy sauce uses pantry staples to boot. #chowmein #takeout

This Chicken Chow Mein tastes just like takeout, and comes together in one skillet in 30 minutes! The easy sauce uses pantry staples to boot. #chowmein #takeout  This Chicken Chow Mein tastes just like takeout, and comes together in one skillet in 30 minutes! The easy sauce uses pantry staples to boot. #chowmein #takeout

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About Taylor Stinson

Hey there, my name's Taylor! I’m the founder of The Girl on Bloor, a food blog where I share healthy meal prep recipes for busy people. I'm a busy city girl living in downtown Toronto on (you guessed it!) Bloor Street. I've got 10 years experience meal prepping, along with a Master's degree in journalism, and you can find my work across the internet featured on publications such as Buzzfeed, HuffPost, Women's Health, Reader's Digest and more. I also run the awesome 5-Day Meal Prep Challenge, which is a free email course and Facebook group where I share my meal planning strategies and easy meal prep tips and recipes. Be sure to check out my free beginner’s guide to meal prep and follow me on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram to get my latest recipes and meal prep tips!

Comments

  1. Jo Ann says

    October 27, 2021 at 14:20

    5 stars
    Look’s delicious! Can’t wait to try it!

    Reply
  2. Amy Lyn MacDonald says

    October 13, 2021 at 10:51

    5 stars
    Delicious- How many servings is the nutritional info for?

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      October 22, 2021 at 11:32

      Hi Amy! This recipe serves 6 so you’ll want to divide it all up into 6 portions and then each one represents the nutritional value listed.

      Reply
  3. Christina says

    October 22, 2020 at 19:02

    Which Chow Mein noodles did you use? The ones at my local store look alot thicker. the ones in the video look alot more like vermicelli noodles?

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      October 23, 2020 at 07:46

      You can use the thicker kind as well! Mine were labelled chow mein noodles in the refrigerated section near the salad dressings, prepared foods and wonton wrappers. I can’t remember the brand unfortunately. The ones I used were not vermicelli noodles, they were a thinner chow mein. You can use thick or thin and the result will be the same.

      Reply
  4. LooC says

    May 26, 2020 at 16:58

    5 stars
    Awesome. I struggle to find recipes the whole family can agree on. This one was a big hit all around. It’s going to be one of my ‘go to’s. Thanks Taylor.!

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      May 26, 2020 at 18:50

      I’m so happy you enjoyed! 🙂

      Reply

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Taylor Stinson

Oh hey there, welcome!!

I'm Taylor Stinson, a busy city girl living in downtown Toronto. Looking to switch up your weekly meal prep routine? I've got you covered with healthy recipes and meal planning resources. Join 1.5 million other monthly readers and dive in! MORE ABOUT ME..

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