This easy Chicken Chow Mein recipe is like the takeaway that you order in your favorite Chinese restaurant. Saucy and so flavorful with lots of vegetables. It’s perfect for lunch or a weeknight dinner. 
Chow Mein vs Lo Mein
So before we make chicken chow mien, let’s talk about the difference between chow mien and lo mein. In Chinese language, “chow” means fried, “lo” means mixed, and “mein” means noodles. The difference is the preparation of the noodles and they are cooked differently. The Chow Mein noodles are fried then the meat and vegetables with the sauce are added to the noodles. Lo Mein noodles are added and tossed to the stir-fried vegetables along with the cooked meat and sauce. 
Both dishes use egg noodles. However, some chow mein noodles don’t contain eggs. The kind of noodles that are usually used for cooking Chow Mein is made of dry or fresh noodles. The noodles that are typically used for Lo Mien are the bouncy fresh yellow egg noodles and a bit thicker than the chow mien noodles.
Chicken Chow Mein Ingredients
Sauce for Chow Mein: Soy sauce (combination of light and dark soy sauce for best flavor), oyster sauce, sesame oil, Shaoxing wine, sugar, & ginger (optional). If using may use fresh grated ginger or ginger powder.
Meat: Chicken breast or chicken thighs. Alternatively, you may add shrimp or any seafood or meat you like.
Chow Mein Noodles: You may use any type of Chow Mien noodles available to you. Ramen noodles will work too.
I used fresh pre-cooked chow mein noodles that you can find in Asian stores and most grocery stores in the dairy section. It’s easy to prepare, just rinse with warm water and drain. The dry crinkly Chow Mein noodles that I used for my Vegetarian Chow Mein recipe are also a great alternative. 
Vegetables: Cabbage, carrot, celery, snow peas, cauliflower, broccoli, or any vegetable you have. Feel free to swap or add vegetables you like. For the aromatics: garlic & onion.
How to make Chicken Chow Mein
Step 1. Make the stir-fry sauce. In a small bowl or mason jar, add soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, Shaoxing wine, sugar, & grated ginger. Mix until blended.
Step 2. Velveting the Chicken. Slice the chicken and season with salt and pepper in a bowl. Add a couple of tablespoons of slurry (cornstarch and water). You can also velvet the chicken with baking soda like the chicken stir-fry I made.
Step 3. Prepare the noodles and vegetables. Follow the instructions on the packaging of chow mein noodles. Chop and slice all the vegetables and aromatics.
Step 4. Pan-fry the noodles. Preheat the wok or frying pan to medium-high heat. Add neutral oil and heat it for a few seconds then add the chow mein noodles. Pan-fry the noodles until crispy. Transfer to the serving plate.
Step 5. Sear the velveted chicken. In the same preheated wok or frying pan, sear the chicken until cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside. 
Step 6. Stir fry the vegetables with the stir-fry sauce. In the same preheated wok, saute onion for about a minute then add the celery and carrots. Stir fry for a minute then add the garlic and the rest of the vegetables. Stir fry for a minute or two. (note: While stir-frying you may need to add a splash of chicken stock to deglaze the wok or frying pan to prevent burning the garlic). Then add the stir fry sauce and the rest of the chicken stock. Simmer for a couple of minutes until the vegetables are tender, or how you like to cook your vegetables. Add the cooked chicken. Keep in mind that the vegetables will continue cooking with the hot stir-fry sauce. 
Step 7. Serving Chow Mein noodles in two ways. Add and toss the pan-fried chow mein noodles to the wok with the stir-fry sauce, vegetables, and chicken. 
Or place the pan-fried chow mein noodles on a serving plate and pour the saucy stir-fry sauce with the vegetables and chicken. Either way, it will be equally delicious. It’s all about how would you like the texture of your chow mein noodles. 
More Stir-fry Recipes to try
Chicken Chow Mein
Watch How to Make It
Equipment
- Wok
Ingredients
- 454 g Chow Mein Noodles fresh or dry noodles
- 1 lb chicken sliced & velveted
- 100 g. mushrooms sliced
- ¼ cup Vegetable oil divided
- 1 large onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 100 g. snow peas ends and strings removed
- 250 g. Cabbage chopped
- 150 g. Broccoli florets
- 200 g cauliflower florest
- 1 carrot sliced diagonally
- 1 stalk celery sliced diagonally
- 2 cups chicken stock/broth no salt or low sodium
For the stir fry sauce
- 3 tbsp soy sauce low sodium, light & dark soy sauce
- 3 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp ginger grated or paste (optional)
- 2 tbsp sugar to taste
- 2 tsp Shaoxing wine optional
- 1 tsp sesame oil or to taste
For the slurry
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Make the stir-fry sauce. In a small bowl or mason jar, add soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, Shaoxing wine, sugar, & grated ginger. Mix until blended.
- Velveting the Chicken. Slice the chicken and season with salt and pepper in a bowl. Add a couple of tablespoons of slurry (cornstarch and water).
- Prepare the noodles and vegetables. Follow the instructions on the packaging of chow mein noodles. Chop and slice all the vegetables and aromatics.
- Pan-fry the noodles. Preheat the wok or frying pan to medium-high heat. Add neutral oil and heat it for a few seconds then add the chow mein noodles. Pan-fry the noodles until crispy. Transfer to the serving plate.
- Sear the velveted chicken. In the same preheated wok or frying pan, sear the chicken until cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Stir fry the vegetables with the stir-fry sauce. In the same preheated wok, saute onion for about a minute then add the celery and carrots. Stir fry for a minute then add the garlic and the rest of the vegetables. Stir fry for a minute or two. Then add the stir fry sauce and the chicken stock. Simmer for a couple of minutes until the vegetables are tender, or how you like to cook your vegetables. Then add the cooked chicken.
- Serving Chow Mein noodles in two ways. Add and toss the pan-fried chow mein noodles to the wok with the stir-fry sauce, vegetables, and chicken. Or place the pan-fried chow mein noodles on a serving plate and pour the saucy stir-fry sauce with the vegetables and chicken.
