This Chicken Chow Mein is a quick and easy way to enjoy Asian takeout at home. Delicious yakisoba noodles loaded with stir-fried vegetables and a simple Asian sauce.
For a lighter, gluten-free spin on this yakisoba dish, try our rice noodle stir fry. Or enjoy this Panda Express mushroom chicken (copycat recipe).
Table Of Contents
Recipe Details
I can’t even begin to explain how amazing this Chicken Chow Mein is. It’s so addicting, I can guarantee you’ll be running back for seconds! What I love most about this recipe is that it can easily be modified to your liking, making it a real crowd-pleaser.
- TASTE: This dish is full of savory flavors mixed with umami. They’re complemented by the earthy, fresh vegetables.
- TEXTURE: With juicy chicken, tender vegetables, and thin, perfectly cooked noodles, this delicious dish is everything you could hope for.
- TIME: It will take 50 minutes to make.
- EASE: This Chicken Chow Mein is really easy to make. You can even prep the ingredients the day before for a quick weeknight meal.
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken– You’ll need boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into small pieces for this recipe.
- Vegetables– I like to use cabbage, celery, carrot, onion, broccoli, red bell pepper, and garlic. These add flavor and a little crunch.
- Chow mein noodles– These are similar to yakisoba noodles or low mein noodles. All of these will work great here.
- Sauce– This is a simple one made with soy sauce, rice vinegar, and a little sugar. It’s sweet and tangy with lots of umami flavor.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Add shrimp- Make this dish extra filling by adding some shrimp. Cook them on the grill or air fry them.
- Make it gluten-free- Substituting the noodles for rice noodles and the soy sauce for tamari sauce will make this dish gluten-free.
- Add more flavor to the sauce- I like to keep my sauce simple, but you can also make it with oyster sauce, sesame oil, or mirin for added flavor.
- Substitute other vegetables- Try this recipe with bok choy, zucchini, water chestnuts, or bean sprouts.
How to Make Chicken Chow Mein
- Cook the chicken. In a wok, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and stir for a minute or so. Then place the cubed chicken and cook through completely.
- Add the onion. Add the sliced onion, and sauté it until it becomes tender.
Pro Tip: Be sure to use a large wok or skillet (I used a 14-inch wok). It will seem like a lot of ingredients at first, but the vegetables decrease in size as they cook.
- Add the rest of the vegetables. Toss in the carrots, celery, cabbage, bell pepper, and broccoli and stir for about 4 minutes.
- Add the sauce ingredients. Pour in rice vinegar and soy sauce and sprinkle in the sugar.
- Combine with the noodles. Lastly, break up the yakisoba noodles and toss them into the chicken chow mein.
Recipe Tips
- Prep the veggies ahead of time- Save yourself time when cooking this dish by chopping all the vegetables beforehand. Then you just need to saute and assemble.
- Adjust the salt level to your preference- You may want to add a little more soy sauce depending on how salty you prefer your food.
- Stir in the noodles- The noodles might be very compact when you first add them, but they will separate after they are stirred in the hot wok for a few minutes.
FAQs
The difference between Chicken Chow Mein and lo mein has to do with the noodle’s shape and preparation. Chow mein uses thin noodles while lo mein uses thick, chewy noodles. The lo mein noodles are also fresh and boiled, while chow mein uses dry noodles that are parboiled.
Chow mein sauce is soy sauce-based. In this recipe, it is combined with rice vinegar and granulated sugar for a simple sauce, while you could also add sesame oil, oyster sauce, cornstarch, or chicken broth for added thickness and flavor.
Serving Suggestions
This Chicken Chow Mein makes a delicious meal on its own, but you can also pair it with lots of side dishes. Here are some ideas to make your next dinner even more amazing.
- Meats: Serve this dish with Grilled Teriyaki Chicken, Hunan Chicken, Panda Express Mushroom Chicken (copycat), or Mongolian Beef.
- Salad: Pair it with a Chinese Eggplant Salad, Asian Chicken Salad, Kani Salad, or Shredded Carrot Salad.
- Sides: Serve this Chicken Chow Mein with some Fried Spring Rolls (VIDEO), Grilled Bang Bang Shrimp (VIDEO), or Air Fryer Kale Chips.
- Rice: Plate this chow mein with some white rice, Wild Brown Rice, Hibachi Fried Rice, or Pork Fried Rice.
Make This Recipe in Advance
Make ahead: Chop all of your ingredients a few hours ahead or the night before. When it comes time to cook the chow mein, all you have to do is toss everything in.
Storing: Store this Chicken Chow Mein in an airtight container once cooled. It can last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freeze: Once cooled, place the chow mein in a freezer-safe ziplock bag. It will last for up to 3 months.
More Tasty Asian Dishes!
Full Recipe Instructions
Chicken Chow Mein
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 2 chicken breasts cut 1 inch pieces 16.8 oz
- 3/4 cup celery sliced (1.5 sticks)
- 3 cups carrot julienned (about 2 medium carrots)
- 2 1/2 cups onion thinly sliced (about 1 medium onion)
- 2 lb Yakisoba noodles
- 1 medium cabbage chopped
- 12 oz fresh broccoli florets
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
Instructions
- Chop up the vegetables and chicken. Whenever I know I’m making a dish that requires a good amount of chopping, I chop my veggies the night before, cover them in plastic warp and refrigerate them. This really speeds up the cooking processes.
- Heat olive oil in a large wok over medium high heat. Add the minced garlic and stir for about 1 minute.
- Place the diced chicken into the wok and stir until light brown and most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Add the chopped onions, and sauté them until they become translucent.
- Toss in the carrots and celery and stir until softened. Then add in the cabbage, bell pepper, and broccoli and stir for about 4 minutes.
- Pour in rice vinegar and soy sauce and sprinkle in the sugar. You may want to add a little more soy sauce depending on how salty you prefer your food.
- Add in the Yakisoba noodles. The noodles might be very compact at first, but they will separate after they sit in the hot wok for a few minutes.
- Stir the noodles for another 3-5 minutes or until they’ve all separated. Remove from heat and serve warm.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted on Mar 30, 2015, we’ve tweaked it a bit since then.
- Braised Beef - December 2, 2024
- Amaretti Cookies (VIDEO) - November 18, 2024
- Double Chocolate Cookies (VIDEO) - November 16, 2024
Mac Farsider says
This looks really good.
When I make dishes like this I like to cheat and use the coleslaw mixes which comes with many of the ingredients already shredded.
Dina says
Hi Mac 🙂 That is one way to save some time 🙂 I hope you get a chance to try this recipe!
Ana says
It is necessary to use wok pan or can I use regular pan?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Ana, you can use a regular pan if you don’t have a wok. Just make sure its the largest pan you have.
Anna T says
I made this for dinner this week. We really liked this easy and yummy recipe!
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you so much for your kind feedback Anna 🙂 Glad it was a hit!
Lena says
Ahhhh!! Chiken yakisoba–my favorite food! A weakness! I can’t wiwa to give this recipe a try! So excited! Thank you!
simplyhomecooked says
So excited for you to try it! 🙂 Let me know how it turns out 🙂
Zory says
I’ve made this with whatever vegetables I had on hand and diff kinds of pasta and it still tastes good!! Usually add zucchini/squash. The more vegetables I can fit into 1 meal for the children the better and they love it 🙂 thanks for the recipe!!
simplyhomecooked says
Zory, thanks for your feedback 🙂 I’m glad you and the kiddos loved it 🙂 Hope to see you all soon!