We make this delicious chicken chow mein recipe with real Chinese chow mein noodles (while many recipes out there use a soft lo-mein-like noodle), crunchy vegetables, and lots of juicy chicken.
The term chicken chow mein has gotten a bit muddy over the years. We’ll talk about the different dishes that share the name, so you can decide to make this main version, or take a look at our other recipes for the Americanized or Hong-Kong-style versions!
Clearing Up The Confusion
Chicken chow mein has really evolved over the years here in the U.S. and throughout the Western World. It’s to the point where I feel that everyone has their own perception and experience of what it is.
I’ll try to set the record straight with some facts, trends, and my own perceptions of how the term “chicken chow mein” came to be associated with so many different recipes!
So What Is Chicken Chow Mein?
“Chow mein,” or more accurately pronounced, “chow meen” in Cantonese, literally translates to “fried noodles” or “pan-fried noodles.”
When we at The Woks of Life think of chow mein noodles, we think of a Cantonese Hong-Kong-style pan-fried noodle, which you can buy fresh or dried in Chinese grocery stores. The noodles must first be boiled briefly, then drained. Then they can be pan-fried/stir-fried.
The fresh noodles freeze well (we always have a bag in the freezer in case we get a craving or want to make a quick weekday meal.) The dried chow mein noodles are a great pantry item to have and are very similar to the fresh noodles after boiling. We also keep these on hand because they’re shelf stable and easy to cook!
After Chinese immigrants first started coming to the U.S. in the mid-1800s, chow mein was one of the first Chinese foods to hit mainstream America, along with dishes like chop suey and fried rice. Most of these early Chinese immigrants were from Canton (Guangzhou) in Southern China. Chow mein as we know it today evolved from Cantonese cooking.
However, the most retro Americanized takeout version of Chicken Chow Mein isn’t a noodle dish at all, but rather a stir-fry served over rice! Yet another dish you could call Chicken Chow Mein is one you can find at Cantonese dim sum restaurants—gai see chow meen, which translates to “pan-fried noodles with chicken strips.” Then you have this version that we’re making today.
In other words, chicken chow mein comes in different forms, depending upon where you’re eating or what recipe you’re following, and quite frankly it can be confusing! Below, we’ve put together a bit of a chow mein guide to these versions and their key differences in detail:
3 Different Versions:
American Chicken Chow Mein
Find it at: Chinese-American takeout restaurants, though the dish is rapidly disappearing
We think this version of chicken chow mein first appeared in the U.S., created with locally available ingredients. We call it American chicken chow mein, and it’s made with cooked vegetables (like onions, celery, mushrooms, and canned bamboo shoots, bok choy, cabbage, and water chestnuts) in a thick sauce, topped with chicken and fried crispy noodles. Generally served with steamed rice on the side, it’s not a noodle dish at all!
The only noodle element is the crispy deep-fried noodles on top, which is essentially a crunchy garnish. Older people (the Baby Boomer generation) probably remember this once iconic dish best. In the 60s and 70s, lo mein was one of the only fresh noodle dishes on the menu at a local Chinese restaurant. Mei fun (thin rice noodles), chow fun (flat rice noodles), and chow mein (pan-fried noodles) were not as common.
While back in the day, the dish was served in sit-down Chinese restaurants, it can usually only be found in takeout joints today. That said, this version of chicken chow mein is rapidly disappearing, as other more popular takeout dishes have come into the mix to take its place. If you’re looking to recreate it at home, check out our American chicken chow mein recipe.
Cantonese Gai See Chow Mein
Find it at: Traditional Cantonese restaurants and dim sum restaurants
If you’ve been to a dim sum restaurant, you’ve probably seen Chinese families enjoying rice or noodles with their dim sum spread. There are a variety of noodle dishes hailing from Hong Kong and Guangzhou that you can order along with your har gow, char siu bao, steamed spare ribs with black bean, and other dim sum delicacies.
These noodle dishes generally fall into those categories mentioned previously: mei fun (thin rice noodles), chow fun (wide flat noodles), and chow meen (pan-fried noodles). You might encounter Xiamen Mei Fun or Singapore Mei Fun in the mei fun category. When it comes to chow fun, Dry Beef Chow Fun and “Wet” or Saucy Beef Chow Fun are super popular dishes.
Under the pan-fried noodle section, Gai see chow meen, or pan-fried noodles with chicken strips, is one of the more popular dishes. This other version of Chicken Chow Mein involves frying Hong-Kong-style pan-fried noodles into a round, crispy cake, and then stir-frying a mixture of chicken strips, green vegetables (usually choy sum) and perhaps additional veggies like carrots or mushrooms in a flavorful white sauce.
Chefs then ladle this chicken and vegetable mixture over the top of the crispy noodle cake. The sauce seeps into the noodles, creating a contrast of textures—crispy noodles alongside saucy noodles! Other versions of the dish may include beef, pork, seafood, or just vegetables. See our recipes for Gai See Chow Meen and Shredded Pork Pan-fried Noodles to get a better idea of what it looks like!
Dry Hong-Kong-style Chicken Chow Mein (i.e. this recipe)
Find it in: Home kitchens!
Finally, you have the version we’re making today, which is a dry homestyle Hong-Kong-Style Chicken Chow Mein. While many pan-fried noodle dishes are served with a saucy stir-fry over the top, as in the previous version, some are stir-fried noodles served “dry.” One example of such a dish is our Cantonese Soy Sauce Pan-fried Noodles.
Today’s version of Chicken Chow Mein follows a similar formula. We’re using the same type of noodles that we use in gai see chow meen, but making a dish without any standing sauce.
We pan fry the Hong-Kong-style thin egg noodles, flipping them until they take on a slightly crispy texture all over. Then we cook the chicken and vegetables, and add the noodles back to the wok. I add sauces and spices, and stir-fry the mixture until it’s well mixed.
Many chicken chow mein recipes you’ll find on the Internet today (particularly from non-Chinese sources) use a softer noodle, like a thin lo mein noodle. But that’s why we think of those recipes as more like a lo mein than a chow mein! (Check out our chicken lo mein recipe to see the difference.)
In this easy chicken chow mein recipe, you’re using the correct noodle, and you get a mixture of flavored soft and crispy noodles. It’s just delicious, and what I think your everyday chicken chow mein should taste like!
Hopefully that helps clear up any confusion you may have had about chicken chow mein, the types served in restaurants, and all the different chow mein recipes out there in the wild!
While this is a chicken chow mein recipe, you have a choice of the usual proteins like beef, pork, shrimp, and chicken. (Check out our Shrimp Chow Mein and Vegetable Chow Mein.) You can use any vegetable you like, but it’s best to keep things simple. Follow our recipe to the letter, and you’ll be really happy with the result!
Chow Mein Vs. Lo Mein: Remember The Difference!
While they’re often conflated or mixed up with each other, chow mein and lo mein noodles are quite different. Lo mein noodles are much thicker (like a thick spaghetti). They’re much softer than chow mein, and served soft and moist rather than pan-fried until crispy.
The literal translation of lo mein (Cantonese pronunciation) is “mixing/scooping noodles.” In Mandarin, it’s known as lāo miàn (捞面). Chow mein, on the other hand, (chǎomiàn in Mandarin – 炒面) translates to “fried noodles” or “pan-fried noodles. They are thin, dry, and cooked until at least a little crispy—either pan-fried in oil, or shallow fried until very crispy.
Chicken Chow Mein Recipe Instructions
Velvet the Chicken:
Combine the sliced chicken with the water, oyster sauce, cornstarch, Shaoxing wine, and oil. Massage the chicken until it absorbs all the liquid.
Pre-boil the Chow Mein Noodles:
Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in your wok or a large pot. Add the noodles, and boil for 1 minute. Drain through a colander, rinse in cold water, and spread the noodles out to drain further.
Make the Sauce Mixture:
In a small bowl, mix the hot water and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Then add the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, 2 teaspoons of Shaoxing wine, white pepper, and salt. Set aside.
Fry the Noodles:
Heat your wok over medium-high heat, and add 2 tablespoons of oil to coat. Spread the noodles in a thin, even layer, tilting the wok in a circular motion to distribute the oil and crisp the bottom layer of the noodles evenly. Let the noodles cook for about 2 minutes. Adjust the heat as needed—lower if the noodles start to scorch or higher to brown the noodles. The wok should not be smoking, or the noodles will burn.
Flip the noodles over to crisp the other side. Add another tablespoon of oil around the perimeter of the wok. Don’t stress if you can’t turn the noodles over in one shot. The goal here is just to get an even, light crispiness during this cooking stage. After 90 seconds, flip the noodles again. You should start to see a light browning of the noodles, with some areas where the noodles are crispier. Cook for another 2 minutes, and transfer them to a plate.
Sear the Chicken:
Heat wok over high heat until it’s just smoking, and spread the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil around the perimeter. Add chicken in one layer, and sear for 30 seconds on one side. Flip and sear for another 30 seconds. Stir-fry the chicken for another 20 seconds. It should be about 80% cooked. Remove the chicken from the wok, leaving behind any oil.
Finish the Dish:
Over medium heat, add the julienned ginger to the oil, and let it cook for about 15 seconds. Next, add the garlic, mushrooms, and carrots, and stir-fry for 1 minute.
Increase the heat to high, and add the noodles, snap peas, and chicken (along with any juices). Drizzle the sauce mixture over the top.
Quickly stir-fry the noodles with a lifting motion to incorporate the sauce—about 30-45 seconds.
Toss in the bean sprouts and scallions (green onions), and stir-fry everything for another minute. The wok should be at its hottest now to help you achieve that wok hei flavor.
Cook just until the scallions wilt—the bean sprouts should still be somewhat fresh and crunchy.
Serve this Chicken Chow Mein with your favorite homemade hot chili oil or homemade Chiu Chow Chili Sauce!
Chicken Chow Mein
Ingredients
For the chicken & marinade:
- 12 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast (or boneless skinless chicken thighs, thinly sliced)
- 1½ tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine (or dry cooking sherry)
- 1 teaspoon neutral oil (such as vegetable, canola, or avocado oil)
For the rest of the dish:
- 8 ounces fresh thin Hong-Kong-Style Pan-fried Noodles
- 1 tablespoon hot water
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons neutral oil (such as vegetable, canola, or avocado oil)
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger (finely julienned)
- 1 clove garlic (chopped)
- ½ small carrot (julienned)
- ⅔ cup fresh mushrooms (or dried Shiitake mushrooms, soaked for 2 hours in hot water and sliced)
- 1 cup snap peas (or snow peas)
- 1 cup mung bean sprouts
- 2 scallions (finely julienned)
Instructions
Velvet the Chicken:
- Combine the sliced chicken with the water, oyster sauce, cornstarch, Shaoxing wine, and oil. Massage the chicken until it absorbs all the liquid and is uniformly coated.
Pre-boil the Chow Mein Noodles:
- Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in your wok or a large pot, and cook the noodles for 1 minute. Drain through a colander, rinse in cold water, and spread the noodles out to drain further.
Make the Sauce Mixture:
- In a small bowl, mix the hot water and sugar until the sugar dissolves, then add the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, 2 teaspoons of Shaoxing wine, white pepper, and salt. Set aside.
Fry the Noodles:
- Heat your wok over medium-high heat, and add 2 tablespoons of oil to coat. Spread the noodles in a thin, even layer, tilting the wok in a circular motion to distribute the oil and crisp the bottom layer of the noodles evenly. Let the noodles cook for about 2 minutes, and adjust the heat as needed—lower if the noodles start to scorch or higher to brown the noodles. The wok should not be smoking, or the noodles will burn.
- Flip the noodles over, and add another tablespoon of oil around the perimeter of the wok to crisp the other side. Don’t stress if you can’t turn the noodles over in one shot. The goal here is just to get an even, light crispiness during this cooking stage. After 90 seconds, flip the noodles again and you should start to see a light browning of the noodles, with some areas where the noodles are crispier. Cook for another 2 minutes, and transfer them to a plate.
Sear the Chicken:
- Heat wok over high heat until it’s just smoking, and spread the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil around the perimeter. Add chicken in one layer, and sear for 30 seconds on one side. Flip and sear for another 30 seconds. Stir-fry the chicken for another 20 seconds; it should be about 80% cooked. Remove the chicken from the wok, leaving behind any oil.
Finish the Dish:
- Over medium heat, add the julienned ginger to the oil, and let it cook for about 15 seconds. Next, add the garlic, mushrooms, and carrots, and stir-fry for 1 minute.
- Increase the heat to high, and add the noodles, snap peas, and chicken (along with any juices). Drizzle the sauce mixture over the top. Quickly stir-fry the noodles with a lifting motion until the sauce is well-incorporated—about 30-45 seconds.
- Toss in the bean sprouts and scallions, and stir-fry everything for another minute. The wok should be at its hottest now to help you achieve that wok hei flavor. Cook just until the scallions wilt—the bean sprouts should still be somewhat fresh and crunchy. Serve!
