My Chicken Chow Mein Recipe is one of the easiest weeknight dinners to whip together. The magic is in the chow mein sauce recipe: a savoury, garlicky, slightly spicy blend that clings to every noodle and piece of chicken. With staples like soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic, you just know it’s going to be a hit. Packed with tender chicken, crisp veggies, and chewy noodles, it’s quick, flavourful, and guaranteed to disappear fast at the dinner table.
If you’ve tried my Blackened Chicken and Rice or Skillet Lasagna, you already know the vibe: flavourful, weeknight-friendly, and never boring. This chow mein leans on simple building blocks: garlic and ginger for a fragrant base, soy and oyster sauce for depth, and a touch of chilli oil to spice everything up. The noodles soak in just enough of the sauce to stay glossy without being greasy, while the veggies add crunch and freshness. It’s balanced, comforting, and quick, but still layered enough to feel like you put in way more effort than you actually did.
😍 Why You’ll Love This Chicken Chow Mein Recipe
Quick and easy: ready in about 20 minutes, making it faster than takeout.
Balanced meal: protein, carbs, and veggies all in one bowl.
Flavour-packed: garlic, ginger, soy, sesame, and a hint of chilli make it irresistible.
Better than takeout: fresh, clean ingredients with no heavy oils or additives.
Versatile: easy to swap the protein, change up the veggies, or adjust the spice level.
🥢 Ingredients To Make This Chicken Chow Mein Recipe
Chow mein noodles: chewy, quick-cooking, and perfect for soaking up the sauce.
Chicken breasts: cubed into bite-sized pieces for quick cooking and tender bites.
Olive oil: keeps everything from sticking and helps the chicken and veggies brown nicely.
Celery: adds crunch and freshness to balance the savoury sauce.
Carrots: shredded for colour, sweetness, and extra nutrients.
Cabbage: shredded thin so it softens but still keeps some bite.
Green onions: sprinkled on top for a fresh, sharp finish.
For the sauce:
Olive oil: forms the base of the sauce.
Sesame oil: nutty, toasty depth that makes it taste authentically “chow mein.”
Garlic: finely chopped for bold flavour.
Ginger: chopped fine for a little warmth and zing.
Soy sauce: the main salty-savoury backbone.
Oyster sauce: adds rich umami and subtle sweetness.
Spicy chili oil: brings heat and complexity.
Brown sugar: balances out the saltiness.
Cornstarch: thickens the sauce so it clings to every noodle.
✔️ How To Make This Chicken Chow Mein Recipe
To start, cube your chicken into small bite-sized pieces and season them lightly with salt and pepper. Set them aside while you get everything else ready. Next, bring a medium pot of water to a boil and drop in your chow mein noodles. Cook them according to package directions, then drain and set aside while you move on to the stir-fry.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken and cook until it’s just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside.
While the chicken cooks, whisk together your sauce ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. The cornstarch will help it thicken later.
Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the same pan. Toss in the celery, carrots, and cabbage and sauté for 2-3 minutes, just until they start to soften but still have a bit of crunch.
Now, return the chicken and noodles to the pan. Pour the sauce over everything and reduce the heat to low. Toss well until all the ingredients are coated and the sauce thickens slightly.
Finish with a sprinkle of green onions on top, then grab your chopsticks, and dig in!
🗒️ Variations
Change the protein: swap the chicken for shrimp, beef, pork, or even tofu.
Spice it up: add more chilli oil or toss in red pepper flakes for extra heat.
Noodle swap: use ramen, thin spaghetti, or even rice noodles if that’s what you have on hand.
🗒️ Substitutions
Soy sauce: use tamari or coconut aminos for a gluten-free option.
🍴 Leftovers? Lucky you.
Although this chicken chow mein recipe is best fresh, leftover chicken chow mein can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, add a splash of water or chicken broth and warm gently in a skillet over medium heat, tossing until hot. You can also microwave in short bursts, stirring in between, to keep the noodles from drying out.
🤔 FAQ’S
Can I make this vegetarian?
Yes! Swap the chicken for tofu or tempeh and use mushroom or vegetarian oyster sauce.
What is chicken chow mein?
Chicken chow mein is a Chinese stir-fry made with noodles, vegetables, and chicken tossed in a savoury sauce. “Chow mein” means stir-fried noodles, and that’s exactly what you get — chewy noodles, crisp veggies, and tender chicken all coated in a garlicky soy-based sauce. It’s a takeout classic, but so quick and easy to make at home.
Can I use different noodles?
Yes! Thin egg noodles, ramen, or even spaghetti can work in a pinch. Just avoid thicker noodles like linguine, as they won’t give the same texture.
Is this recipe gluten-free?
Not as written, but you can make it gluten-free by using tamari instead of soy sauce and gluten-free noodles.
Can I double the recipe?
Absolutely. Just make sure to use a large enough pan or wok so everything cooks evenly.
👩🏻🍳 Hungry For More?
If you loved this Chicken Chow Mein recipe, then make sure to check out a few of my other favourites you may also love:
- Salmon Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce
- Orecchiette with Asparagus and Peas
- Garlic Cream Sauce
- Blackened Chicken Alfredo
- Marry Me Chicken Pasta
- Anchovy Pasta
- Caesar Pasta Salad
💌 Let’s Stay Connected
Keep in touch with me on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Pinterest! If you do make this chicken chow mein recipe (or any recipe of mine) don’t forget to leave a review.
Chicken Chow Mein
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 250 grams chow mein noodles
- 2 chicken breasts, cubed into bite sized pieces
- 1/2 cup celery, chopped
- 1/2 cup carrots, shredded
- 3 cups green cabbage, shredded
- 1/2 cup green onions, chopped, to garnish
- sesame seeds, to garnish
Sauce:
- 2 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tsp spicy chilli oil
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp cornstarch , + 1 tsp water, mixed together to make a slurry
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 or 2 tbsp ginger root, finely chopped
Instructions
- Begin by cubing your chicken into bite sized pieces, gently season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Bring a medium size pot of water to boil and add your chow mein noodles and cook according to package instructions. Drain and set aside until ready to use.
- To a large pan set to medium/high heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and once hot, add your chicken and fry until cooked through.
- While your chicken is cooking, prepare your sauce by adding all of the ingredients to a small bowl, whisking until well combined and no clumps remain.
- Remove your chicken from the pan and add your last tablespoon of olive oil.Add your celery, carrots and cabbage and let sauté for 2-3 minutes on medium heat, or just until softened.
- Return your chicken back to the pan, along with your cooked chow mein and reduce heat to low.
- Pour the sauce over everything and gently toss to combine allowing the sauce to coat everything and slightly thicken.
- Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
She’s only gone and nailed it again. The best chow mein I’ve ever cooked. As a Brit it, reminds me of when I visit my family in Vegas and we have Panda Express on the way home from the airport. Feeling nostalgic 😌
This was delicious! Definitely becoming a regular meal. I didn’t have any chow mein noodles so used a thin egg noodle instead and still worked. Also added some chopped broccolini and bit of lime juice/honey to the sauce.
Made this recipe tonight, it was a big hit with my 13 yo son . Very flavorful and quick and easy . Thanks girl for all your delicious recipes.
This was really good. My store didn’t have chow mein noodles so I used lo mein. Didn’t have chili oil so I used chopped Calabrian in oil.
I will make this again and hope to find the chow noodles.
Thank you!!!
We stumbled over here coming from a different website and thought I may as well check things out. I like what I see so now i am following you. Look forward to going over your web page again.
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
Delicious!! So quick and easy and yum!
We really enjoyed this recipe!
It was a little on the too spicy side for my family. Yet it was very flavorful! I might try to make it again but not put the spicy chili oil in.