This Easy Chicken Chow Mein is a brilliant fakeaway-style dinner that the whole family will love! Tender chicken, crisp vegetables and egg noodles all tossed together in a savoury soy-based sauce. It's quick, full of flavour and on the table in around 20 minutes.
Chicken Chow Mein is one of those dinners I make when we're craving a takeaway, but trying to cut down on our food bill or want something quicker than waiting for a delivery.
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It's simple, uses ingredients you can easily grab in the supermarket, and everything cooks in one pan, like this lazy day lasagne, which means minimal washing up afterwards (always a win!).
The chicken turns golden and juicy, the vegetables stay slightly crisp, and the noodles soak up all that savoury sauce made with soy sauce and sesame oil.
You can keep it mild for the kids or add a little chilli if you like a bit of heat.
Some of our other favourite fakeaway dinners are this air fryer sweet and sour chicken & this chicken & shrimp fried rice.
If that's not enough, you will find over 30 delicious fakeaway recipes here too!
🥘 Ingredients You Will Need
Here is a brief overview of the ingredients you will need to make this chicken chow mein. To find out how to make it allergy-friendly, simply scroll down to the section below this one.
✋ Double check all packaging for allergens ✋
- Chicken Breast - Sliced thinly so it cooks quickly and stays tender. Try to cut them all roughly the same size for even cooking.
- Egg Noodles - Fresh egg noodles work really well here as they cook quickly and soak up the sauce beautifully.
- Garlic & Fresh Ginger - These form the base flavour of the dish and give that classic takeaway taste.
- White Onion - Adds sweetness and depth to the stir fry.
- Carrots & Red Pepper - Cut into thin strips so they cook quickly, but still keep a bit of crunch.
- Beansprouts - Add freshness and texture to the finished dish. Make sure they are cooked properly.
- Spring Onions - Cook the white ends and use the green ends sprinkled over the top at the end for some crunch.
- SAUCE INGREDIENTS
- Light Soy Sauce - Provides the main savoury flavour.
- Dark Soy Sauce - Adds colour and a deeper flavour.
- Sugar - Balances the savoury flavours.
- Sesame Oil - Adds a lovely nutty finish.
- Shaoxing Rice Wine - Brings depth to the sauce and helps give it that authentic takeaway flavour.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
🥜 How Can I Make This Dish Allergy Friendly?
✔️ Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free soy sauce or tamari. Swap the egg noodles for gluten-free noodles or rice noodles.
✔️ Sesame-Free: Use olive oil or vegetable oil instead.
✔️ Egg-Free: Swap the egg noodles for rice noodles.
✏️ How To Make Easy Chicken Chow Mein
⬇️ Here you will find an overview of how to make the recipe. For full information on ingredients and quantities please see the recipe card at the bottom of the page ⬇️
Step 1: Start by heating the oil in a large frying pan or wok over a high heat.
Step 2: Add the sliced chicken and spread it out across the pan so it cooks evenly. Stir fry for 5-7 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and lightly golden.
Remove it from the pan and set it aside for now.
Step 3: In the same pan (no need to wash it - all that flavour stays in there), add the garlic and grated ginger.
Stir fry for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
Step 4: Add the sliced onion, carrot, red pepper and the white parts of the spring onions.
Stir fry for 2-3 minutes, just until the vegetables start to soften but still have a little crunch. Mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
Step 5: Add the egg noodles to the pan and pour over the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and rice wine.
Toss everything together so the noodles are coated in the sauce and the flavours combine.
Step 6: Return the cooked chicken to the pan, add the bean sprouts and stir fry everything together for another 2 minutes so they heat through and absorb some of the sauce.
Step 7: Serve straight away while everything is hot.
Finish with the green ends of the spring onions sprinkled over the top.
💡 Lauren's Top Tips
- 🌟 Use A Really Hot Pan: A hot wok or frying pan helps give that proper takeaway-style flavour.
- 🌟 Prep Everything First: Stir fries cook quickly, so it's much easier if everything is chopped and ready before you start.
- 🌟 Slice The Vegetables Thinly: This helps them cook quickly while still keeping a bit of crunch.
- 🌟 Don't Overcook The Noodles: They only need a minute or two in the pan to soak up the sauce.
🔨 The Meal Planning Toolbox
🗒️ Make Ahead
You can slice the chicken and vegetables earlier in the day and store them in the fridge until ready to cook.
🗒️ Batch Cooking
Double the recipe and store leftovers for easy lunches the next day.
🗒️ Leftovers & Storage
Store in the fridge for up to 2 days in an airtight container.
🗒️Freezing
I wouldn't recommend freezing this dish as the noodles may turn mushy when defrosting.
🗒️ Reheating
Reheat in a frying pan or microwave with a splash of water to loosen the noodles. Ensure everything is piping hot before eating.
💬 Recipe FAQs
Can I use cooked chicken to make chow mein ?
Yes. Simply add cooked chicken at Step 6 and heat through.
Absolutely. Mushrooms, pak choi or sugar snap peas all work well.
Yes. Add a pinch of chilli flakes or some sliced fresh chilli when cooking the vegetables.
⚡ More Fakeaway Recipe Ideas
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you loved this recipe, please leave me a 5🌟 rating or comment below. I really do appreciate it. 😊
📖 Recipe
Easy Chicken Chow Mein
Equipment
- Wok or frying pan
Ingredients
- 400 g ( 1lb) chicken breasts sliced into thin strips
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 tablespoon ginger grated
- 600 g ( 1.5 lb) fresh egg noodles
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 1 medium red pepper
- 5 spring onions sliced
- 2 medium carrots sliced into thin strips
- 1 big handful beansprouts
Sauce
- 4 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 4 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon shaoxing rice wine
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok over a high heat.
- Add the sliced chicken and stir fry for 5-7 minutes until cooked through and lightly golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan (don't wash it - all the flavour stays in there), add the garlic and ginger. Stir fry for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the onion, carrot, the white ends of the spring onion and red pepper. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes until slightly softened but still with a bit of crunch. Mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
- Add the noodles to the pan and pour over the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and rice wine. Toss everything together so the noodles are coated in the sauce.
- Return the cooked chicken to the pan, add the beansprouts and stir-fry for another 2 minutes until the bean sprouts are cooked.
- Serve straight away while everything is hot. Sprinkle with the green ends of the spring onions for garnish.
Video
Notes
- Use a hot pan: Stir fries cook best over a high heat, so the chicken browns properly and the vegetables stay crisp.
- Prep everything first: Once you start cooking, this recipe moves quickly, so it helps to have all the veg chopped and sauce ingredients ready.
- Slice vegetables thinly: Cutting the carrots and peppers into thin strips helps them cook quickly while keeping a bit of crunch.
- Don't overcrowd the pan: If your pan is small, cook the chicken in two batches so it browns rather than steams.
- Fresh noodles work best: Fresh egg noodles give the best texture, but dried noodles can be used if that's what you have.
- Adjust the salt carefully: Soy sauce is already salty, so taste before adding any extra seasoning.
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