A great Chow Mein comes down to the sauce which is made with soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar and cornstarch for thickening. Slippery noodles slick with the savoury Chow Mein Sauce is noodle heaven!
Chicken Chow Mein is firmly planted in the Noodle Hall of Fame as one of the all time most loved noodles, along with other favourites like Pad Thai, Pad See Ew and Singapore noodles. Quick and easy!
Chow Mein
I want to say that Chow Mein is my favourite noodle-child but I’m worried that I’ve said that in another recipe (or two… or three… 
).
Because there is, after all, some heavy hitting noodle competition in this big wide world. Pad Thai, Pad See Ew (Thai Stir Fried Noodles), Singapore Noodles, Yakisoba (Japanese noodles) – to name just a few.
But Chow Mein is right up there and it’s not just because it’s noodle-slurpingly delicious, but also because of the following:
Tons of hidden veggies– cabbage, carrot and bean sprouts, all in “noodle shapes” so they just meld right in there with the noodles so you have no idea how much you’re actually consuming (it’s like feeding a child);
Faster to make that home delivery – 15 minutes from start to finish;
Versatile– as all stir fries are. Switch the proteins and veg as you please;
Charlie – Chow Mein Sauce can be made from scratch, or using Charlie, my all purpose Stir Fry Sauce that I always have on hand. Yes, I named him because I love him so much.
How to make Chow Mein
And here’s how to make it. Make sure you have everything ready to toss in because once you start cooking, you’ll be plating up in just over 5 minutes – I told you it’s fast!!
Ingredients
- 200g /6 oz chicken breast or thigh fillets , thinly sliced (Note 1 tenderise option)
- 4 cups green cabbage , finely shredded (Note 3)
- 1 1/2 tbsp peanut oil (or other cooking oil)
- 2 cloves garlic , finely chopped
- 200g /6 oz chow mein noodles (Note 2)
- 1 carrot , julienned
- 1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
- 3 green onions , cut into 5cm/2" pieces
- 1/4 cup (65 ml) water
CHOW MEIN SAUCE:
- 2 tsp cornflour / cornstarch
- 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce , all purpose or light (Note 4)
- 1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce (sub Hoisin)
- 1 1/2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine OR Mirin (Note 5)
- 2 tsp sugar (reduce to 1 tsp if using Mirin)
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- White pepper (sub black)
Chow Mein
Instructions
SAUCE:
- Mix together cornflour and soy sauce, then mix in remaining ingredients.
- Alternative: Use 1/3 cup Chinese All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce, if you have some in stock.
CHICKEN & NOODLES
- Marinate Chicken: Pour 1 tbsp of Sauce over the chicken, mix to coat, set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.
- Noodles: Prepare the noodles according to the packet instructions (my pack says soak in boiled water for 1 minute), then drain.
COOKING:
- Heat oil in wok or large fry pan over high heat.
- Add garlic and stir fry for 10 seconds or until it starts to turn golden - don't let it burn!
- Add chicken and stir fry until the surface gets a tinge of browning but inside is still raw - about 1 minute.
- Add the cabbage, carrot, and the white pieces of shallots (i.e. from the base of the stalk). Stir fry for 1 1/2 minutes until the cabbage is mostly wilted.
- Add the noodles, Sauce and water*. Stir fry for 1 minute, tossing constantly.
- Add bean sprouts and remaining shallots/scallions. Toss through for 30 seconds or until the bean sprouts just start to wilt.
- Remove from heat and serve immediately.
- Recipe Notes:
1. Chicken - I prefer making this with thigh because it's juicier, but it can be made with breast or tenderloin. If using breast, option to tenderise using the Chinese method so it's super tender and juicy like you get at Chinese restaurants - see How to tenderise chicken the Chinese way (Velveting)Can also Velvet Beef.Other proteins: Sub with sliced pork, beef or turkey, whole prawns/shrimp or even ground meat (still marinate, crumble into chunks and cook like that).2. Chow Mein noodles are sold at Asian grocery stores and also at Woolworths in Australia (Fantastic noodles brand, fridge section). See in post for photos and description.3. Cabbage - I use any type of green cabbage, Chinese cabbage or savoy etc. I even use purple cabbage! Once cooked, you can barely tell the difference in flavour / texture.4. Soy Sauce - This recipe requires ordinary all purpose soy sauce OR light soy sauce. All purpose soy sauces just say "soy sauce" on the label, Light Soy Sauce is labelled as such. I use Kikkoman. Do not use dark or sweet soy sauce. Tamari is a suitable gluten free substitute.5. Chinese cooking wine - aka Shaosing / Shaoxing wine. Essential for Chinese cooking, it's the key to making home cooking truly taste like restaurants. Now sold at supermarkets in Australia - Asian aisle! Substitutes: Mirin (reduce the sugar to 1 tsp) or dry sherry. If you really can't use alcohol, use chicken stock/broth in the sauce instead of the Chinese cooking wine AND replace the water with chicken broth.6. GENERAL TIPS:
- Garlic - don't use mincer/garlic press or jarred garlic, they burn too quickly. Finely chop it.
- Skillet is fine, just use a big one so the noodles don't go flying when you toss.
NUTRITION INFORMATION:
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 5 mins
Total: 15 mins
Noodles
Chinese
Chow Mein
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 5 mins
Total: 15 mins
Chinese
Once the chicken has been velveted and marinated there are a couple of different ways it can be cooked depending on the use in your dish. The most common method in Chinese restaurants is deep frying aka oil velveting. However, the velvet chicken recipe can also be: Pan-fried in a skillet or wok Blanched in water or cooked in a broth Coated in a batter to be deep-fried To oil velvet the chicken simply heat the oil in your wok over high heat and flash fry the chicken for 3-4 minutes, or until cooked through. Then strain the chicken from the oil.
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