This quick and healthy chow mein is much quicker and healthier than takeout! Packed full of tender pieces of chicken, crisp cabbage leaves, crunchy matchstick carrots and crunchy noodles covered with an amazing soy and hoisin sauce-based sauce!
Make this delectable chow mein even without chicken or shrimp by substituting beef, shrimp, or other proteins instead. It will still taste as delectable!
Ingredients
This delicious chow mein recipe stands out with its blend of oyster sauce, sweet soy sauce, toasted sesame oil and freshly ground black pepper – its combination creates an irresistibly delicious umami-rich umami taste and offers the perfect balance between sweetness and saltiness for optimal results.
Stir frying is best accomplished using a wok, although any large skillet or stainless steel pan with sloped sides will also do. To achieve optimal results when stirring fry-ing vegetables it’s important to cook them in an ample amount of water initially so they are softened without overcooking; this ensures they cook through when noodles and sauces are added later on.
When it comes to noodles, you have plenty of choices: fresh chow mein noodles (also known as ramen noodles) or dried thin spaghetti will work just fine. When boiling them for the first time, be sure they reach chewy but not soft consistency before rinsing with cold water and applying some oil in order to prevent sticking together while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Your noodles and sauce require some vegetables as an accompaniment, such as finely shredded cabbage, thinly julienned carrots and matchstick pieces of celery. All the vegetables should be chopped into even sizes so they will cook through evenly.
To create the sauce, first combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl until combined and smooth. Next, stir fry chicken over high heat for one minute to ensure its thorough cooking.
Add the sauce mixture to the vegetable and chicken mix along with boiled noodles, stirring and tossing until all the noodles have been evenly covered with sauce. Finally, garnish with spring onion greens before serving!
Prep
To make chow mein even easier, consider prepping the sauce and cutting all vegetables ahead of time – that way when it’s time to cook it all will already be ready to go and will take just minutes to put together! It’s well worth investing the extra time if possible!
To prepare the sauce, mix cornstarch with soy sauce, oyster sauce, chicken stock, brown sugar and sesame oil until well blended and set aside for later.
Cook the noodles according to package directions and rinse well when finished. Choose either affordable packaged ramen or fresh Chinese egg noodles such as those found at Chinese markets; these varieties often bear labels like chow mein noodles, yakisoba or pan-fried noodles and can usually be found at grocery stores. Frozen versions made from rice flour might work too; though their texture will likely differ significantly from their fresh counterparts.
While your noodles are cooking, place a large skillet over medium-low heat and add 1 tablespoon of canola oil before adding chicken and cook until tender, approximately 5-6 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Add remaining oil to a skillet, followed by cabbage, carrots, white and light green parts of green onions, and the garlic/ginger mix; stir fry for three to four minutes or until almost tender. Next add cooked noodles topped with sauce mixture; toss to evenly coat each noodle strand in sauce before stir in chicken to complete dish and serve immediately!
This simple chow mein is quick and easy to make, yet full of flavor! Perfect as either lunch or dinner, it can easily be customized to meet your own personal preferences by adding more veggies, using different kinds of noodles, switching up sauce flavors or even including meat like beef, pork, tofu or shrimp! Enjoy!
Cook
Chow mein is one of the easiest Chinese dishes to prepare at home and much healthier than ordering takeout. Packed with chicken, vegetables and an irresistibly flavorful sauce, it’s an excellent way to use up leftover produce in your fridge! Additionally, its simple preparation means it can even be completed during busy weeknights; only 20 minutes from start to finish and the whole family will love this treat!
Cook your noodles in boiling water until chewy and *just* cooked before draining and setting aside. If you don’t have chow mein noodles on hand, fresh ramen or store-bought lo mein/yakisoba will do nicely as alternatives. In a large skillet heat some oil to saute onions, cabbage, salt and pepper until tender before stirring in soy sauce, hoisin sauce (or oyster sauce), brown sugar garlic sesame oil mixture before pouring it onto skillet with noodles/vegetables/vegetarians/vegans until everything has been coated by sauce then remove from heat top it all with green onion before garnish and serving immediately!
This vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and soy-free chow mein is vegan-, gluten-, dairy- and soy-free; but feel free to customize it by adding in protein of any sort such as lean cubed pork or beef, scrambled eggs or tofu. For thicker sauce, mix some corn starch with water before stirring into the pot.
Your vegetable selection can depend entirely on what’s in your pantry; however, bell peppers, carrots, mushrooms and napa cabbage make great options. Bok choy, broccoli and water chestnuts make excellent additions too! For additional spice and flavor add chopped ginger or chili garlic sauce.
Chow mein is best enjoyed when served hot, though leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Reheating can be done either on the stovetop or microwave in 30-second increments until everything is warm again; adding water may help separate clumped noodles while warming. You can even take it with you by packing it into your lunchbox with an ice pack!
Serve
Asian Noodle Recipes have always been my go-to when I need an easy dinner idea, as they require minimal ingredients and time in the kitchen. This Chow Mein is no exception: packed full of flavor and packed full of vegetables for optimal use of any leftover chicken you may have lying around your fridge! For added fun and deliciousness I like serving my Chow Mein with Scallion Pancakes on the side!
This chow mein is designed to be vegetarian-friendly, yet you can easily add cooked chicken or beef for an even heartier meal. Additionally, this gluten-free version can be made using gluten-free ramen or fresh yakisoba noodles and any additional vegetables on hand; I personally keep frozen bok choy and baby spinach on hand to add in.
Add a spicy kick with ground pepper, garlic salt or red pepper flakes; these add just the right amount of heat without being overpoweringly spicy. Additionally, swap out ginger for other types available – just remember to increase quantities accordingly!
Make this delicious Chow Mein ahead and store in the refrigerator for several days! Just remember to store in an airtight container, reheating before serving. This makes an easy dinner solution on busy nights!
Mix the following ingredients to make the chow mein sauce: oyster sauce, soy sauce, light sesame oil, granulated sugar and cornstarch in a mixing bowl and set aside. In a large skillet over medium-low heat, heat olive oil. Once heated add grated carrot and cabbage and cook stirring frequently until they become tender before adding noodles and the sauce and tossing well for two more minutes until both are hot and evenly spread throughout. Season with additional salt as necessary and enjoy right away! If storing this chow mein I recommend keeping it in an airtight container then re-heating before re-heating before re-heating in either an outdoor skillet or microwave!