Quick Chicken Chow Mein

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Quick Chicken Chow Mein is one of my family’s favourite meals and it’s on very heavy rotation. It’s one of my personal favourite takeout choices, but this foolproof recipe is just as delicious and way cheaper as you can make it at home! Finely sliced, tender chicken breast is stir-fried with vegetables and noodles in a flavoursome garlicky soy sauce.

I absolutely love this dish as it is so nourishing and you can pack in whatever veggies you like – great for using up what’s in the crisper drawer! Even better, it can be on the table in just 25 minutes, from start to finish, and uses only one pan and simple, low-cost pantry ingredients. When I want to make a healthy and satisfying meal but I’m low on energy and time, this is what I turn to as I know everyone will be happy. If you’ve ever wondered how your favourite Chinese restaurant gets the chicken so soft and tender, this recipe provides the answer! The secret is marinating the chicken in bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) before cooking. You can find this recipe in my cookbook, The Simple Dinner Edit, which is a collection of 80 easy, delicious dinner ideas and time-saving tips that is available to order now.

What other vegetables could I add to this chow mein?

This is such a great recipe for including whatever vegetables you like, especially those in the crisper drawer that are nearing their use-by date. If you have fussy eaters in the family, you can vary the veggies to suit them. Instead of the cabbage you could try your favourite Asian greens, such as wombok, bok choy, pak choy, choy sum or Chinese broccoli (gai lan), or try snow peas (mangetout), sugar snap peas or green beans.

Can I make this dish vegetarian?

Yes, you can make this vegetarian! If you add extra vegetables, the dish will still be gorgeous just with the noodles and flavoursome sauce. You can also use firm tofu in place of the chicken in the recipe. Prepare the tofu by draining it, then slicing it into 1 cm (1/2 inch) pieces. You could also toss tofu puffs into the dish in the last 2–3 minutes of cooking. Slice them in half first using kitchen scissors so they can soak up all of the delicious stir-fry sauce.

Can I spice the dish up?

If you love heat, you can easily add some freshly chopped bird’s eye chillies to the finished dish (or just the portions of the spice-lovers). Or drizzle some chilli oil over the top.

Watch how to make Quick Chicken Chow Mein

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Quick Chicken Chow Mein

Author: Nicole

4.8 from 12 votes

“Absolutely delicious, exactly like from my favourite Chinese restaurant!”

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Quick Chicken Chow Mein is the ideal stress-free weeknight meal. Tender slices of chicken breast are stir-fried with veggies and noodles in a delicious garlicky soy sauce.

Prep 20 minutes mins

Cook 5 minutes mins

Total 25 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• ▢ 500 g (1 lb) boneless, skinless chicken breast, finely sliced
• ▢ 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) (optional, see note 1)
• ▢ 250 g (9 oz) thin noodles (any type)
• ▢ 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
• ▢ 3 tbsp all-purpose soy sauce or tamari
• ▢ 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• ▢ 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• ▢ 1 tbsp sesame oil
• ▢ 1 tbsp sugar
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ▢ 2 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 150 g (2 cups) shredded green cabbage
• ▢ 90 g (1 cup) julienned carrot
• ▢ 90 g (1 cup) bean sprouts
• ▢ 3 spring onions (scallions), sliced into 2 cm (¾ inch) pieces

Instructions

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• Put the chicken in a bowl. Sprinkle it with the bicarbonate of soda and toss so that it is evenly coated. Set aside for 20 minutes while you prepare the vegetables. This will produce soft, tender chicken that will rival your favourite local takeout (this method works with beef, also). This step is optional (see note 1).
• Rinse the chicken with tap water in a colander and dab it with a paper towel to remove any excess water.
• Prepare the noodles as per the packet instructions. Rinse in cold water to stop them from cooking, then set aside.
• Prepare the sauce by first mixing the cornflour and 3 tablespoons of water together in a bowl. Add the all-purpose soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil and sugar.
• Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the sauce over the chicken and add the minced garlic. Toss so the chicken is evenly coated.
• Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based frying pan over high heat and add the chicken. Cook for 1 minute until the chicken is sealed (it will still be raw in the centre).
• Add the cabbage and carrot. Cook, stirring, for 1–2 minutes until the cabbage softens.
• Add the noodles and sauce and toss to combine. Cook for 1 minute.
• Add the bean sprouts and spring onion and stir them through. Cook for 30 seconds.
• Serve immediately.

Nutrition information

Nutrition Facts

Quick Chicken Chow Mein

Amount per Serving

Calories

555

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

19

g

29

%

Saturated Fat

 

3

g

19

%

Trans Fat

 

0.01

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

4

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

10

g

Cholesterol

 

80

mg

27

%

Sodium

 

1743

mg

76

%

Potassium

 

706

mg

20

%

Carbohydrates

 

59

g

20

%

Fiber

 

4

g

17

%

Sugar

 

8

g

9

%

Protein

 

36

g

72

%

Vitamin A

 

3928

IU

79

%

Vitamin C

 

22

mg

27

%

Calcium

 

45

mg

5

%

Iron

 

2

mg

11

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Disclaimer re gluten-free and dairy-free recipes

Watch how to make it

Recipe notes

Note 1 – The time spent allowing the chicken to soften in the bicarbonate of soda is well worth the results. If you are short on time you can skip step 1. The chicken won’t be as soft but it will still be delicious.

Hot tip – Top with extra soy sauce or tamari, sesame oil and chilli oil (optional) for extra flavour!

MAKE AHEAD

Prepare the chicken and shred the vegetables up to 2 days before cooking for an extra-fast, easy-to-put-together dinner.

LEFTOVERS

Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave. Not suitable to freeze.

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Course Chow Mein, entrée, Main Course, noodle, stir fry

Cuisine Chinese