Recreate this Chinese takeout favorite at home in just 10 minutes with this quick and easy chow mein noodle recipe. A great option for weeknight dinners, and easily adaptable to whatever you have on hand!
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Here’s my take on the ever-popular Chow Mein, a stir-fried noodle dish that’s the go-to takeout choice from American Chinese restaurants. This easy recipe consists of basically whatever I had in my fridge and it’s pretty simple to make!
This is an easy 10-minute noodle recipe that has minimum fuss but maximum flavor.
What I love about stir fry dishes is that it’s so versatile and you can customize it however you want! You can swap out the proteins or veggies and it will still be just as good.
Chow Mein Ingredients
(For full ingredient measurements, please proceed to the recipe card below.)
- Chow mein noodles: A type of egg noodle that you can usually find in your local Asian grocery store.
- Aromatics: Onion, green onion & garlic.
- Protein: I used sliced turkey breast as that was what I had on hand, but you can substitute with whatever protein you fancy.
- Light soy sauce & Dark soy sauce: Light soy sauce is used more for the flavor, whereas dark soy sauce helps to give the noodles a darker color.
- Oyster sauce: Helps to provide the umami taste to the chow mein sauce.
- Sugar: It doesn’t make the dish sweet, but rather is used to round out the flavors.
- Sesame oil: Gives a nutty depth of flavor.
Variations & Substitutions
Choice of protein: Swap the protein with chicken, beef, shrimp, or even tofu.
Vegetable chow mein: You can also add on your choice of veggies. Try bok choy, beansprouts, carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms, and broccoli. Add the vegetables after cooking your protein, then stir fry until it’s slightly softened before adding the chow mein noodles and the sauce.
Notes For Easy Chow Mein
Prepare all ingredients before cooking: The thing with stir fries is that once you start cooking, everything will move quickly. Prep all the ingredients beforehand so that it becomes a quick and easy process.
Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
What To Serve With Chow Mein
Here are some easy dishes that pair well with chow mein:
- Protein dishes: Easy Salt And Pepper Shrimp, Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry (Sauce-y), Chinese Crispy Lemon Chicken, Honey Walnut Shrimp
- Vegetables: Garlic Bok Choy (15 minutes), Simple Chinese Broccoli With Oyster Sauce (Gai Lan), 15-Minutes Bok Choy Mushroom with Oyster Sauce
- Soups: 15-minute Egg Drop Soup, Hot And Sour Dumpling Noodle Soup
More Easy Noodles
- Stir Fried Soy Sauce Udon (KL Hokkien Mee Inspired)
- Char Kuey Teow
- Easy Soy Sauce Stir Fry Noodles (15 Min.)
- Spicy Chili Garlic Oil Noodles (10 Minutes)
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Easy Chow Mein (10 Minutes)
Ingredients
- 2 servings chow mein noodles
- 1/2 onion (sliced)
- 1 green onion (sliced) – separate white and green parts
- 2 cloves garlic (sliced)
- choice of protein (cut into bite sized pieces)
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp water
- A pinch of salt (if needed)
Instructions
- In a bowl, make the sauce by mixing light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil and water, and set aside. Boil noodles then drain and set aside for later.
- In a wok or medium sized pan, sauté the onion, white part of green onion and garlic.
- Add your choice of protein and sauté until it's cooked.
- Add the noodles and the sauce. Mix the noodles until well combined.
- Add the remaining green onion and salt if needed. Keep frying for another 2-3 minutes and serve. Garnish with sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Simple, quick and easy to make.
Very tasty