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Chicken Chow Mein

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Chicken Pork Chow Mein Recipe

Good food is therapeutic. ย It adds spice to life, offers comfort for the “blah’s”, provides warmth on a cold evening, coolth on a hot day…and helps unravel and unfrazzle you after having spent two hours in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the cursed I-5 headed south of Seattle during rush hour!!ย  Just hypothetically speaking.

Food is good. ย Food is helpful. ย Food is our friend. ย Whether it’s a cup of hot chocolate, a glass of cold lemonade, some freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, or…drum roll…a hot plate of chow mein!

Believe it or not, Chow Mein was one of the Father’s Day requests in my family. ย We celebrated Father’s Day with my parents and I asked my husband and dad what their meal requests were. ย My dad requested Chow Mein and Todd requested British Bangers and Mash with mushy peas! ย (Do I have very unique men in my family or what?) ย Well, there was hardly a fitting compromise for such ย vastly different dishes, so I made both. ย Yep, for Father’s Day we had Chinese Chow Mein and British Bangers and Mash with mushy peas! ย It must have been the oddest combination of food Father’s Day has ever seen. ย But the end result was two very satisfied daddy’s and that’s really what mattered, right?

Chow Mein, which means “noodles,” is an Americanized Chinese dish of Canton influence. ย It was at its peak in popularity in the 50’s and 60’s and though it’s a little more challenging to find it nowadays in Chinese restaurants, some will make it on request. ย There are many variations of chow mein. ย It first appeared as a dish or vegetables and chicken tossed with fresh egg noodles. ย Other versions soon evolved (many of them regional differences between the East and West coast) including ones with a thicker sauce of vegetables and chicken served with deep-fried crunchy egg noodles and served with or over rice.ย  This recipe is easily adapted to your preferences. ย If you prefer fresh egg noodles, toss them with the sauce at the end. ย Or you can the sauce with/over rice and/or deep-fried crunchy egg noodles. ย And as for the meat, prefer pork? ย Use pork! ย Prefer shrimp? ย Use shrimp! ย Whatever combinations you choose, you’re going to enjoy this chow mein. ย I call it “ultimate” because not only does it taste fantastic, it’s packed full of a ton of healthy veggies!

If you’re worried about calories you don’t have worry with this one. ย Just limit the rice/noodles and load up on the vegetable-chicken stir-fry to your heart’s content!

Super-duper simple to make. ย And the actual cooking takes less than 10 minutes. ย It’s the prep work of slicing and chopping all the vegetables that takes some time, but that can all be done in advance.

NOTE:ย  There are East and West Coast variations of this Chinese-American dish and many locations on the East Coast serve chow mein with rice instead of noodles.ย  We’re going with the East Coast’s variation this time but feel free to substitute noodles.

Chicken Pork Chow Mein Recipe

Chicken Chow Mein Recipe

Let’s get started!

Dice up the chicken or pork.

Chow Mein prep 1

Slice the carrots, celery and red bell peppers diagonally, Chinese style.

Chow Mein prep 3

Slice the water chestnuts.

Chow Mein prep 4

Wash and drain the bean sprouts.

Chow Mein prep 5

Drain the baby corn and chop the green cabbage.

Chow Mein prep 8

Combine the sauce ingredients.

Chow Mein prep 10

Heat the oil over high in a wok or large skillet and cook the meat until done.

Chow Mein prep 6

Add the celery, carrots and bell pepper and cook for another 3 minutes.

Chow Mein prep 7

Add the cabbage, water chestnuts and baby corn and fry for another minute or two. ย Add the sauce and stir to combine. ย Bring to a simmer until thickened.

Chow Mein prep 9

Add the bean sprouts and stir to coat.

Chow Mein prep 11

Add the green onions and stir to combine. ย Add salt, pepper, soy sauce and sesame oil to taste. ย If using fresh egg noodles, add the cooked noodles and toss to combine. ย Or serve with/on rice and/or deep-fried crunchy egg noodles.

Chow Mein prep 12

Chow Mein 3 sm

Chow Mein 2 sm

Chicken Pork Chow Mein Recipe

chicken chow mein recipe

Chicken Chow Mein

5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
  • 2 cups chicken breast or pork , cut into small cubes
  • 3 large carrots , thinly sliced diagonally
  • 3 large celery sticks , thinly sliced diagonally
  • 1 red bell pepper , sliced in 1 inch long sticks
  • 2 cups shredded green cabbage
  • 15 ounce can baby corn, drained
  • 7 ounce can water chestnuts, drained and sliced
  • 3 cups bean sprouts
  • 4 green onions m sliced
  • For the Sauce:
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Serve with either: 1 lb fresh cooked egg noodles or steamed rice and some crispy chow mein noodles (see instructions)

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat.
    Combine the sauce ingredients and stir until the cornstarch is dissolved. Set aside.
    Add the meat and fry until done. Add the carrots, celery and bell pepper and fry for about 3 minutes or until slightly softened. Add the cabbage, baby corn, and water chestnuts and stif-fry for another 2 minutes.
    Add the sauce to the wok, lower the heat and simmer until the sauce is thickened. If you prefer a thicker sauce, combine some cornstarch with a little more water and add it to the sauce until you've achieved the desired thickness.
    Add the bean sprouts and green onions and stir to combine. Don't cook for longer than a minute so that the bean sprouts remain crispy. Add salt, pepper and soy sauce to taste. Add more sesame oil if you like.
    If using fresh egg noodles, add them and stir to combine and let heat through. Or serve on steamed rice.
    Serve topped with some crunchy chow mein noodles.

Notes

There are East and West Coast variations and there's sometimes a fine line between chow mein and chop suey with many east coast establishments serving chow mein with rice. This recipe is easily adapted to your preferences. ย If you prefer fresh egg noodles, toss them with the sauce at the end. ย Or you can the sauce with/over rice and/or deep-fried crunchy egg noodles.
Keyword Chicken Chow Mein
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

kimberly killebrew the daring gourmet

Hi, Iโ€™m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!

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Recipe Rating




5 from 1 vote

8 Comments

  1. This chicken chow mein recipe looks absolutely mouthwatering! I love how youโ€™ve made it so easy to follow with clear step-by-step instructions, and the combination of fresh veggies and tender chicken sounds perfect. The sauce recipe is a real standoutโ€”it looks so flavorful and much better than any takeout Iโ€™ve had. I also appreciate the tips on getting that perfect noodle texture. I canโ€™t wait to try this at home and make my own restaurant-quality chow mein. Thanks for sharing such a delicious and approachable recipe thatโ€™s sure to become a weeknight favorite!

  2. Really good, really easy chow mein. I was looking for a rice-and-crunchy-noodles recipe, and this fit the bill. I see how it would be easy to change to noodles if desired. I changed up some of the veg based on what I had (mushrooms, no carrots or cabbage) and I added more onion and garlic, otherwise followed exactly. Great basic recipe. Thanks!

  3. There are two different dishes called “chow mein.” One is Chinese, the other is Chinese American. I’m in NYC, and if you go to a Chinese neighborhood like Chinatown or Flushing and order chow mein, you’ll get noodles that are similar to lo mein. If you go to a Chinese-American Restaurant in NYC and order chow mein, there’s a good chance you’ll get the rice dish you describe above. I had always grown up thinking of chow mein as a noodle dish. I was completely surprised when I tried to order chow mein at a Chinese-American restaurant and the waiter told me, “Just so you know, it’s the American kind. There are no noodles.” It’s really confusing since chow mein literally means “stir-fried noodles.” Somehow, I think the terms chop suey and chow mein got mixed up.

    1. It is confusing, I agree. There are East and West Coast variations and there’s sometimes a fine line between chow mein and chop suey with many east coast establishments serving chow mein with rice.

  4. I really liked this dish. It was very good. The only thing I would do differently is to add 1 more tablespoon corn starch to make the sauce thicker.