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Easy Chicken Chowmein Recipe

🍜 Easy Chicken Chowmein

To make easy chicken chowmein, boil 250g noodles, stir-fry 100g chicken with onion, cabbage and carrots, add oyster sauce, soy sauce, chicken powder, sugar, black pepper, and Thai paste. Toss noodles with the sauce mixture over high heat and serve hot. The entire recipe takes about 30 minutes.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 1
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Calories: 350
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 250 g Noodles chowmein/egg noodles
  • 100 grm Chicken breast thinly sliced
  • 25 grm Cabbage finely shredded
  • 25 grm Carrot julienned
  • 10 grm Onion Sliced
  • 1½ tbsp Chicken Powder
  • 1 tbsp Sugar
  • 1 tsp Black Pepper
  • 1 tsp Thai Paste
  • 3 tbsp Oyster Sauce
  • 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
  • 30 grm Cooking Oil

Equipment

  • 1 Wok or Large Frying Pan A wok gives you that proper restaurant-style high-heat stir-fry flavour. If you don’t have one, a large non-stick frying pan works just fine.
  • 1 Cooking Pot For boiling the noodles properly without sticking or breaking.
  • 1 Strainer / Colander To drain noodles immediately after boiling. This helps avoid soggy chowmein.
  • 1 Sharp Knife For slicing chicken thin and cutting vegetables like cabbage and carrots into even strips.
  • 1 Cutting Board for prepping ingredients safely.
  • 1 Tongs or Chopsticks For tossing noodles in the wok
  • 1 Measuring Spoons For accuracy because chowmein flavor depends heavily on sauce balance (soy, oyster sauce, sugar).
  • 1 Spatula (Optional) optional

Method
 

  1. Boil the Noodles: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook for 4–8 minutes until just tender al dente, not mushy. Drain immediately, rinse with cold water to stop cooking, then drizzle a few drops of oil and toss. This prevents the noodles from clumping together.
  2. Mix Your Sauce: In a small bowl, combine oyster sauce (3 tbsp), soy sauce (2 tbsp), chicken powder (1½ tbsp), sugar (1 tbsp), black pepper (1 tsp), and Thai paste (1 tsp). Mix well.
  3. Heat the Wok: Place your wok or large frying pan on the highest heat setting. Let it heat for 60–90 seconds until it's smoking slightly. Add 30g oil and swirl to coat. This is where restaurant flavor comes from wok hei, the charred, smoky taste you can't get with medium heat.
  4. Cook the Chicken: Add sliced onion and chicken to the hot wok in a single layer. Leave it for 20 seconds and don't move it. Then stir-fry for another 1–3 minutes until white and cooked through. The chicken should have slight golden edges, not be pale and steamed.
  5. Add the Vegetables: Add julienned carrots first. Cook for one minute. Add cabbage and stir-fry for another minute. The vegetables should remain slightly crisp. Overcooked vegetables make chowmein soggy and dull.
  6. Add Sauces: Add Oyster sauce, Soy sauce, Thai paste, Sugar. Mix everything thoroughly until the chicken and vegetables are coated evenly.
  7. Add Noodles and Sauce: Add the boiled noodles into the wok.
  8. Plate and Serve: Serve hot, directly from the wok. Chowmein waits for no one — the texture is best in the first 5 minutes. Garnish with sliced spring onion

Notes

Chef's Tips

Straight from 8+ years in restaurant kitchens:
  1. Always pre-mix your sauce so you're not fumbling with bottles mid-cook.
  2. Slice chicken against the grain for tender bites.
  3. If your pan isn't smoking before adding oil, you'll get steamed noodles, not stir-fried.
  4. Thai paste is optional but adds a depth that pushes this from "good" to "what is this?"
  5. Don't overcrowd the wok. For 4 servings, cook in batches if your pan is small.