Chicken Chowmein Recipe – Made From Scratch

One of the most loved noodles on the menu, simple stir-fried noodles (aka chowmein) is surprisingly delicious. Easy to make in under just thirty minutes, chowmein is long tender noodles with fresh sauteed vegetables, lean chicken, and a savory sauce. This particular chicken chowmein is noodle heaven with its slick savory taste. 

Eased with preparation time, chicken chowmein is an ideal lunch among several Nepalese. Apart from its taste, chicken chowmein is also majorly customizable and one of most Nepalese households’ go-to food. Originating from the Chinese cuisine style, chowmein has been world popular, and it is no surprise, considering its flavors.

Guide Recipe To Home-Made Chicken Chowmein

Looking for a takeout night, or tired of the same takeout every day? How about changing the terms and preparing your own takeout dish instantly? Talk about fast delivery, the freshness of the dish, and flavors matching your own taste palette.

So leave the retro typical takeout chowmein and create your authentic taste to please your buds. Everything you want in a single dish!

Required Ingredients

• 12 oz. refrigerated chow mein noodles or dry spaghetti
• sesame oil (two tablespoons)
• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts (cut into one-inch long pieces)
• Kosher salt (as per taste)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Clove garlic (three minced pieces)
• Freshly grated ginger (one teaspoon)
• One Carrot (grated)
• 1/2 head of small cabbage (shredded)
• 1/4 c. low-sodium chicken broth
• Oyster sauce (two tablespoons)
• Thinly sliced green onions (used for garnish)
• Toasted sesame seeds (used for garnish)
• Cornstarch
• Low sodium soy sauce (four tablespoons)
• Chillie sauce (as per taste)
• Canola oil (two tablespoons)
• Brown sugar (one tablespoon)

How To Make This Chicken Chowmein?

• First, take your chicken breast and cut them into small one-inch pieces. Following it, boil your chicken for around four minutes before you season your chicken well. For seasoning, use salt, pepper, soy sauce, and cornstarch.
• After leaving it for a while, stir fry your chicken until they are golden and crispy. To fry it, use a combo of sesame and canola oil for seven to eight minutes.
• Move aside your fried chicken, and then stir-fry the veggies (carrot and cabbage) with garlic and ginger. Cook them for about three minutes until they are tender.
• Now, take your noodles and add them to a large pot of salted boiling water. Then, cook the noodles just shy of al dente. After boiling, strain the noodles and set them aside.
• Then, start making your sauce. Whisk together broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, and oyster sauce for it. Well, this sauce will have a well-balanced taste of sweet, tangy, salty, and has plenty of umami!
• Take your skillet. On medium heat, add your oil, and then add the vegetables and chicken. Now, add your noodles and stir-fry them till it turns a light brown in color. Following it, add the chili sauce as per your taste, and then add the sauce altogether.
• Before you start plating and serving, first garnish it. Use the minced green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Well, you are good to go and eat!

Tips For Your Home-Made Chicken Chowmein

As a fun fact, chowmein is a really flexible dish. In fact, you can change your pasta, the protein, the veggies, and even how you prepare it.

• If you are having trouble finding a perfect chowmein noodle, you can use regular spaghetti noodles or ramen noodles. However, do discard the seasoning packet that comes with it.
• Do not overcook your noodles. Overcooked noodles tend to get saggy, and even if you cook them to the perfect state, you can make them soggy if you do not drain them well. Additionally, if you overcook them at first, you will have a destroying noodle when you have to stir fry them again. The carryover water, if not appropriately drained and yet again stir-frying, is a big no!
• You can always change the vegetables that you wanna add in the process. Instead of cabbages or carrots, you can also opt for bell peppers, broccoli, celery, bean sprouts, green beans, and many more.
• We add several things during the preparation, such as garlic, gingers, sesame seeds, and so on. However, if you are not a fan of them, you can also skip adding them.
• The same goes for the chili sauce! Only add the level of spice that you can handle or love to your dish. For that, you can sprinkle in some crushed chili flakes or mince up a fresh chili pepper for extra heat. Not to mention, you can as well use a drizzle of sriracha.

Extra Note: Moving on, if you are looking to switch to the whole protein plan, you can also choose shrimp, ground pork, sliced steak, or even mushrooms and tofu for a vegetarian option. Mostly, many people love chicken thighs or breasts because even if you stir-fry them, they will stay tender and juicy throughout the cooking process. If you choose beef, the best to compliment it will be broccoli on the side.

If you are wondering what sort of utensils are needed during the cooking process, the list is simple and few. Check them out below.

• Wok (or a large skillet works too)
• Sharp knife
• Mixing bowls

Take Your Dish A Long Way

It is always fun to eat and store your chicken chowmein. Reheating and eating it again can make it last for three long days if you can store it properly. Always make sure to store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Furthermore, you can reheat this chowmein in two different ways, either through a microwave or reheat it on the stove.

• If you are microwaving it, place your portion on a shallow plate for 10-30 seconds at a time until hot. To prevent an uneven hot and cold spot, make sure to stir them from time to time.
• Similarly, if you reheat on the stove, put the portion in a skillet and sprinkle a bit of water as you heat because the noodles are dry from refrigerating. Just heat it on low heat and cover it until it gets hot.