This One Pot Chicken Chow Mein is a fast and healthy dinner the whole family will love! Loaded with juicy chicken, bell peppers, cabbage, peas, and carrots, it’s ready in about 30 minutes.
Love Asian-inspired recipes? Try my Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef, Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Beef Lo Mein, and Crockpot Orange Chicken!
Table of Contents
Chicken Chow Mein is made with tender chicken, fresh veggies, and chewy chow mein noodles sautéed in a savory sauce for a dish that rivals your local Chinese restaurant! It’s the perfect way to enjoy Chinese food without leaving your house.
As a one-pot dish, this easy chicken chow mein recipe is the perfect solution for busy weeknights.
It may not be authentic, but it is flavorful, easy, healthy, and fast! You can have dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes.
Why you’ll love this easy meal:
- Easy clean up: No need to dirty up a bunch of dishes with this one-pot recipe.
- Versatile: This is a great recipe for getting rid of any veggies in your fridge! You can also customize this recipe with different types of noodles, veggies, and protein.
- Simple ingredients: You only need a few basic ingredients, most of which you probably already have in your kitchen!
See what people are saying
“I have never left a review for anything before but this is the exception I made this tonight too the recipe except for the capsicum as I don’t like em, I have to say this was DELICIOUS, DELICIOUS, DELICIOUS thank you❤️” Regina
Chicken Chow Mein Ingredients:
- Oil: I use canola oil to gently cook the chicken and veggies, but you could substitute any oil you prefer. Just make sure it has a reasonably high smoke point, like vegetable oil or avocado oil. Sesame oil is a common choice, but it has a strong flavor, so I recommend just using a little for finishing.
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are my go-to, but chicken thighs would also be fine. You could also use chopped rotisserie chicken and sauté it along with the veggies.
- Fresh Vegetables: Red bell pepper, snap peas, shredded cabbage (or coleslaw mix), and matchstick carrots are a colorful and easy combination. However, feel free to substitute your favorites!
- Garlic: Freshly minced garlic is my favorite, but garlic powder is also fine — use about ½ teaspoon to substitute.
- Ginger: Again, I like to use minced fresh ginger, but the recipe will still be super tasty with powdered ginger.
- Red Pepper Flakes: These can be omitted for a milder dish, or you can use a couple of pinches of cayenne for more heat.
- Broth: To give our one-pot pasta more flavor, I use chicken broth instead of water to cook the pasta. You can also use vegetable broth or water, depending on what you have or prefer.
- Soy Sauce and Hoisin Sauce: These two Asian sauces combine to make the perfect easy chow mein sauce! Use low sodium soy sauce to reduce the sodium content.
- Noodles: You’ll need a box (375 grams or about 13 ounces) of whole grain spaghettini pasta or an equal amount of dried ramen or chow mein noodles. You can usually find ramen or chow mein noodles in the Asian section of your grocery store.
- Water and Cornstarch: These are optional to thicken the sauce.
How to make One Pan Chicken Chow Mein:
This recipe is easiest and fastest if you get your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you start the cooking process! For the full list of recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card.
- Place a large skillet on the stovetop, add the chicken, and sauté or stir fry until the chicken cubes are mostly browned.
- Add the veggies and cook for a few minutes until softened.
- Stir the garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes into the mixture, and cook.
- Stir in your broth of choice (or water), the soy sauce, and the hoisin sauce. Bring everything to a boil, then add the noodles. Cook until al dente and serve.
Tips and Variations
- Use a different meat: This dish works well with lean, cubed, boneless pork chops, cubes of firm, well-drained tofu, or even browned ground beef. If you’re into batch cooking or meal prep, you can make a big batch of Instant Pot Shredded Chicken or Crockpot Shredded Chicken and set some aside for this Chicken Chow Mein!
- Mix up the veggies: You might want to mix up the veggies. Onions, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, green beans, snow peas, bean sprouts, green onions, bok choy, water chestnuts… the choices are endless!
- Use two pans: If you like, you can cook the noodles in the broth separately from the stir-fried, saucy veggies and chicken. Cook them until al dente, and then give them a quick stir fry in a skillet to get a crispy pan-fried texture.
- Thicken it up: If you want a thicker sauce, mix a bit of cornstarch with water and stir the mixture into the pot. The sauce will thicken as you stir.
How to store Chicken Chow Mein:
Store this pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to 3 days.
The best way to reheat saucy pasta is in the microwave or in a covered skillet with a splash of broth to keep it from drying out.
- To Microwave: Place the desired portion in a shallow layer on a plate, add a splash of broth or water and microwave for 10-30 seconds at a time until hot. Stir to prevent hot and cold spots.
- To Reheat on the Stove: Place the desired portion in a shallow layer in a skillet. Add a splash of water or broth if the pasta seems dry. Heat on low, covered, until the dish is steaming hot.
Serving Suggestions:
This one-pot meal is complete in itself, but if you’d like to add an extra dish or two, one of these simple takeout-style recipes would be a great choice!
- Sweet and Sour Chicken: Another slow-cooker favorite, this easy Crockpot Sweet and Sour Chicken is a sticky, sweet, and tangy main course the whole family will adore.
- Mongolian Beef: Set it and forget it! This Mongolian Beef with Pineapple is great over your favorite rice or noodles.
- Grilled Chicken: Sweet and Spicy Coconut Grilled Chicken? How can I put this… you need this chicken in your life! And you don’t have to use an outdoor grill. It cooks up just as perfectly on a grill pan or cast iron skillet.
More one-pot recipes you’ll love:
- One Pot BBQ Chicken Chili Mac — loaded with protein and veggies.
- One Pot Taco Pasta Recipe — this one is always a hit with the kids!
- One Pot Lemon Orzo pasta — fresh and not too heavy!
- One Pot Teriyaki Chicken, Rice and Vegetables — another Asian-inspired noodle dish.
One Pot Chicken Chow Mein
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
- 3 cups shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix
- 1 red pepper thinly sliced
- 1 cup shredded or matchstick carrots
- 1 cup stringless snap peas
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼-½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth*
- ⅓ cup soy sauce*
- ⅓ cup hoisin sauce
- 340 grams whole grain spaghettini pasta (or an equal amount of fresh chow mein noodles **)
- 2 tablespoons water optional
- 1 tablespooon corn starch optional
- honey for sweetening optional
Instructions
- Add oil to a large pot and cook chicken over medium-high heat, just until mostly white on the oustide.
- Add cabbage, pepper, carrots, and peas, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until veggies are softened slightly.
- Add garlic, ginger, salt and pepper flakes and cook 1 minute.
- Stir in broth, soy sauce and hoisin sauce and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add pasta and reduce heat to medium.
- Cover and cook, stirring every couple of minutes so that the pasta doesn't stick together (we don't want clumps!), until al dente or desired tenderness is reached.
- If desired, combine corn starch and water and stir into pasta to thicken sauce. You can also add a tablespoon or so of honey to balance out the soy sauce if needed. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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phillis simon says
My family loved this!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad!
Christy says
My family loved this! I made the lo mein noodles separately and omitted the cabbage, but other than that I followed the recipe and my family couldn’t stop raving about it. We love Japanese bbq sauce and yum yum sauce so we added a little of each and it made for the perfect meal! Thank you for sharing this
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing Christy!
JM says
Not a great quality meal. It was mediocre at best. I am a well seasoned cook and have tried various ethnic cuisines and techniques and this dish does not the cut for a repeat meal. Yes, it’s simple to make and worth it if you don’t mind quality.
Ashley Fehr says
Sorry you didn’t enjoy it! We do and lots of others here do as well. Maybe next time, you could say what exactly it is you didn’t like, and what would make it better suited to your sophisticated palate.
Sarah R. says
Turned out wayyy too salty. I used low sodium chicken broth as well as low sodium soy sauce so I’m really not sure what went wrong.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m sorry to hear that Sarah! Is it possible that less noodles, vegetables or chicken were used? This would make the flavors of the sauce stronger.
Marion Kelton says
I needed something new…and this was it.. The first time I made it, it was too soupy so we only added 2 cups of chicken broth and added snow peas instead of the snap peas and cooked the noodles before hand. It was delicious..
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing! The amount of liquid needed definitely depends on the type of noodles.
Riley says
My husband and I LOVED this!! It even came out a little soupier than intended because I used chow mein noodles and didn’t read your note about the broth—will be doing that next time, but it was still fantastic! Do you have any suggestions on how to warm up the leftovers?
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Riley! Since you have extra moisture, I would just toss it in a pan on the stovetop or on a plate in the microwave, cover and heat gently. Normally I recommend adding a splash of liquid when reheating but you shouldn’t need to!
Moob says
Suggesting the whole wheat noodles was the fattest mistake you could do to this recipe. Tasted horrible. Use actual
Chow mein noodles for an actual good meal.
The Recipe Rebel says
I’m sorry to hear the recipe wasn’t to your taste, Moob. I know it’s disappointing to try a new recipe and not enjoy it. I (and many other readers) have enjoyed it, so I really wish they would’ve been a hit for you too!
Regina Ford says
I have never left a review for anything before but this is the exception I made this tonight too the recipe except for the capsicum as I don’t like em, I have to say this was DELICIOUS, DELICIOUS, DELICIOUS thank you❤️
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you so much Regina!
Michelle says
Hard to keep noodles from clumping. Good flavor.
The Recipe Rebel says
You definitely have to stir every couple of minutes so that the pasta doesn’t stick together. Also it’s best to cook them to al dente, this also helps with them not sticking.
susan says
looks delicious
The Recipe Rebel says
Enjoy!
Corinne Poulten says
Just had this for dinner and I had three bowls! I added sweet chilli sauce on top. The whole family lives it. Will be making it lots more! Thanks for the recipe!!!!!!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Corinne! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Dave says
Kinda just flavourless and bland. The end result just tasted salty even after using low sodium soy sauce and no added salt, and the meal wasn’t really filling at all. Would very much recommend taking out some of the soy sauce, chicken broth, and hoisin sauce and fiddling around with spices to give this flavour. We like to make a big one pot meal to take for lunches for the week, and this one didn’t really meet the mark. A little upset we spent so much on groceries and time making it for something we ended up needing to toss out, because we couldn’t stomach the salt and were still hungry after anyway…
The Recipe Rebel says
I’m sorry to hear you had trouble with the recipe Dave. The amounts and ingredients have worked well for myself (and others) have enjoyed it, so I wished it would of been a hit for you too.
Nathalie says
Bonsoir,
Merci pour cette recette délicieuse et rapide à préparer. C’est certain que je la referai.
Teri says
Can you substitute with fresh chow mein noodles? If so, do I reduce the cooking time or the amount of chicken broth? Would really like to try
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Teri, I’ve only tested the recipe as written, but you could likely try it. I would check the package of the noodles to see how long they need to cook. Hope you enjoy it!
Johnny Dalla-Longa says
Very yummy..added water chestnuts and green beans as well..very addicting
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Johnny! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Jourdan says
I make this recipe almost weekly and love having leftovers. It’s almost better the next day after the flavors all settle together. It’s a big hit at my house. Substituting chicken with crab meat when I make this tonight and I know it’ll turn out great! I get two bags of mixed veggies with the water chestnuts and double the sauce. It seems like I tweek it a little every time I make it and never have had a bad batch. So easy, quick, and cheap for a busy mom. Much thanks!!!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Jourdan! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!
Ian says
Wow! What an exciting recipe Ashley. Chow Mein is my favourite dish and your creation is just wonderful. And as for Chicken Lo Mein, I never considered trying this. I can’t wait both to make it and to serve it. Thank you for this recipe, Ashley.
Jessica says
I loved the aromas of everything mixed – but there was something missing. Followed the recipe as stated, but omitted chicken (vegeterian option), It tasted bitter to me, and felt like it needed something – I can’t quite get my finger on it. Thanks for sharing the recipe and making me attempt the dish.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Jessica! I’m sorry the flavor wasn’t what you had hoped for! Next time, you could always bump up the seasonings to your liking! Thanks for trying it out!
Vicki says
Good! Satisfied my cravingfor some Asian fare. I made it for my son and myself….husband is doing low carb and won’t eat pasta…..I’m making him a keto recipe for his dinner. (Good thing I like to cook!!) My son won’t eat cabbage, but I noticed you said you could use a coleslaw mix, so I used broccoli slaw that comes pre-packaged and ready to use. Tasted wonderful!!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Vicki! It’s one of my favorite shortcuts!
Laura says
Lovely recipe – My fussy husband even had a second portion. Easy to make and very tasty
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Laura!
Kristin says
hello! this might be a dumb question, but should i be adding the noodles raw or cooked?
Thanks!
Renee Brown says
Raw! 🙂
Valerie says
Can you add small shrimp with the chicken? Going to make this tomorrow
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Valerie, I’ve only make this recipe as written. If you decide to experiment with shrimp, let me know how it goes!