No, It’s Not Authentic Chinese Food. Yes, It Is Delicious.
Remember that steaming hot mound of deeply savory, oil-slicked stir-fried noodles, studded with perfectly tender chicken and veggies that was your go-to order on takeout night? What if you could have that very chicken chow mein you loved as a kid, in your own home, faster that delivery and (of course) fresher, too?
What Is Chow Mein?
And, while we’re on the topic, what’s the difference between chow mein and lo mein? And is chow mein authentically Chinese, or is it American-style Chinese food? You’ve got so many chow mein questions, and luckily, we’ve read up, so we’ve got so many chow mein answers! Let’s dive in:
- What is chicken chow mein? Chow mein falls solidly into the category of Chinese-American cuisine—it is not an authentic Chinese dish. It’s likely derived from a few different authentic stir-fried noodle dishes, but was created in American Chinese restaurants to cater to Western palates. To sum it up, takeout-style chicken chow mien is just a totally retro, deeply inauthentic, much beloved dish that we crave on the regular. You too? Read on for our super easy chow mein recipe!
- What’s the difference between lo mein and chow mein? We’ve done a lot of reading on this topic, and in all honestly, a lot of people in America seem to use these two terms nearly interchangeably, but the primary, most consistent differences seem to be the type of noodles used and the order in which things are cooked. Chow mein is usually made from dried noodles, whereas most lo mein recipes call for fresh egg noodles (the kind you’d find in a refrigerated section of a grocery store). Chow mein recipes (like ours) call for the noodles, veggies and chicken to all be stir-fried together, while many lo mein recipes have the noodles tossed in right at the end or even call for the veggies and / or meat to be served on top of a pile of cooked noodles.
- Will I like this chow mein recipe? Uh, YEAH. These stir-fried noodles are extremely tasty. You can just recycle all those takeout menus now.
The Ingredients You’ll Need To Make Chow Mein
- Chicken breast
- Cornstarch
- Soy sauce
- Dried chow mein noodles
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Oyster sauce. If you’re not familiar with oyster sauce, it’s time to get familiar! This classic Chinese sauce is indeed made from oysters (just like it sounds like it is) and is the key to the super savory goodness of chow mein (and lots of other beloved takeout classics).
- Rice vinegar
- Brown sugar
- Chili sauce
- Sesame oil
- Canola oil
- Veggies: carrots, celery and cabbage
How To Make Chow Mein
There’s a lot of “into the pan, then out of the pan, then back into the pan, then back out of the pan” work to do here, so it’s helpful to have a few plates set near the stovetop while you work. Other than that, this easy chow mein recipe is just that—easy! Here’s how to make it:
- Season the chicken—salt, soy sauce, cornstarch.
- Boil the chicken piece (4 minutes) and the dried chow mein noodles (about 3 minutes) separately.
- Stir-fry the chicken. Stir-fry the boiled chicken pieces for a few minutes in a combo of sesame and canola oil.
- Stir-fry the veggies. Stir-fry the veggies in that same sesame-and-canola oil mixture.
- Make a sauce. Whisk together oyster sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, chili sauce and rice vinegar to make a sauce.
- Stir-fry the noodles! Fry the cooked chow mein noodles with that yummy sauce until the noodles are a bit caramelized and even crispy in places.
- Stir-fry it all together! Add the chicken and veggies and toss it all together.
- Eat up!
Tools You’ll Need
- Wok (or a large skillet works, too)
- Sharp knife
- Mixing bowls
More Better-Than-Takeout Recipes To Try
Toss Those Takeout Menus!
Because you’re a chow mein-making pro now! When you make this recipe, we’d love to hear about it! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!
