Quick & Easy Crispy Chow Mein Noodles

Name: Quick & Easy Crispy Chow Mein Noodles
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 lb Chow Mein Noodles (fresh kind); 2 cups baby bok choy (or chopped regular bok choy, gai-lan, cabbage or yu choy sum); 1 cup jumbo shrimp (peeled and deveined ); 1 cup skinless boneless chicken thighs (thinly sliced); 1/2 cup button mushrooms (halved ); 1/3 cup carrots (sliced ); 1 green onion (chopped into 1-inch long pieces); 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or any neutral oil to fry the noodles); 1 tsp vegetable oil (or any neutral oil); 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce (or vegetarian stir fry sauce); 2 tsp regular soy sauce; 1 tsp Shaoxing Cooking Wine (or Dry sherry wine or chicken broth ); ½ tsp cornstarch (or potato starch); 1/8 tsp baking soda (do not skip!); 2.5 tbsp oyster sauce (or vegetarian stir fry sauce); 2.5 tbsp cornstarch (or potato starch); 1 tbsp regular soy sauce; 2 tsp Shaoxing wine (or Dry sherry wine or chicken broth ); 1 tsp white granulated sugar (or cane sugar); 1/2 tsp sesame oil; 2 cups chicken stock (low-sodium kind, or cold water)

Jump to Recipe Video

Crispy fried noodles topped off with a savoury gravy, tender chicken, shrimp and vegetables. These quick and easy crispy chow mein noodles are ready in 30 minutes and beat-takeout, saving you money! A great main or meal for the family.

Jump to:

Ingredients & Substitutes
Expert Tips
Instructions
Storage
Pairing Suggestions
FAQ
Other recipes you may like
📖 Recipe
💬 Reviews

These Crispy Chow Mein Noodles feature crunchy noodles and covered in a delicious thick gravy with bouncy shrimp, tender chicken, bok choy, carrots and mushroom.

This is a popular Hong Kong style dish served at many Chinese restaurants. It's a favorite for many because the thick gravy coats the crispy noodles making them chewy.

At the restaurant, the Chefs usually deep fry the noodles in a lot of oil to make them super crunchy but this doesn't have to be the case at home. You can make the noodles crispy by shallow frying them in less oil in a hot pan.

Another great thing about this easy Asian noodle recipe is the protein and vegetables can be swapped for ones you like. So if you're not a fan of chicken or shrimp, substitute it with beef, pork, or squid. The same goes for the vegetables!

This Chinese dish is highly addictive and will keep you returning for more! It's one of my all-time favourite noodle dishes in the world and I always order it.

It's also a fantastic way to incorporate more veggies and seafood into your diet.

Ingredients & Substitutes

Please scroll down to the below Recipe card for full measurements

key ingredients to make crispy chow mein noodles

Fresh Chow Mein Noodles: these are thin yellow egg noodles that are also known as "Cantonese-Style Steamed Noodles" or "Cantonese Chow Mein". Asian grocery stores sell these in the refrigerated section. See the FAQ section for an image of them in packaging. Or substitute with fresh wonton noodles and quickly blanch until loosened or dried egg noodles prepared to package directions. Avoid ramen noodles, yaki soba, udon or lo mein noodles or they won't crisp up.
Baby Bok Choy: or substitute with chopped regular bok choy, yu choy sum or baby gai-lan, bean sprouts, snow peas, snap peas, or broccoli.
Jumbo Shrimp: get the easy peel and pre-deveined kind to make things easier! Or substitute with large to small shrimp, squid or fresh scallops but don't over cook it.
Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs: or substitute with chicken breast, pork, flank steak or extra-firm tofu.
Button Mushrooms: or substitute with cremini mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, seafood mushrooms or King oyster mushrooms.
Carrots: or substitute with bell peppers or celery.
Green Onion
Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil. Avoid olive oil or any heavy scented oils.

Chicken Marinade

Oyster sauce: this is a thick brown sauce made of oysters that adds a lot of umami flavor. Or substitute with vegetarian stir-fry sauce.
Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce, light soy sauce, tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce of your choice.
Shaoxing wine: a Chinese rice cooking wine. Or substitute with Dry Sherry. For a non-alcoholic version, substitute with chicken broth.
Cornstarch: or substitute with potato starch or tapioca starch.
Baking Soda: do not skip this as it tenderizes the chicken!

Noodle Sauce

Oyster sauce: or substitute with vegetarian stir fry sauce.
Cornstarch: or potato starch or tapioca starch.
Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce, light soy sauce, tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce of your choice.
Shaoxing wine: or substitute with Dry Sherry or chicken broth.
White Granulated Sugar: or substitute with cane sugar.
Sesame Oil: or substitute with sesame seeds. If you're allergic to sesame, omit this ingredient.
Chicken stock: ideally low-sodium chicken stock. Or substitute with cold water.

Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients or check online stores, like Amazon.

Expert Tips

Use fresh Cantonese chow mein noodles for best results. Substitutes can be used but for the most authentic taste, these noodles are the best to use for their chewy texture.
Prepare ingredients in advance because the cooking process is fast.
Don't over blanch the noodles and only blanch until loosened or they will turn soggy in the pan later.
Don't rinse off the blanched noodles because this will add excess moisture to them and they won't get crispy in the pan.
Be patient when frying the noodles until they turn golden brown on medium heat and no higher or you will burn them.
Use a large serving plate so there's enough room for the crispy noodles and the gravy so you can easily mix everything together.
Cook protein first and set aside to avoid over cooking it later in the sauce.

Instructions

Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make crispy chow mein noodles:

In a large bowl of sliced chicken thighs, mix in the marinade ingredients as listed above and marinate for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl of sliced chicken thighs, mix in the marinade ingredients as listed above and marinate for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the noodle sauce ingredients as listed above and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the noodle sauce ingredients as listed above and set aside.

In a large bowl or large pan filled halfway with water, bring to a boil. Add noodles and blanch for 30 seconds. Strain the noodles and do not rinse with cold water.

In a large bowl or large pan filled halfway with water, bring to a boil. Add noodles and blanch for 30 seconds. Strain the noodles and do not rinse with cold water.

Heat ¼ cup or 60 ml of vegetable oil in a large wok or large pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add noodles and spread them into a circular pancake. Fry until golden and crispy on the bottom. Rotating the pancake occasionally for an even crust.

Heat ¼ cup or 60 ml of vegetable oil in a large wok or large pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add noodles and spread them into a circular pancake. Fry until golden and crispy on the bottom. Rotating the pancake occasionally for an even crust.

Flip over noodles and pour another ¼ cup or 60 ml of vegetable oil around edges of the noodles. Fry until golden crispy and rotating it occasionally. Slide the crispy noodle pancake onto a large serving plate.

Flip over noodles and pour another ¼ cup or 60 ml of vegetable oil around edges of the noodles. Fry until golden crispy and rotating it occasionally. Slide the crispy noodle pancake onto a large serving plate.

On medium heat, add 1 teaspoon or 5 ml vegetable oil and fry chicken until 50% cooked. Add shrimp and cooked until they are pink and curled. Remove and set aside.

On medium heat, add 1 teaspoon or 5 ml vegetable oil and fry chicken until 50% cooked. Add shrimp and cooked until they are pink and curled. Remove and set aside.

Increase to medium-high heat, cook bok choy, carrots, mushrooms and green onions for 1 minute. Pour in the noodle sauce and bring to a simmer to thicken. Then toss back in the cooked chicken and shrimp and stir fry for another minute.

Increase to medium-high heat, cook bok choy, carrots, mushrooms and green onions for 1 minute. Pour in the noodle sauce and bring to a simmer to thicken. Then toss back in the cooked chicken and shrimp and stir fry for another minute.

Pour everything in the pan over the center of the crispy noodles. Enjoy!

Pour everything in the pan over the center of the crispy noodles. Enjoy!

Storage

Crispy chow mein noodles are best enjoyed fresh for best texture.
Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
Freezer friendly? I don't recommend freezing crispy chow mein because the vegetables and noodles will become mushy.

Pairing Suggestions

Crispy chow mein noodles serve well with:

starters like egg rolls, crab rangoons, egg drop soup, hot and sour soup
fried rice
soup noodles
cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
protein dishes like Ginger Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Shrimp Omelet, Soy Garlic Tofu, Soy Sauce Chicken, Oven-Roasted Char Siu or Air Fryer Char Siu, or Chinese Roasted Pork Belly and more!

FAQ

Can I make this in advance?

Crispy chow mein noodles are best enjoyed fresh for that crispy noodle texture. But this can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat.

What do fresh chow mein noodles look like?

Fresh chow mein noodles are yellow in color, thin and have a very chewy texture. They usually come in a plastic package and are found in the refrigerated section at the Asian grocery store.

Are chow mein noodles gluten-free?

Unfortunately chow mein noodles are not gluten-free because they contain flour, which contains gluten.

Other recipes you may like

📖 Recipe