One Pot Chicken Chow Mein

By Lucy Parissi

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, Published Sep 26, 2025

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Skip the takeout — this homemade One Pot Chicken Chow Mein is ready in under 30 minutes. Easy prep, simple fresh ingredients and big flavor!

A wok filled with chicken chow mein - stir-fried noodles, sliced chicken, carrots, green onions, and other vegetables, garnished with chopped green onions on top.

Chicken Chow Mein is one of those recipes that feels like a treat on takeout night… but is so easy and quick to stir up at home. This one pot version keeps things super simple: the noodles, chicken, vegetables and sauce all cook together for minimal fuss and maximum flavor. You’ll get tender chicken, crisp-tender vegetables, and glossy noodles coated in a addicting savory sauce. Best of all? Only one pot to wash up afterwards.

And if you are wondering “why make Chow Mein at home when you can easily order some in?” Because YOU are in control, so it will taste way better than takeout, so much fresher and you can customize it to include your fave ingredients.

Three black bowls filled with chicken chow mein: noodles, chicken, green beans, and sliced vegetables. A pair of chopsticks rests on one bowl, and a small dish of red chili sauce sits nearby on a blue surface.

Ingredients for Chicken Chow Mein

Chow Mein (炒面) is a Chinese dish – the name literally means “fried noodles”–that’s beloved around the world. Vegetables, noodles and some kind of protein and wok-fried in a sauce that balances salty, sweet and umami flavors. This easy chicken version includes the following key ingredients:

  • Chicken breasts – lean protein, thinly sliced for quick cooking.
  • Noodles – Use fresh Chow Mein noodles that can be added straight to the wok without boiling first. If you can’t get hold of these, use dried egg noodles or ramen, cooked separately for best texture.
  • Vegetables – I used shredded cabbage, sliced onions, carrots, celery, green beans, and green onions for color, crunch and freshness. This is where you can get creative, using whatever veggies you like – try snap peas, fresh bean sprouts, sliced peppers,
  • For the marinade / sauce – minced garlic and ginger, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and Chinese cooking wine for that glossy, savory finish.
  • Seasonings – chicken bouillon powder, sugar and red pepper flakes.
  • Thickener and tenderizer – cornstarch and a pinch of baking soda keep chicken ultra tender and create a silky sauce.
  • Oils – neutral oil for cooking (peanut, canola etc).
A top-down view of prepared ingredients for a stir-fry, including raw chicken breasts, shredded cabbage, sliced onions, chopped carrots, celery, green beans, green onions, dry noodles, and various seasonings in bowls.

How to Make One Pot Chicken Chow Mein

  1. Make the sauce (which doubles as the chicken marinade): In a bowl, combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, Chinese cooking wine, sesame oil, sugar, red pepper flakes, minced ginger and garlic.
  2. Marinate the chicken: Slice the chicken breast into thin strips and place in a bowl. Add the baking soda and two tablespoons of the sauce, stir well, cover and chill for an hour or marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes if you are in a hurry.
Split image: Left side shows hands mixing a brown sauce in a pink bowl. Right side shows the sauce being spooned over raw, sliced chicken in a blue bowl. Both bowls are on a light-colored surface.
  1. Prepare the vegetables: Cut the onion, carrot, celery and cabbage into thin strips the width of a matchstick and about three inches in length (this technique is called “julienne”). Top and tail the green beans and cut in half. Slice the green onions, keeping the green and white parts separate.
  2. Fry the chicken: Heat the wok, add neutral oil and fry the chicken strips over high heat for about a minute until they start coloring.
  3. Add the veggies: In go the julienned vegetables (onions, carrot, celery, cabbage, carrots), green beans and white part of the onions. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes or until the cabbage cooks down.
Side-by-side images: on the left, raw sliced chicken is being cooked in a pan; on the right, the chicken is topped with julienned carrots, green bell peppers, and green onions.
  1. Time for the sauce: Add the sauce and water, stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Add the noodles and green part of the scallions and toss everything together until the noodles are coated in the sauce.
  2. Serve! Garnish with extra sliced green onions and serve.
A split image: On the left, stir-fried vegetables and chicken in a pan; on the right, a hand pours a brown sauce over the same mixture of cabbage, carrots, chicken, and green beans.
A hand using tongs to mix chow mein noodles, sliced chicken, and assorted vegetables—carrots, green beans, and onions—in a large black pan.

Recipe Notes and Tips

  • Leftovers and storage: Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat with a splash of water to loosen the sauce. Chow Mein is best prepared fresh, not really suitable for freezing.
  • Chicken powder (or chicken bouillon powder) is widely used in Chinese cooking. This seasoning is made from dehydrated chicken combined with salt, sugar and flavor enhancers like MSG (monosodium glutamate). There’s a lot of controversy associated with MSG and some people prefer to avoid it even though if it’s generally considered safe. Feel free to add or skip as you see fit, or replace with a crushed chicken stock cube.

Chow Mein Variations

  • Shrimp Chow Mein: Replace the chicken with shrimp for a shrimp chow mein – sauté the shrimp until they turn pink and transfer onto a plate. Proceed with the recipe and add the shrimp back in when you stir in the sauce and noodles. 
  • Beef Chow Mein – Use thin strips of flank steak or sirloin. Use the velveting technique for tenderness.
  • Vegetable Chow Mein – Skip the chicken and double the vegetables. Add mushrooms, baby corn, or snow peas for extra crunch.
  • Low-Carb / Gluten-Free – Replace the noodles with shirataki noodles (konjac noodles).
  • Vegan variation – Use tofu instead of the chicken and up the veggies.
A bowl of stir-fried noodles with vegetables and chicken, garnished with green onions, is being picked up with chopsticks. A small dish of chili sauce is visible in the background.

This One Pot Chicken Chow Mein proves that comfort food doesn’t need to mean takeout boxes or stacks of dishes. Quick, easy, and endlessly adaptable, it’s a recipe you’ll come back to again and again. Please leave a comment and rating if you try this recipe, follow me on Pinterest for more easy dishes and don’t forget to tag me on  @Instagram or TikTok so I can see your creations.

A wok filled with chicken chow mein - stir-fried noodles, sliced chicken, carrots, green onions, and other vegetables, garnished with chopped green onions on top.
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One Pot Chicken Chow Mein

By Lucy Parissi | Supergolden Bakes
Skip the takeout — this homemade One Pot Chicken Chow Mein is ready in under 30 minutes. Stir-fried vegetables, tender chicken, noodles and a savory sauce come together for a satisfying meal packed with flavor. 
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Marinating (while you prep!): 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4
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Video

Equipment

Ingredients

For the sauce

  • ⅓ cup (80ml) light soy sauce or tamari
  • 2 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 2 tbsp Chinese Cooking wine or mirin
  • 2 tsp fresh grated ginger
  • 3 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 tsp chicken powder , optional! See Note 1
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • ½ tsp white pepper
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch (= cornflour)
  • ¼ tsp red pepper flakes

For the chicken

  • 3 large chicken breasts , sliced into thin strips
  • 1 tsp baking soda (= bicarbonate of soda)
  • 2 tbsp neutral oil peanut, canola / rapeseed

For the Chow Mein

  • 1 white onion , julienned
  • 3 carrots , julienned
  • 2 stalks celery , julienned
  • 1 cup (100g) fine green beans , halved
  • 2 ½ cups (250g) green cabbage , shredded
  • 4 green onions (spring onions) , sliced
  • 10 ½ oz (300g) fresh chow mein noodles See Note 2
  • ¼ cup (4 tbsp) water , or as needed

To serve

  • sliced green onions
  • crisp chili oil to taste (optional – for a bit of heat)

Instructions 

  • Make the sauce / marinade: combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and stir well to combine.
    ⅓ cup (80ml) light soy sauce, 2 tbsp oyster sauce, 2 tbsp Chinese Cooking wine, 2 tsp fresh grated ginger, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 2 tsp chicken powder, 2 tsp sugar, ½ tsp white pepper, ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • Marinate the chicken: Slice the chicken breast into thin strips and place in a bowl. Add the baking soda and two tablespoons of the sauce, stir well, cover and chill for an hour or marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes if you are in a hurry.
    3 large chicken breasts, 1 tsp baking soda
  • Prepare the vegetables: Cut the onion, carrot, celery and cabbage into thin strips the width of a matchstick and about three inches in length (this technique is called “julienne”). Top and tail the green beans and cut in half. Slice the green onions, keeping the green and white parts separate.
    1 white onion, 3 carrots, 2 stalks celery, 1 cup (100g) fine green beans, 2 ½ cups (250g) green cabbage, 4 green onions (spring onions)
  • Fry the chicken: Heat the wok, add neutral oil and fry the chicken strips over high heat for about a minute until they start coloring.
    2 tbsp neutral oil
  • Add the veggies: In go the julienned vegetables (onions, carrot, celery, cabbage, carrots), green beans and white part of the onions. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes or until the cabbage cooks down.
  • Time for the sauce: Add the sauce and water, stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Add the noodles and green part of the scallions and toss everything together until the noodles are coated in the sauce.
    10 ½ oz (300g) fresh chow mein noodles , ¼ cup (4 tbsp) water
  • Serve! Garnish with extra sliced green onions and serve with a drizzle of chili crisp if you like it spicy.
    sliced green onions, crisp chili oil

Notes

  • Note 1: Chicken powder is widely used in Chinese cooking. This seasoning is made from dehydrated chicken combined with salt, sugar and flavor enhancers like MSG. There’s a lot of controversy associated with MSG and some people prefer to avoid it even though if it’s generally considered safe. Feel free to add or skip as you see fit.
  • Note 2: Fresh Chow Mein noodles that can be added straight to the wok without boiling first can be found in the fridge or freezer section of Asian supermarkets. In the UK cooked “straight to wok” noodles are widely available. If you can’t get hold of these, dried egg noodles or ramen are a great choice, cooked separately for best texture.

Nutrition

Calories: 577kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 2545mg | Potassium: 966mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 7794IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.

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