A deliciously easy peasy version of a Chinese Takeaway favourite! This Special Chow Mein is not only quick and simple to make, it’s also healthier than a standard takeaway version… and cheaper too! What’s not to like?
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Special Chow Mein Fakeaway
What’s your favourite thing to order from the Chinese Takeaway? I have two – plain egg fried rice and chow mein. No matter what else we order, I have to order those two dishes!
But to tell the truth, these days I prefer to make my own ‘fakeaway’ versions of these Chinese takeaway classics – it’s healthier and cheaper!
I nailed my own version of egg fried rice a long time ago, and I’ve already shared several egg fried rice variations on Easy Peasy Foodie… but it’s taken me a long time to develop a chow mein recipe I am happy with.
Is this a perfect copy of a Chinese restaurant special chow mein? No – to do that, you’d need specialist equipment and a much longer list of ingredients. (And much less healthy ingredients too!) And you know that’s not what this website is all about!
As with all my fakeaway recipes, I’ve tried to capture the ‘essence’ of the dish, while keeping the ingredients list as short and healthy as possible, and only using normal home kitchen equipment.
I hope you love this Special Chow Mein as much as I do!
What’s in Special Chow Mein?
The exact recipe varies from restaurant to restaurant, but Special Chow Mein always contains noodles and chow mein sauce, and typically contains a mix of vegetables and proteins, such as chicken, prawns or pork.
In my version of Special Chow Mein I have used chicken and prawns for the protein, and a mix of onions, carrots, red pepper, cabbage and bean sprouts for the vegetables. But you can adapt this to suit your own preferences and/or what you have in the fridge. (See below for ideas on how to adapt this recipe.)
How to make Special Chow Mein at home
Making Special Chow Mein at home is surprisingly easy if you use my recipe!
All you need to do is mix all the Chow Mein Sauce ingredients in a jam jar, then stir 1 tablespoon of the sauce into the diced chicken and prepare all the vegetables. Next, cook the noodles in boiling water, and fry the chicken pieces in a very hot wok. Remove the chicken and then fry the vegetables in the same wok. Finally, add the chicken back to the pan, along with the cooked prawns, the rest of the sauce, the drained noodles, beansprouts and spring onions, and stir fry until everything is cooked to perfection.
The whole thing takes just 20 minutes from start to finish (quicker than getting a takeaway delivered where I live!) and produces delicious results every time.
(Full recipe given in the recipe card below.)
What to serve with Special Chow Mein
This Special Chow Mein really is a complete meal in its own right – and that’s exactly how I like to serve it on a busy weekday evening.
But, of course, you can serve this as part of a Chinese themed spread, featuring other Chinese fakeaway dishes, such as Egg Fried Rice or Sweet and Sour Chicken.
What to drink with Special Chow Mein
As with most Chinese-style dishes, Special Chow Mein is best paired with aromatic whites like Riesling, Pinot Gris, Viognier or Gewurztraminer. Another great option is a fruity rosé, but I’d steer clear of red wine as it tends to clash with the flavours here.
How to get that smoky taste in Chow Mein at home
One of the key features of a classic chow mein is that slightly smoky taste. Restaurant chefs achieve that smoky taste (called ‘wok hei’) by using specialist equipment: a well seasoned carbon steel wok and restaurant burners which cook food at a much higher temperature.
Well, unless you happen to have a professional kitchen at home, that’s not going to be possible… but what I found is, if you stir fry the veggies, especially the cabbage, over a high heat and don’t use too much oil, you can lightly ‘char’ the veggies and this will give you a hint of that smoky flavour. Don’t go too far, though or you’ll end up burning the veggies!
Tips for making the perfect chow mein at home
I have 5 tips for making the perfect chow mein at home:
1. Prep everything first, then cook
Once you start cooking, you need to work fast. That means you need everything prepped before you start cooking. If you don’t, something will almost certainly get overcooked!
2. Don’t fully cook your noodles
If you are using dried noodles, you will need to cook them in boiling water first before adding to the wok. Since they will cook a little more when you add them to the wok, I recommend slightly undercooking your noodles in the boiling water. The brand I use, cooks to perfection in 4 minutes, so I cook them for 3½ minutes in the boiling water.
3. Toss your noodles in sesame oil
If you work fast, you may be able to get away with not bothering with this step. But if you are leaving the noodles to stand for more than a minute, toss with a tablespoon of sesame oil to stop the noodles sticking together.
4. Don’t fully cook your chicken… the first time
For the same reason, when you stir fry your chicken, only stir fry it for about 3 minutes. At that point the chicken won’t be fully cooked inside, but it will be nicely browned on the outside. When you add the chicken back to the wok at the end, it will finish cooking – resulting in perfectly cooked, juicy chicken.
5. Check your chicken!
Cooked as per the instructions in the recipe card, the chicken should be fully cooked all the way through. However, if you are at all unsure, check the chicken is cooked through by cutting open the largest piece you can find. There should be no pink meat. If you do find pink meat, return the pan to the heat and continue cooking for a further minute, then check again.
Make it your own…
I have spent a long time working on my homemade version of Special Chow Mein, trying to come up with the ‘perfect’ combination of proteins and vegetables… but of course you can adapt this recipe to suit your own personal preferences and/or what you have in your fridge. Here are some ideas…
- Use leftover cooked pork instead of, or as well as the chicken and prawns
- Fry up some bacon before you fry the chicken and add that back in at the same time as the prawns (or instead of the prawns)
- Use a different type of cabbage, instead of savoy cabbage
- Use different vegetables, such as mushrooms, long stem broccoli, mangetouts or baby corn.
- Add a sprinkle of chilli flakes or some fresh chillis – not traditional, but it really works!
I’d love to hear how you’ve adapted my recipe! Let me know in the comments section 😀
Can you reheat leftover Special Chow Mein?
No – this is a dish that’s best served fresh!
Can you freeze leftover Special Chow Mein?
No – this is a dish that’s best served fresh!
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
- Easy Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Easy Sweet and Sour Pork
- Easy Beef Chow Mein
- Easy Special Fried Rice
- Easy Sesame Chicken
- Crispy Sweet Chilli Chicken
Easy Peasy Special Fried Rice
Special Chow Mein (Chinese Takeaway Copycat)
Ingredients
Easy Chow Mein Sauce
- 3 tablespoons oyster sauce (I use Lee Kum Kee Premium Oyster Sauce*)
- 4 tablespoons dark soy sauce (I use Kikkoman Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce*)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cornflour
- 3 tablespoons cold water
Special Chow Mein Stir Fry
- 300 g chicken breast cut into bitesize pieces (roughly 2cm / ¾ inch cubes)
- 1 small onion thinly sliced
- 1 medium carrot peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 1 small red pepper peeled and cut into matchsticks
- ½ small savoy cabbage sliced thinly
- 150 g beansprouts
- 4 spring onions thinly sliced
- 225 g dried medium egg noodles (I use Sharwoods Medium Egg Noodles*)
- 1 tablespoon oil (See Note 1)
- 300 g ready-cooked jumbo king prawns
Instructions
- Mix all the Chow Mein Sauce ingredients in a jam jar (or similar). Screw the lid on tightly and give it a good shake.
- Place the diced chicken in a large bowl and drizzle over 1 tablespoon of the sauce. Stir well so all the chicken is coated in the sauce.
- Prepare all the vegetables as above. (This is important because you will need to work fast afterwards!)
- Place the dried noodles in a saucepan. Cover with plenty of boiling water. Bring back to the boil and cook for 3½ minutes or until nearly (but not quite) done to your liking. Use a fork to separate the noodles during cooking to ensure they don’t all clump together. Drain immediately when cooked. (See Note 2.)
- Meanwhile, in a wok (or very large frying pan), heat the oil over a high heat for 1 minute. Add the chicken pieces and fry until light golden brown on all sides, stirring regularly. (Approximately 3 minutes – do not overcook!) Remove the chicken to a plate.
- Put the wok back over a high heat and add the sliced onion, carrot, red pepper and cabbage. Fry for 2 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Add the chicken back to the pan, along with the cooked prawns and all the sauce. Turn the heat down to medium and cook for 2 minutes, stirring regularly. The sauce should thicken and the chicken will cook through fully. (See Note 3.)
- Add the drained noodles, beansprouts and HALF the sliced spring onions. Stir together thoroughly for 1 minute, then turn off the heat.
- Serve immediately garnished with the remaining sliced spring onions.
Notes
- Use a neutral oil such as rapeseed, vegetable or sunflower. Alternatively, if you prefer cooking with olive oil, use a mild olive oil.
- If you are leaving the noodles to stand for more than a minute, toss with a tablespoon of sesame oil to stop the noodles sticking together. Don’t quite fully cook your noodles at this point, as they will cook a little more in the wok.
- Cooked as per the above instructions, the chicken should be fully cooked all the way through. However, if you are at all unsure, check the chicken is cooked through by cutting open the largest piece you can find. There should be no pink meat. If you do find pink meat, return the pan to the heat and continue cooking for a further minute, then check again.
- Not suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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Disclosure
*This blog post contains affiliate links, this means if you click on a link and go on to buy the product I recommend, I will get a small commission, but you will not be charged a penny more – thanks in advance!
Elizabeth Schofield says
Really lovely meal and so easy will definitely be making it again. It makes 1 chicken breast go a long way
Eb Gargano says
Yay – I am so happy to hear that! Thank you for this lovely review 😀