Save cash and dine IN tonight with our Better-Than-Takeout Chicken Chow Mein. It's a fresh upgrade on a classic comfort food!
Do you have a favorite take-out menu item? Hands down, Chicken Chow Mein tops our list. Tender, juicy chicken, crisp veggies, chewy noodles, and topped off with a flavorful sauce, it's a classic Compston comfort food! Today, we're saving our cash and dining IN with our homemade nod to Better-Than-Takeout Chicken Chow Mein. Quick, delicious, and ready in 30, this dish is a simple weekday staple you'll want to make again and again!
WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO MAKE THIS
Chicken
We LOVE chicken thighs in this recipe. They are tender, flavorful, and cost-friendly. You can swap thighs out for chicken breast, pork, beef, or even tofu with great results.
Noodles
Noodles are essential for this dish! We grab chow mein noodles from our local grocer chain in the international food aisle.
Vegetables
Vegetables add fiber, nutrients, flavor, and color to dish. We like a mix of green cabbage, carrots, bean sprouts, and celery, but any favorite mix will do. Fresh or frozen vegetables work. In a pinch, you can even toss in whatever frozen veggies you've got on hand.
Garlic and Ginger
We strongly recommend fresh garlic and ginger, which add incredible flavor to the meal. If you don't tolerate fresh or cooked garlic, garlic oil or granulated garlic can substitute in its place.
Simple Sauce
We truly believe you cannot beat the flavor of a homemade sauce. What it lacks in a laundry list of ingredients, it more than makes up for in satisfying, savory flavor.
Better-Than-Takeout Chicken Chow Mein
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken thighs
- 8 oz chow mein noodles
- 4 cups shredded green cabbage
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 3 cups bean sprouts
- 2 celery stalks, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
Simple Sauce
- ⅓ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 2-3 tsp sugar
Instructions
- Whisk sauce ingredients together, set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook noodles until tender. Drain and set aside.
- Heat 1-2 tablespoon oil in a large pan or wok over medium high heat. Add chicken thighs and cook 4-5 minutes each side, until done. Remove and let rest 5 minutes until slicing into bite-sized pieces.
- To pan, add veggies, garlic, and ginger, and cook until desired consistency (we like to leave a little crunch). Once veggies are done, remove from heat. To pan, add in chicken, cooked noodles, and sauce and toss well to combine. Serve immediately.
Nutrition

Looking for more easy weekday meals? Check out our 30-minute Sheet Pan Pineapple Chicken.
Leave a Reply