Restaurant Style Chicken Chowmein Recipe (Chilli Oil, Wok Tossed)
This is a restaurant-style chicken chowmein cooked in a roaring wok: marinated, fried chicken strips, finely shredded cabbage, carrot and capsicum, boiled noodles, and a sauce mix of dark soy, chilli sauce, oyster sauce and Chinese chilli oil. The whole cooking takes only about 10 minutes once everything is prepared. The recipe card is for one packet of noodles and 250 g of chicken.
Serves: 3 | Prep: 20 min | Cook: about 10 min
Difficulty: Easy (our estimate) | Best for: quick dinner, lunch, takeaway-style meals
Heat level: medium (our estimate)
Watch the Chicken Chowmein Video
What Makes This Chicken Chowmein Different
A very hot wok. Everything is stir-fried on a high flame for only 1-2 minutes at a time, so the vegetables stay crunchy.
Onion for 15-20 seconds only. The onion goes in first and cooks very briefly so it keeps its crunch.
Fried chicken strips. The chicken is marinated, fried first and set aside, then added back with the vegetables.
Sauces and chilli oil at the end. Dark soy, chilli sauce, oyster sauce and Chinese chilli oil go in near the end for the restaurant flavour.
Ingredient Notes
- Noodles: boil them first and drain well so they do not clump in the wok.
- Chilli oil: Chinese chilli oil gives the market-style taste; use any good brand.
- Vegetables: shred the cabbage and carrot finely and slice the capsicum thin.
| Ingredient | 1 packet noodlesserves 3 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The Base & Vegetables: | ||
| packet Egg Noodles | 1 | Boiled |
| small Onion | 1 | Finely sliced |
| Cabbage | 1 cup | Finely shredded |
| Carrots | 1/2 cup | Julienne cut |
| Capsicum | 1/2 cup | Finely sliced |
| Cooking Oil | 2-3 tbsp | |
| Spring Onions | 1/4 cup | Chopped |
| Fresh Coriander | 1/4 cup | Chopped |
| The Chicken (Marinated & Fried): | ||
| Chicken Boneless | 250 g | Small strips |
| Salt | to taste | to taste |
| White Pepper Powder | not stated | |
| Black Pepper Powder | not stated | |
| Soy Sauce & Chili Sauce | not stated | for marination |
| The Secret Sauce Mix: | ||
| Dark Soy Sauce | 1 tsp | |
| Chili Sauce | 1 tsp | |
| Oyster Sauce | 1 tsp | Mama Sita’s brand recommended |
| Chinese Chili Oil | 1 tsp | The Main Secret |
| Dry Spices: | ||
| Chicken Powder | 1/4 tsp | |
| White Pepper Powder | 1/4 tsp | |
| Salt | to taste | to taste |
| Sugar | 1/2 tsp | to balance flavors |
Amounts are from the video and recipe card. Items marked * are our estimate.
How to Make Chicken Chowmein
1. Prepare the chicken
Marinate the chicken strips with salt, black pepper, white pepper, soy sauce and chilli sauce, then fry them and set them aside.
2. Sauté the onion
Heat the cooking oil in a large wok and sauté the finely sliced onion for only 15-20 seconds so it stays crunchy.
3. Stir-fry the vegetables and chicken
Add the fried chicken, cabbage, carrot and capsicum and stir-fry on a high flame for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the noodles
Add the boiled noodles to the wok and mix with the vegetables, stir-frying for 1-2 minutes more.
5. Add the sauces
Add the spring onions and fresh coriander, then the dark soy sauce, chilli sauce, oyster sauce and Chinese chilli oil.
6. Season and toss
Add the chicken powder, white pepper, salt and a little sugar and toss quickly on a high flame for 1-2 minutes.
7. Serve
Garnish with spring onions and serve hot.
Authentic Restaurant-Style Chicken Chowmein (Secret Chili Oil Recipe)
Ingredients
Method
- Sabse pehle chicken ko namak, kali mirch, safed mirch, soy sauce aur chili sauce ke saath marinate karein aur fry karke side par rakh dein.
- Ek bade wok ya kadhai mein cooking oil garam karein aur bareek kati hui pyaaz ko sirf 15-20 seconds ke liye sauté karein. Pyaaz ka crunch barkaraar rehna chahiye.
- Ab ismein fried chicken, band-gobhi, gajar aur shimla mirch shamil karein. In sabziyon ko 1-2 minute ke liye high flame par sauté karein taake ye soft ho jayein lekin inka rang kharab na ho.
- Uble hue (boiled) noodles ko wok mein dalein aur sabziyon ke saath achi tarah mix karte hue 1-2 minute mazeed sauté karein.
- Ab ismein spring onions aur hara dhania shamil karein. Saath hi dark soy sauce, chili sauce, oyster sauce aur sabse zaroori Chinese chili oil shamil karein.
- Sari dry seasoning jaise chicken powder, white pepper, namak aur thodi si cheeni (sugar) shamil karein. High flame par 1-2 minute ke liye tezi se toss karein taake saare sauces noodles par achi tarah lipat jayein.
- Aapki garma-garam aur lazeez Chicken Chowmein taiyar hai. Isay mazeed spring onions se garnish karke serve karein.
Video
Notes
Chicken Chowmein Problems and How to Fix Them
- The noodles are sticky: they were not drained well, or were overcooked. Boil them just until done and drain well.
- The vegetables are soft: the wok was not hot enough or they cooked too long. Keep the flame high and the stir-fry short.
- The chowmein is bland: add the chilli oil and check the salt at the end.
Serving and Storing
Serve hot straight from the wok, garnished with spring onions. Chowmein is best eaten fresh; reheat in a hot pan with a splash of water.
Chicken Chowmein FAQs
Why cook the onion for so little time?
It keeps its crunch, which gives the chowmein its restaurant texture.
Can I skip the chilli oil?
You can, but it gives the market-style taste.
Can I make it without chicken?
Yes. Leave the chicken out and add more vegetables.
More Recipes
- Chicken macaroni: another quick pasta dish.
- Bakery style spring rolls: a crispy starter to go with it.
