I absolutely love this dish as it is so nourishing and you can pack in whatever veggies you like – great for using up what’s in the crisper drawer! Even better, it can be on the table in just 25 minutes, from start to finish, and uses only one pan and simple, low-cost pantry ingredients. When I want to make a healthy and satisfying meal but I’m low on energy and time, this is what I turn to as I know everyone will be happy. If you’ve ever wondered how your favourite Chinese restaurant gets the chicken so soft and tender, this recipe provides the answer! The secret is marinating the chicken in bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) before cooking. You can find this recipe in my cookbook, The Simple Dinner Edit, which is a collection of 80 easy, delicious dinner ideas and time-saving tips that is available to order now.
What other vegetables could I add to this chow mein?
This is such a great recipe for including whatever vegetables you like, especially those in the crisper drawer that are nearing their use-by date. If you have fussy eaters in the family, you can vary the veggies to suit them. Instead of the cabbage you could try your favourite Asian greens, such as wombok (napa cabbage), bok choy (pak choy), choy sum or Chinese broccoli (gai lan), or try snow peas (mangetout), sugar snap peas or green beans.
Can I make this dish vegetarian?
Yes! If you add extra vegetables, the dish will still be gorgeous just with the noodles and flavoursome sauce. You can also use firm tofu in place of the chicken in the recipe. Prepare the tofu by draining it, then slicing it into 1 cm pieces. You could also toss tofu puffs into the dish in the last 2–3 minutes of cooking. Slice them in half first using kitchen scissors so they can soak up all of the delicious stir-fry sauce.
Can I spice the dish up?
If you love heat, you can easily add some freshly chopped bird’s eye chillies to the finished dish (or just the portions of the spice-lovers). Or drizzle some chilli oil over the top.
Watch how to make Quick Chicken Chow Mein
What are some other easy noodle dishes?
If you love noodles and enjoyed Quick Chicken Chow Mein, you are sure to like:Filipino Stir-fried Noodles & ChickenGinger Chicken NoodlesQuick Beef and Broccoli NoodlesSticky Beef NoodlesSticky Pork NoodlesRed Curry Peanut NoodlesTuna Miso Soba Noodles 4.7 from 7 reviews Hot tip – Top with extra soy sauce or tamari, sesame oil and chilli oil (optional) for extra flavour!
MAKE AHEAD
Prepare the chicken and shred the vegetables up to 2 days before cooking for an extra-fast, easy-to-put-together dinner.
LEFTOVERS
Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave. Not suitable to freeze.
