What goes in Chow Mein
Chow mein nearly always includes carrots, cabbage, and bean sprouts in addition to noodles, followed by your choice of protein. I’m fairly certain that chicken is the most widely consumed food, but I can’t prove it with statistics. .
Because chicken thighs are more juicy than breast and tenderloin, I prefer to use them in stir fries. When I make this with chicken breast, I always use a Chinese restaurant technique called “bi-carb,” or baking soda to tenderize the chicken. It’s super simple, see directions here: How to Velvet Chicken.
Here’s what you need for the sauce. Chinese cooking wine, which is used in almost everything at your neighborhood Chinese restaurant, is the secret ingredient that makes home cooking genuinely competitive with takeout.
How to make Chow Mein
And here’s how to make it. As I mentioned earlier, once you start cooking, you’ll be plating up in just over 5 minutes, so make sure you have everything ready to go!
It’s perfectly OK to prepare Chow Mein in a skillet as opposed to a wok. Just make sure to use a large one to prevent your noodles from flying off as you toss them enthusiastically!
The truth is that as long as you use the Sauce recipe along with the same amount of noodles and other ingredients (vegetables, protein, etc.) to ensure the flavor isn’t diluted, you’ll end up with a bowl of slurp-worthy noodles regardless of the protein, vegetables, or even noodles you choose.
Therefore, focus on the sauce and don’t get too attached to the specific type of noodles! The sauce, the sauce!! – Nagi x.
What noodles to use for Chow Mein
The kind of noodles used is what sets Chow Mein apart from other stir-fried noodles. Noodles with a thin, crispy appearance that are dusted with flour are called Chow Mein noodles.
Here’s a close up of the noodles. Fantastic Noodles’ supermarket version tastes just as good, but it’s a little bit more yellow than it should be.
Use thin spaghetti or other thin egg noodles (check ingredients on packet; should have egg listed) or Ramen Noodles or other instant noodles (just toss the packet seasoning).
