If you frequent any good dim sum restaurants, you’re probably familiar with this chicken pan-fried noodles dish, called “Gai See Chow Mein” in Cantonese. We always order Gai See Chow Mein when I meet my sisters and all of our kids for Sunday Dim sum.
But we only order it after we’ve gone through all the har gow (shrimp dumplings), chive dumplings, crispy taro puffs, sesame balls, steamed ribs, chicken feet, porridge, sticky rice, tripe stew, stuffed tofu, turnip cakes, fried squid, and eggplant.
In other words…after we’ve taken down almost every selection of small dim sum dishes from each and every cart in the place, we’ll order a few noodle dishes for…dessert? Uh, we’re usually a pretty big table. Lots of kids.
We’ll order Soy Sauce Pan Fried Noodles, chicken pan-fried noodles Gai See Chow Mein, and one other dish that we haven’t yet covered on this blog (I’ll leave you in suspense for now. We’ll post it soon).
This particular noodle dish involves pan-fried Hong Kong style egg noodles, a velvety sauce, plenty of chicken, and leafy greens. It’s pretty easy to make, so definitely give it a try—especially if you don’t have ready access to the restaurant version.
Here’s our chicken pan fried noodles recipe, folks!
Recipe Instructions
In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, vegetable oil, cornstarch, and salt with your sliced chicken and set aside.
Use your hands to tear the choy sum or baby bok choy lengthwise into manageable pieces and set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the Hong Kong style egg noodles or 10 oz. fresh HK Style noodles.
For fresh noodles, boil for 30 seconds to a minute. For dried, it’ll take a little longer. Cook until they’re just softened.
Read more about these and other essential noodles in our Chinese Noodles and Wrappers page!
Be careful not to overcook them, or they’ll be soggy! Rinse with cold water, drain, and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, salt, ground white pepper, and hot chicken stock. In another bowl, mix the 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water into a slurry and set aside.
To go over what you’ve prepared so far: the marinated chicken, the washed and trimmed veggies, the cooked noodles, the sauce mix, and the cornstarch slurry. I know it seems like a lot of prep, but the dish really does come together quickly!
Heat your wok over high heat and add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, making sure to swirl it around to coat the sides. Spread out your noodles in an even layer and fry for about 3 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Flip the noodles over and fry the other side (you can add a bit more oil if necessary).
If preheated properly, the noodles should not stick to the wok. With practice, you’ll be able to flip all the noodles in one shot! If you’re not feeling lucky, then just flip it in small sections. When the noodles are golden on both sides, transfer the noodles to a large round plate.
Next, heat the wok until just smoking and add another tablespoon of vegetable or canola oil. Sear the chicken breast.
Once browned, add the garlic and then the Shaoxing wine to deglaze the your wok. Pour in your sauce. Now you get why I said hot chicken stock, since I doubt you have a 50 thousand BTU roaring flame beneath your wok!
Our dinky little Beijing flame isn’t the best either. Let the liquid come to a boil and add your green vegetables. Stir and cook for about a minute.
Stir up your slurry mixture again, since the cornstarch probably settled to the bottom of the bowl. Once the liquid is boiling, add about 2/3 of the cornstarch and stir the mixture to thicken. Add more slurry until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon. How thick you like your sauce it is also about personal preference. Allow to bubble up for another 30 seconds or so.
Pour the entire mixture over the noodles and serve your chicken pan-fried noodles immediately. Serve with hot chili oil or Sriracha on the side if you like!
That jar of sauce in the pictures is Lao Gan Ma or what we call “lady sauce” named after the nice lady pictured on the jar. It’s a hot chili fermented bean sauce of Hunan origins and is darn good! Read more about it and other sauces on our Chinese Sauces and oils page!
Chicken Pan-Fried Noodles (Gai See Chow Mein)
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons vegetable or canola oil
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the rest of the dish:
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into thin strips)
- 1 bunch choy sum (or baby bok choy; about 2-3 cups, washed thoroughly)
- 4 bundles dried Hong Kong style egg noodles (or 10 oz. fresh HK Style noodles)
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/8 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Fresh ground white pepper
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock (heated)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the marinade ingredients with your sliced chicken and set aside. Use your hands to tear the green vegetables lengthwise into manageable pieces and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the fresh or dried noodles. For fresh noodles, boil for 30 seconds to a minute. For dried, it’ll take a little longer. Cook until they’re just softened. Be careful not to overcook them, or they’ll be soggy! Rinse with cold water, drain, and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, salt, white pepper, and hot chicken stock. In another bowl, mix the 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water into a slurry and set aside. To go over what you’ve prepared so far: the marinated chicken, the washed and trimmed veggies, the cooked noodles, the sauce mix, and the cornstarch slurry. I know it seems like a lot of prep, but the dish really does come together quickly!
- Heat your wok over high heat and add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, making sure to swirl it around to coat the sides. Spread out your noodles in an even layer and fry for about 3 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Flip the noodles over and fry the other side (you can add a bit more oil if necessary). If preheated properly, the noodles should not stick to the wok. With practice, you’ll be able to flip all the noodles in one shot! If you’re not feeling lucky, then just flip it in small sections. When the noodles are golden on both sides, transfer the noodles to a large round plate.
- Next, heat the wok until just smoking and add another tablespoon of vegetable oil. Sear the chicken breast. Once browned, add the garlic and then the Shaoxing wine to deglaze the pan. Pour in your sauce. Now you get why I said hot chicken stock, since I doubt you have a 50 thousand BTU roaring flame beneath your wok! Our dinky little Beijing flame isn’t the best either. Let the liquid come to a boil and add your green vegetables. Stir and cook for about a minute.
- Stir up your slurry mixture again, since the cornstarch probably settled to the bottom of the bowl. Once the liquid is boiling, add about 2/3 of the cornstarch and stir the mixture to thicken. Add more slurry until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon. How thick you like your sauce it is also about personal preference. Allow to bubble up for another 30 seconds or so.
- Pour the entire mixture over the noodles and serve immediately. Serve with hot chili oil or Sriracha on the side if you like!
Oops did it again
Another good one. Had to sub angel hair pasta nest for noodles as no Asian grocery within 30 miles, pasta nest worked! Also substituted green cabbage for bok choy as none was available. Loved it subs and all. Thanks
Hi Donna, I always say better to sub for ingredients you don’t have than not to make the dish at all, especially if it turned out good ;-)
Absolutely delicious. Threw some bean sprouts and scallions into the mix and it was so good!! Thank you!
Hi Hannah, glad you enjoyed this classic chicken pan fried noodle!
I bought a package of fresh Hong Kong Noodles while at the Asian market and not sure what to make when I found this recipe. WOW, so delicious. We just kept picking at the left overs until they were gone. THANK YOU
Hi Mary Jo, glad you made this chicken pan-fried noodle recipe. We have others that use the same type of noodles, including the most simple but very delicious Cantonese soy sauce pan fried noodles.
Simply fabulous! The best recipe I’ve tried… a keeper!
Loving this site and experimenting with all the wonderful recipes! Format is excellent, love the techniques & knowledge of each recipe. Thank you so much!
Hey 2birds, so glad you liked this chicken pan-fried noodles dish and hope you try more!
Making it over and over- and over and over!
Hi Jana, you go girl!
My kids love this recipe and have asked me to make it again. Thank you for all the yummy recipes!!
You’re welcome Amy – such a good mom ;-)
Is this the same as “Cantonese Chow Mein”?
Hi Mary, yes that’s correct!
What sort of oil is meant when the recipe just says “oil” ?
I am starting to try out Chinese cooking from scratch as an antidote to lockdown.
Regards, Adrian
Hi Adrian, I’ll have to fix that to be more specific but the default oil for Chinese cooking is a neutral vegetable or canola oil.
Hey Adrian! Chinese cooking usually always uses canola, corn, or vegetable oil. Peanut oil is used for deep frying and olive oil is used for low heat foods or over salads. Hope this helps!
I grew up eating my grandma’s version of this and it was a childhood favorite but I’d never known how to make it myself. On this first time around I did make the mistake of not actually adding the sauce ingredients while cooking… but dumped on top of everything and mixed in, it still tastes delicious. I’m looking forward to making it again, properly! Thanks for your website, it’s a great resource for this ABC who never learned how to cook Chinese dishes myself.
Hi Hannah, you’re welcome and glad to see you’re going to pick up your grandma’s tradition. I’m sure it will taste even better next time.