Put down that phone! Tonight, skip the takeout and make this easy chicken chow fun at home.
The combination of tender chicken, chewy rice noodles, and colorful veggies tossed in an umami sauce is irresistible.
It tastes like it came straight from a Chinese restaurant.
And yet, you can whip it up in your kitchen in no time!
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Chow Fun
Quick Prep: Ready in under 30 minutes, you can make this dish anytime you want a fast, restaurant-worthy meal.
Authentic Experience: Chicken chow fun offers a taste of traditional Cantonese cuisine.
Restaurant-Quality: The umami sauce is the secret to recreating those restaurant-quality flavors you crave. It’s insanely delicious and surprisingly easy!
Customizable: You can easily tailor this recipe to taste. Add your favorite vegetables, adjust the level of spiciness, or try other proteins.
Ingredients
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs: They’re perfect for marinating and stir-frying.
- Fresh Wide Rice Noodles (Ho Fun): A must for chicken chow fun! Soft and chewy, these wide rice noodles have the most incredible texture.
- Vegetable Oil: The high smoke point is ideal for stir-frying.
- Garlic, Ginger, Yellow Onion: They add depth and warmth to the stir-fry.
- Red Bell Pepper and Mung Bean Sprouts: Crunchy and colorful, these vegetables add texture and flavor.
- Scallions: For garnish to make the dish pop.
- Marinade: The secret to giving the chicken more flavor. Use cornstarch, soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, sesame oil, and white pepper.
- Sauce: Use oyster sauce, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, white pepper, and chicken broth. It creates a rich, savory sauce with balanced sweetness and umaminess.
How to Make Chicken Chow Fun
Don’t let the ingredients list fool you. Chicken chow fun is surprisingly easy to make.
Here are the steps:
1. Marinate. Mix the sliced chicken with the cornstarch, soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, and white pepper. Marinate for 15 minutes.
2. Whisk. Whisk together the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, white pepper, and chicken broth in a bowl. Set aside.
3. Cook. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
4. Saute. Add more oil to the skillet. Stir-fry the garlic, ginger, and onion for 30 seconds.
5. Add. Add the rice noodles and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
6. Pour. Pour the sauce mixture over the noodles and toss. Stir-fry for 1 minute.
7. Combine. Add the cooked chicken, bell peppers, and bean sprouts to the skillet. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
8. Toss. Toss in the scallion pieces and stir-fry briefly.
9. Serve. Serve hot and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Chicken Chow Fun
Make your dish better than takeout with these tips:
- Can’t find fresh wide rice noodles (ho fun)? Substitute dried wide rice noodles soaked until pliable.
- Get ahead of the game. Like most stir-fries, this dish moves quickly. Have all your ingredients prepped and ready before you cook.
- Try some tongs. Tongs give you more control when stir-frying. If you use a spatula, the noodles may clump and become mushy.
- Enhance the color. For a deeper color, add a few drops of dark soy sauce directly to the noodles while stir-frying.
- Spice it up. Serve with a side of Chinese chili oil for a spicier dish.
- Make it your own! Add veggies like bok choy, snow peas, or mushrooms. You can also include tofu or shrimp for more protein.
How to Store
Like all stir-fries, this dish is best enjoyed piping hot and fresh! If you do have leftovers, though, they’ll last for a couple of days.
To Store: Place cooled leftovers in an air-tight container. Refrigerate for up to 3-4 days. Separate noodles from vegetables if possible to maintain texture.
To Reheat: Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until heated through. You can also stir-fry in a hot skillet for 2-3 minutes, adding a splash of water if needed to prevent drying.
Chicken Chow Fun
4
servings15
minutes15
minutes473
This chicken chow fun is takeout-worthy fare you can make at home! It only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish.
Ingredients
- For the chicken marinade:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, sliced thin
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon white pepper (optional, for extra depth)
- For the sauce:
1/4 cup oyster sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 cup chicken broth
- For the stir-fry:
12 ounces fresh wide rice noodles (ho fun), separated
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1 cup mung bean sprouts
2 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the sliced chicken with the cornstarch, soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, and white pepper (if using). Let marinate for 15 minutes.
- Whisk together the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, white pepper, and chicken broth in a bowl. Set aside.
- In a wok or large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over high heat. Add the chicken and stir-fry until nearly cooked through, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the wok. Stir-fry the garlic, ginger, and onion for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the rice noodles, using tongs to separate them, and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. If the noodles seem dry or start sticking, add a splash of water or soy sauce to loosen them.
- Pour the sauce mixture over the noodles and toss to coat evenly. Stir-fry for 1 minute.
- Add the cooked chicken, bell peppers, and bean sprouts to the wok. Stir-fry for another 1-2 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring constantly to ensure everything is well mixed.
- Toss in the scallion pieces and stir-fry briefly until the scallions are just softened.
- Transfer to a serving plate and serve hot. Enjoy!
Notes
- Match your cookware to your stove. If you have an electric stove, I recommend using a skillet instead of a wok. The flat bottom comes into full contact with the heating element, ensuring even heat distribution. Woks are designed for gas stoves, which provide concentrated, high heat. This is difficult to achieve with an electric stove.
