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Handiہانڈیاردو
Desi Chinese

Chicken Chowmein Recipe

چکن چاؤمین بنانے کا طریقہ

Desi-style chicken chowmein: egg noodles tossed on high heat with shredded chicken, cabbage, carrot and capsicum in soy, vinegar and chilli sauce.
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Illustration of Chicken Chowmein

Prep

25 min

Cook

20 min

Total

45 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Spice

Mild

Chowmein is the noodle dish of the Pakistani-Chinese table, found at every wedding and school canteen and at countless Chinese restaurants in Karachi and Lahore. Noodles are boiled just short of done, then tossed in a very hot wok with thin strips of chicken and crunchy vegetables and seasoned with soy, vinegar, chilli sauce and white pepper. Everything is cut before the wok goes on, because once it starts the cooking takes only a few minutes.

Ingredients

4 servings

For 4 servings

Measures

Chicken

Vegetables

Seasoning

Method

  1. Toss the chicken strips with the soy sauce, cornflour and white pepper and set aside while you prepare the vegetables.

  2. Bring the water and salt to a rolling boil and cook the noodles for 1 minute less than the packet says, so they are still slightly firm.

    ⏱ 4 min

  3. Drain the noodles, rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and toss with 1 tbsp of the oil so they do not stick.

  4. Heat the remaining oil in a wok on the highest heat until it just smokes. Stir-fry the chicken until white and cooked through, then add the garlic for 30 seconds.

    ⏱ 4 min

  5. Add the carrot, cabbage and capsicum and toss on high heat for 2 minutes; they should wilt slightly but stay crunchy.

    ⏱ 2 min

  6. Add the noodles with the soy sauce, vinegar, chilli sauce, salt, white pepper, sugar and chilli flakes. Toss with two spoons or tongs until the noodles are evenly coloured and hot.

    ⏱ 3 min

  7. Toss in the spring onion and serve immediately.

Tips for the best result

  • Cook in two batches if your wok is small. Crowding drops the heat and the noodles steam and turn soggy.
  • Swap the chicken for prawns or add a scrambled egg at the end for a fuller version.

Common mistakes

  • Boiling the noodles fully. They keep cooking in the wok and break into short, mushy pieces.
  • Stir-frying on medium heat. Chowmein needs very high heat to get the smoky, dry wok taste.

How to serve

Serve on its own or with chicken manchurian and chilli garlic sauce or vinegar with green chillies.

Storing and reheating

Keeps 2 days in the fridge and packs well for lunch. Reheat in a hot pan with a splash of water.

Nutrition and cost

Worked out from the ingredients, not measured in a lab. Treat both as a rough guide.

Per serving Estimate

Calories
545kcal
Protein
30g
Fat
19g
Carbs
63g
Fibre
5.3g
Sodium
2050mg

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (April 2018), public domain values for the raw ingredients (100% of the recipe by weight had data). Deep-frying oil is counted at 20%; bones and water lost in cooking are not subtracted, so bone-in and fried dishes can read high. Not medical advice. Method

Cost per servingEstimate

≈ Rs 82

Whole dish ≈ Rs 330 · 30% of ingredients by weight priced

From the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics weekly SPI, week ended 29 Oct 2026. Spices, herbs and some vegetables are not in the SPI and are left out unless you add your price, so the real cost is a little higher. How this works

Chicken Chowmein: questions people ask

Why do my chowmein noodles stick together?

They were overcooked or not rinsed. Boil them just short of done, rinse with cold water and toss with a little oil before they go into the wok.

Can I use spaghetti for chowmein?

Yes, thin spaghetti works well. Boil it in salted water until just al dente, rinse and oil it, then follow the recipe.

Serve it with, and similar recipes

All desi Chinese recipes

Read this recipe in Urdu: چکن چاؤمین بنانے کا طریقہ

https://handi.danixsoft.com/recipes/chicken-chowmein · Handi, DanixSoft