Panda Express Chow Mein recipe tastes exactly like the restaurant’s signature side dish. Make a healthier version of Panda at home for a fraction of the price!
Panda Express Chow Mein
Panda Express Chow Mein is one of our favorite dishes when we’re craving Chinese food but it can be inconvenient, not to mention pricey to grab take-out all the time. So why not make it at home? This chow mein recipe uses fresh, simple ingredients from right in your own kitchen. It’s so simple to throw together when the mood strikes, and tastes just as good (if not better) than the restaurant version.
You can make chow mein or lo mein with this recipe; it just depends on the way you like your noodles. Most of the great lo mein dishes are made with fresh noodles, while chow mein can be made with dried or fresh. Chow mein noodles are generally prepared to be a bit crispier than lo mein noodles, which are very soft. I actually prefer this recipe made with soft noodles, but give either one a try and pick your favorite!
Suggestions for this Recipe
- Craving good Chinese, but don’t have any refrigerated Yaki Soba noodles on hand? Italian pasta noodles such as linguine, fettuccine or even spaghetti are a great substitute in a pinch.
- This simple recipe makes several good sized servings, so if you find yourself with leftovers, store it in a sealed container in the fridge. The noodles reheat beautifully and you can eat on this dish for up to a week!
- In this recipe you can add a shake or two of sesame oil to the vegetable oil to add a deeper flavor, but make sure to use it sparingly. The sesame oil flavoring can overpower the rest of the flavors. I have made it both ways (with and without sesame oil) and they both taste great.
- This recipe calls for celery, onion and cabbage but you could add shredded carrots, pea pods, broccoli or any of your favorite veggies to this dish.
Main Dishes to Serve with Panda Express Chow Mein
Pair this Chow Mein with some of our other Asian inspired recipes and you can have a full-on family style Chinese take-out night at home for a fraction of the price of going out.
- P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef
- Panda Express String Bean Chicken Breast
- Jared’s Gerenal Tso’s Chicken
- Orange Chicken
- Crock Pot Cashew Chicken
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Lettuce Wraps
- Chinese Barbecue Pork
- Ham Fried Rice
How to Make Panda Express Chow Mein
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
- ground black pepper to taste
- 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 5.6 oz packages refrigerated Yaki Soba noodles (Found in the produce section of the grocery store. Usually the 3 packages are sold together in one 17oz. pack)
- 2/3 cup chopped celery chopped diagonally
- 1 medium-sized onion thinly sliced
- 2 cups chopped cabbage
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and black pepper. Set aside.
- Remove Yaki Soba from packages and discard included flavoring packets. Rinse noodles well, drain, and set aside.
- Heat oil in a large wok or skillet.
- Add celery and onion and saute for about 1-2 minutes or until onions start to become soft and transparent.
- Add cabbage and saute an additional minute or so.
- Toss Yaki Soba noodles and soy sauce mixture with the vegetables over medium-high heat for an additional 2-3 minutes or until noodles are heated through.
Notes
Recipe Video
Nutrition
Tekesha says
Made this tonight! We LOVED it! I added a bit of white ground pepper and onion powder and used cappellini noodles because I couldn’t get my hands on yakisoba noodles. Served it with Trader Joe’s Mandarin Orange Chicken. Ay yi yi. So good! 🙂
Erica says
So glad you liked it! 😀
Marilee says
I make this pretty consistently for my kids. They LOVE it! Sometimes I’ll add chicken or BBQ pork to make it a full meal. Thank you!
Anita says
I’m from Kentucky and can’t find the Yaki Soba noodles here. So we use the Chinese Egg Noodles(dry). Just have to boil for 5-10 minutes and they are great with this recipe. Can buy at Amazon & Ebay.
Alli says
Why does this recipe call for yakisoba (Japanese wheat flour noodles) instead of Chinese egg noodles for an essentially Chinese dish?
People can use whatever they like (it seems in the comments that people are even happy using Italian pasta), but I feel the recommendation in a copycat recipe for people interested in making chow mein at home should at least be the same Chinese egg noodles that chow mein is made with in restaurants.
riley says
THIS WAS SO GOOD! YUM! THANKS! I couldn’t find the right noodles so I used linguini. Turned out great!
Favorite Family Recipes says
Awesome! I am happy to hear that linguine noodles work well for this recipe. I will have to try it that way next time! Thanks for the 5 stars!
Jolie Perez says
Thank you so much for this recipe! I didn’t have sesame oil that other recipes required so this worked out great! The sauce was delicious & this is definitely a keeper! 😊
Angela says
This was so flavorful! I added an extra splash of sesame oil and soy sauce at the end and threw in some left over pork and sugar snap peas and it was Awesome! Thank you so much!
Erica Walker says
Those sounds like wonderful additions! Thanks for sharing and for the 5-stars!
Glory says
I’ve been making this recipe for 3 years, and everyone loves it!! It is such a simple recipe to follow and it comes out great every single time! I have also boiled the noodles a bit to separate them and that works well.
Favorite Family Recipes says
I am so glad you like this recipe! Thanks so much for the 5-star rating! I will have to try boiling the noodles next time I make it!
Sue Kehoe says
Made this the other night as a side dish for an amazing sweet and sour pork recipes. It is excellent. Loads of flavour