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Home Collections 15 Minute Meals

Chow Mein Ramen Noodles

By:Nagi
Published:1 Jul '19Updated:21 Jan '21
134 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Chow Mein Ramen Noodles is the FASTER way to make Chow Mein using a couple of cheeky shortcuts: pre shredded Coleslaw mix and instant ramen noodles. It’s the fastest of fast foods – a 12 minute recipe, including preparation!

Close up of Chow Mein Ramen Noodles in a rustic black bowl, ready to be eaten

Make ramen noodles better – faster!

Next time you’ve had a long day at work and you have to deal with the question that billions of people around the world face every day what’s for dinner??, here’s your answer: Chow Mein Ramen Noodles.

It’s everything you know and love about Chow Mein, except it’s faster to make:

  • 12 minute recipe including prep

  • one pan cooking

  • simple, magic 5 ingredient Chow Mein Sauce

  • veggie loaded – but you don’t even know it! This has half your daily recommended 5 serves of veg a day.

Freshly cooked Easy Chow Mein Recipe in a black skillet, ready to be served.

Handy shortcuts for this recipe

This is not one of those super quick dinner recipes like Jamie Olive 15 Minute Meals style where it’s a whirlwind of manic activity with food flying everywhere, the oven and stove going at the same time, mixing with one hand while flipping steaks with the other, then after all that you’ve got 45 minutes of clean up.

Nope.

This is an easy breezy 12 minute recipe, and here are the handy shortcuts I use:

  • instant ramen or any other instant noodles cooked in the same skillet;

  • store bought Coleslaw mix – shredded cabbage and carrots – rip the packet open and tip it in!

  • 5 ingredient Chow Mein Sauce that doesn’t require cornflour/cornstarch for thickening (the starch from the ramen noodles thickens it)

Toss the ramen seasoning packs – we make our own sauce!

Instant noodles and ramen

Any ramen or instant noodles!

This Chow Mein Ramen Noodles is the latest in a line up of “how to make ramen noodles better” series I started earlier this year (listed at bottom of post!). So I’m pretty sure I’ve made this recipe with every brand of instant ramen and instant noodles I’ve been able to get my hands on – and it works every time.

I have a theory that this recipe is impossible to stuff up because ramen noodles are MADE to be so foolproof that even inebriated college students can boil up some up after a late night out at the pub!?

How to make Easy Chow Mein Recipe

Ingredients for Easy Chow Mein Recipe

What Chow Mein Ramen Noodles tastes like

In terms of flavour, it tastes just like “real” Chow Mein. In fact, I recommend in my Chow Mein recipe to use ramen noodles if you can’t find Chow Mein noodles!

The main difference in the eating experience is the texture of the noodles themselves. While they are the same thickness, ramen noodles have a more slippery texture and are white, whereas Chow Mein noodles are yellow. But there’s no difference in the flavour of the noodles!

Chopsticks picking up Easy Chow Mein recipe

Faster and healthier than take out

This really is a “faster than take out” recipe for anyone.

Even if you’re one of those people who like to swan around the kitchen sipping a glass of wine, chatting on the phone to your friend with half an eye on the TV so you don’t miss a second of Real Housewives, rummaging around in your pantry to dig out sauces, dragging a chair over to reach up high into the back of the cupboard for that packet of ramen noodles you know is buried there somewhere.

Yes, even if that’s you, you will have this Chow Mein Ramen Noodles on the table, ready to eat, faster than ordering take out (or Uber Eats?). – Nagi x


More Next-Level Ramen Noodles!

Toss the seasoning packet! Be amazed what you can make with a packet of ramen – super quick!

  • Quick Asian Beef Ramen Noodles

  • Chicken Vegetable Ramen Noodles

  • Asian Mushroom Ramen Noodles

  • 12 Minute Thai Chicken Peanut Noodles

Chow Mein Ramen Noodles in a rustic black bowl with chopsticks, ready to be eaten

Watch how to make it

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Close up of Chow Mein Ramen Noodles in a rustic black bowl, ready to be eaten

Chow Mein Ramen Noodles

Author: Nagi
Prep: 7 minutes mins
Cook: 8 minutes mins
Total: 15 minutes mins
Mains
Asian
5 from 38 votes
Servings2
Tap or hover to scale
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  • 782
Recipe video above. The fastest, easiest Chow Mein recipe ever! Made using a couple of cheeky shortcuts - ramen noodles, a Coleslaw mix, with the noodles cooked in the same skillet. It's a quicker version of real Chow Mein - 99% of the flavour, but FASTER!

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 200g/7oz chicken , sliced (thigh, breast)
  • 2 garlic cloves , minced
  • 2 ramen or instant noodle cakes , discard seasoning (Note 1)
  • 200g/7oz pre shedded Coleslaw mix , cabbage and carrot (Note 2)
  • 3 green onion stems , cut into 5cm/2" lengths
  • 1 heaped cup beansprouts
  • 1 cup (250 ml) water

Chow Mein Sauce:

  • 1.5 tbsp light soy sauce (Note 3)
  • 1.5 tbsp Oyster Sauce (Note 4)
  • 1 tbsp Chinese Cooking Wine or Mirin (Note 5)
  • 2 tsp sesame oil , toasted (Note 6)
  • 1 tsp white sugar (SKIP if using Mirin)

Instructions

  • Mix Sauce in a bowl.
  • Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add garlic, cook 10 seconds.
  • Add chicken and cook until mostly changes from pink to white, then add Sauce.
  • Cook for 1 minute, then add Coleslaw mix and white part of green onions.
  • Cook for 1 1/2 minutes until cabbage wilts, then push everything to the side to make room for the ramen (see video & photos in post).
  • Add water then squidge the ramen cakes in side by side.
  • When water simmers, leave for 45 seconds. Flip, then leave for 30 seconds.
  • Loosen noodles, add bean sprouts and green onion, then toss energetically for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes until sauce reduces and coats noodles. (Note 7)
  • Serve immediately!

Recipe Notes:

1. Instant noodles/ramen - any brand will work here as long as both the noodle cakes will fit in your skillet! Discard the seasoning packets - we're making our own sauce.
2. Pre shredded Coleslaw mix used for convenience! Green cabbage, carrot and a tiny bit of red cabbage. Can also finely slice your own - 2 cups green cabbage, 1 cup carrot.
3. Soy Sauce - use light or all purpose soy sauce. Do not use dark soy sauce or sweet soy sauce.
4. Oyster Sauce - sub with Hoisin sauce. You'll get a hint of five spice flavour which makes it different to Oyster Sauce, but it's lovely!
5. Mirin - a Japanese sweet cooking wine. Chinese cooking wine also great, otherwise use dry sherry. Non alcoholic sub - use LOW SODIUM soy sauce and sub all water with LOW SODIUM chicken stock.
6. Sesame oil - use toasted sesame oil if you can because it has a stronger flavour. Otherwise use untoasted. (Toasted is dark brown, untested sesame oil is yellow)
7. Noodles doneness - the beauty of instant noodles is that they're basically foolproof. So if the noodles are not tender enough, just add more water and toss more. If the noodles get too thick, add touch of water to loosen!
8. Nutrition per serving. Reduce sodium by 250 mg per serving (500 mg in total) by using LOW SODIUM soy sauce.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 624cal (31%)Carbohydrates: 55g (18%)Protein: 22g (44%)Fat: 26g (40%)Saturated Fat: 5g (31%)Cholesterol: 75mg (25%)Sodium: 1462mg (64%)Potassium: 445mg (13%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 4g (4%)Vitamin A: 420IU (8%)Vitamin C: 44.4mg (54%)Calcium: 71mg (7%)Iron: 2mg (11%)
Keywords: chicken chow mein, Chow Mein, easy chow mein
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

 Life of Dozer

You know how you feel in those fancy chocolate shop? That’s how Dozer feels here – we’re in the warehouse of The Free Range Butcher where I bulk purchase offal for Dozer every few months.

I’ve been requested by a number of people to share Dozer’s diet. It’s in progress! I want to get it officially “signed off” by a specialist before going out officially with it. But for those who want a sneak peak of the post in progress, here it is. 🙂

Dozer the golden retriever dog in The Free Range Butcher warehouse - Mona Vale

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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134 Comments

  1. Angela Mackenzie says

    September 12, 2023 at 4:47 pm

    5 stars
    Thanks Nagi, this is a no fail dish! I instead cooked this with the sauce from your Asian glazed salmon, and it worked perfectly. Light Soy, sweet chilli sauce (no need for sugar) plus oyster sauce, garlic & sesame oil. Marinated the chicken for a few hours, then cooked with extra veggies left over from previous night and threw in the noodles. Can even throw on a fried egg. Magic!!

    Reply
  2. Sally says

    August 25, 2023 at 2:50 pm

    The Chow Mein Ramen noodles here are very good but what really makes this recipe shine is the 45 then 30 seconds noodle cake cooking method. This formula has become a tried and true answer to a quick lunch at home for one.
    I examine my fridge contents and then just go for it!
    I find some protein and finely slice up about 150g of vegetables that go together well enough then I think about flavours. Either I’ll follow Nagi’s Charlie style sauce or I’ll go off script.
    Today I had red onion, pumpkin, beans, zucchini, shelled edamame and a tomato.
    For flavour I added red curry paste, fish sauce, tamarind paste and brown sugar and I tossed in fresh basil and coriander to serve.
    Thank you for inspiring me.

    Reply
  3. JN says

    August 23, 2023 at 1:02 pm

    5 stars
    Doubled the sauce and added red pepper flakes! A crowd pleaser for sure.

    Reply
  4. Sue says

    August 17, 2023 at 9:53 am

    Just wondering if leftovers can be frozen Nagi or will the noodles turn to mush on thawing?

    Reply
  5. Kylie Hill says

    May 5, 2023 at 11:11 am

    5 stars
    Love this recipe, now a family favourite.
    How many grams are in the serving size

    Reply
  6. MARIA FERNANDA S says

    March 4, 2023 at 12:21 pm

    5 stars
    This dish is incredibly quick, easy and delicious! We loved it! Thank you

    Reply
  7. Cat says

    February 24, 2023 at 7:59 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious. This will become a favourite.

    Reply
  8. Naomi says

    October 10, 2022 at 6:59 pm

    Made this tonight – super quick and delicious. Daughter has texture issues and can’t struggled with the noodles being ‘slimy’ with sauce. Wondering if I could make this without the noodles and serve over rice?

    Reply
  9. Melissa C says

    September 8, 2022 at 9:52 am

    5 stars
    Amazing, quick meal! This is a keeper. My daughter put siratcha on hers, I put hot mustard on mine. Mmmm,,..

    Reply
  10. Brianna says

    August 7, 2022 at 9:19 am

    5 stars
    This was DELICIOUS! My husband and I were devouring it with our BTS chopsticks in tow. So good, I loved the sauce so much that I’d like to double it next time. Highly recommend.

    Reply
  11. Nicole says

    July 19, 2022 at 1:58 pm

    5 stars
    Super easy and delicious! Next time I’ll probably add more sauce because it’s so tasty 😋

    Reply
  12. Juha sillan says

    June 6, 2022 at 8:43 pm

    It took me 4 beers to cook and prep most delicious one minute noodles

    Reply
  13. Patty says

    May 14, 2022 at 1:27 pm

    5 stars
    I made this according to the recipe with the exception of adding tofu. It was my first attempt cooking tofu. I did some research and decided to try baked tofu. Additionally, I read the comments and found that some had doubled the sauce. I made the recipe a second time with double the sauce, baked tofu and added snap peas. Delicious!!! Thank you for your exceptional recipes and inspiration.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 16, 2022 at 8:15 pm

      I’m so glad that you liked it Patty!! N x

      Reply
  14. Kristy says

    December 30, 2021 at 8:21 pm

    5 stars
    We loved it!! I used a vegetarian oyster sauce, a little more light soy sauce, soaked TVP instead of chicken and used a yellow capsicum because I didn’t have any bean sprouts. The TVP soaked up the sauce and was delicious! My FUSSY daughter enjoyed it. Looks like a recipe keeper in this household.
    Happy New Year Nagi and Dozer 🎉

    Reply
  15. Linda Molenaar says

    October 18, 2021 at 4:02 am

    I have Millet & brown rice ramen noodle cakes that take 4 min to cook. Should I soak in hot water first for a few min, then proceed with the recipe?

    Reply
  16. John says

    May 22, 2021 at 2:38 pm

    5 stars
    This makes a great quick dinner for two! My wife has an allergy to sesame oil so I sub a teaspoon of Thai Red Curry Paste and it works very well. I’ve made this 4 times, using ground chicken and there have been no leftovers yet!

    Reply
  17. Michelle says

    March 25, 2021 at 5:53 am

    Oh my God…RBI’s was SO good. Easy quick and really yummy.

    Reply
  18. John says

    March 21, 2021 at 2:08 pm

    5 stars
    My wife is allergic to sesame oil so I substituted a teaspoon of red curry paste dissolved in the cup of water. The results are remarkably good!

    Reply
  19. Vi says

    March 9, 2021 at 12:24 am

    Can I use Charlie with this? If so, how much?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 9, 2021 at 10:18 am

      Hi Vi, yes you can – use 1/3 of a cup in place of the sauce ingredients – N x

      Reply
  20. Lesley says

    February 21, 2021 at 5:12 am

    5 stars
    We loved this and its going go be on the menu for a long time. Thanks Nagi

    Reply
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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