Chicken Chow Fun

This chicken chow fun recipe is a homemade version of the takeout favorite! Rice noodles and veggies are stir fried with a savory sauce and juicy chicken.

Chicken chow fun is a classic Cantonese dish that you might order from your favorite Chinese restaurant, but it's super easy to make at home. Unlike chow mein, which is made with thin egg noodles, chow fun features wide, flat rice noodles known as ho fun, which have a fantastic chewy texture. The dish is tossed with tender chicken, a medley of vegetables, and a richly savory sauce. 

The beauty of this chicken chow fun recipe is that it lets you re-create this restaurant staple at home, but you don’t need a bunch of hard-to-find ingredients to pull it off. Plus, when you make it at home, you can customize it to your liking. And of course, cooking at home is healthier and more budget-friendly than ordering takeout!

Why You’ll Love This Chicken Chow Fun Recipe

• Easy. Most of the time needed for this recipe is marinating; your hands-on time is minimal. 
• Delicious leftovers. This dish reheats well, making it a great option for meal prep or enjoying as leftovers. 
• A complete meal in one dish. With protein, veggies, and carbs all in one, chicken chow fun is a balanced, satisfying meal. 
• Customizable. Feel free to add your favorite veggies or adjust the level of spiciness to suit your taste.

What You’ll Need

Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.

Chicken 

• Cornstarch 
• Soy sauce – Use low-sodium soy sauce if you’re watching your sodium intake. Tamari, coconut aminos, or liquid aminos will also work.
• Toasted sesame oil 
• Rice wine
• Chicken – I use thinly sliced chicken breasts, but thighs are fine too.

Sauce 

• Soy sauce 
• Toasted sesame oil – Fragrant and nutty, toasted sesame oil should not be confused with regular sesame oil!
• Ground ginger – This gives the sauce a nice warmth.
• Rice wine 

Stir fry

• Vegetable oil – Or another neutral-flavored oil you like to cook with.
• Shallot
• Red bell pepper – Yellow or orange have a similar sweet flavor, so they can be used instead. 
• Scallions – You’ll need both the white ends and the green parts.
• Garlic
• Salt and pepper
• Wide rice noodles – Cook these before you start the recipe, at the end of the marinating time for the chicken.
• Mung bean sprouts 

What Is Rice Wine?

Rice wine is an essential ingredient in many Asian cuisines. It's a clear, sweet alcohol made from fermenting steamed glutinous rice with yeast and water. Rice wine is milder and slightly sweeter compared to other types of cooking wines, and it contributes a subtle depth to dishes without overpowering the other ingredients. Note that it’s not the same as rice wine vinegar, which is rice wine that has been further fermented to convert the alcohol into vinegar.

How to Make Chicken Chow Fun

• Marinate the chicken. Whisk together the cornstarch, soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice wine. Place the chicken in a bowl and pour the marinade over it. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Make the sauce. Whisk the soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and rice wine in another bowl. (It could be the same bowl you mixed the marinade in earlier.)

• Stir fry the veggies. Heat the vegetable oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the shallot, bell pepper, and the white parts of the scallions. Cook until softened, then add the garlic and continue to cook until it’s fragrant.
• Cook the chicken. Add the chicken, season with salt, and stir fry until it’s cooked through.

• Put it all together. Add the noodles and sauce to the pan. Cook until the noodles are well-coated, then stir in the bean sprouts and scallion greens.
• Season. Turn off the heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Tips for Success

• Have everything ready to go. Stir fry recipes move quickly, so it's essential to have all your ingredients prepped and ready before you start cooking. You won’t have time to pause and chop veggies!
• Don't overcook the noodles. To prevent them from sticking together, rinse the cooked rice noodles in cold water immediately after draining them.
• Stir with chopsticks. If the noodles are sticking together when you add them to the pan, it can help to stir with chopsticks. If you’re not good with chopsticks, tongs are another option. Use them to lift and separate the noodles as you coat them in the sauce.

Variations

• Try another protein. Tofu or seitan can be used instead of chicken to make this chow fun recipe vegan, for example. Or swap in another meat.
• Incorporate different vegetables. While red bell pepper and scallions are used in this recipe, feel free to get creative with your veggies. Mushrooms, carrots, snow peas, or bok choy all make excellent additions.
• Adjust the spice level. For those who enjoy a bit of heat, consider adding red pepper flakes, chili crisp, or sriracha.

Serving Suggestions

Pair this chicken chow fun with Asian slaw or Asian cucumber salad for a light side dish. Or make some quinoa summer rolls or vegetable quinoa spring rolls as an appetizer for serving with this recipe!

How to Store Leftovers

Place any leftover chicken chow fun in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To reheat, simply warm it in a skillet over medium heat until hot throughout, adding a splash of water if necessary to prevent the noodles from sticking together. The microwave also works.

Can I Freeze This Recipe?

While chicken chow fun is best enjoyed fresh, you can freeze this recipe if needed. Transfer it into a freezer-safe container or freezer bag and store for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating according to the instructions above. 

More Asian-Inspired Favorites

• Vegetable Lo Mein
• Chicken Pad Thai
• Salmon Sushi Bake
• Thai Coconut Curry Soup
• Vegetarian Quinoa Bibimbap