Panda Express Chow Mein Copycat

Skip the takeout and recreate your favorite noodle dish cheaper and better at home! Panda Express Chow Mein Copycat recipe is ready in minutes and tastes just like the restaurant. This vegetarian stir-fry is hearty, tasty, and sure to satisfy your Chinese food cravings!

Back in the day, when I worked 9 to 5, Panda Express was my lifeline. Although I love to cook, the last thing I wanted after a long day's toil was to worry about what's for dinner, and a couple of combo plates picked up on my way home from work regularly saved me from having to throw together a meal.

Now that I am blogging full-time at home, I no longer have the excuse of "I'm too tired" to cook. Besides, G and I agreed to streamline our household food spending by eating out less and cooking more at home.

So what does one do when craving her favorite Panda Express chow mein, but she's too cheap to cough up the dough? She learns how to make it herself.

Good thing Panda Express Chow Mein Copycat is quick and easy to recreate at home. So quick and easy, in fact, it's ready to enjoy in less time than it would take to wait in line at the restaurant! Plus, there are no fancy ingredients to drive around town for. Well, maybe the noodles, but everything else you can find at most major supermarkets.

Ingredient notes

This popular side dish is a simple medley of stir-fried noodles, onions, celery, and cabbage. If you want to bulk it into a complete meal, feel free to add protein like shrimp, chicken, or pork, plus veggies like carrots, snap peas, and bean sprouts.

A sauce mixture of soy sauce, oyster sauce, Chinese cooking wine, sesame oil, brown sugar, and pepper gives the dish a sweet-savory flavor boost. It will taste a bit strong and salty on its own, but don't worry; it will balance out once mixed with the other ingredients.

Noodles to use

What sets Panda Express chow mein apart is its delicious noodles. These wheat noodles have a soft yet chewy texture, making them the perfect canvas for savory sauce and stir-fried veggies.

Fresh chow mein noodles are available at most Asian supermarkets, but Japanese Yakisoba or our very own Pancit canton are good options if you can't find them. Whatever type of noodles you buy, check their package directions on preparing them properly for stir-frying.

How to make Panda Express Chow Mein

• Stir-frying is a quick process, so have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you start. Cut the vegetables into uniform, bite-sized pieces to ensure even and fast cooking.
• To prevent the noodles from getting soggy, cook them about 1 minute less than the suggested cook time on the package, then rinse in cold water right away. They will finish off when stir-fried with the other ingredients.
• Cook on high heat to sear the food quickly and to lock in the vegetables' natural juices.

How to serve and store

• In the mood for more Asian food? Forget takeout and enjoy your very own "combo plate" with Panda Express firecracker chicken, Panda Express sweet fire chicken, and shrimp fried rice.
• Keep leftovers in a container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave at 1- to 2-minute intervals or until completely warmed.