DISH RESEARCH · Noodle dish
Chinese American chow mein
Also known as: American chow mein
An old-style Chinese American chicken and vegetable dish over rice, topped with crisp fried noodles.
About Chinese American chow mein
This Chinese American chow mein is the old restaurant style of chicken and vegetables over rice, finished with crisp fried noodles. Sarah Leung presents it through her father’s takeout-cooking experience.
Soy sauce and sesame oil flavour the chicken, while ginger-and-scallion chicken stock gives the thickened sauce a savoury foundation. Onion, garlic and shiitake add fragrance.
Soft vegetables, tender chicken and rice contrast with the brittle noodle topping. Optional duck sauce and hot mustard accompany an extra portion of fried noodles as a separate starter.
Allergens in this recipe
Contains: Peanuts, Egg, Wheat (gluten), Soy, Sesame, Celery.
Optional additions: Mustard.
Other allergen details are unconfirmed.
Ingredients vary by restaurant. Confirm your allergens with staff before ordering.
Ingredients in Chinese American chow mein
Sarah Leung’s classic American chicken chow mein with fried noodles.
- Peanut oilCooking medium
- Fresh Chinese wide egg noodlesBase
- Chicken breastProtein
- Soy sauceSeasoning
- Sesame oilSeasoning
- CornstarchBinder
- Oil, type unspecifiedCooking medium
- OnionAromatic
- GarlicAromatic
- CeleryAromatic
- Fresh shiitake mushroomsBase
- Bamboo shootsBase
- Water chestnutsBase · Optional
- Napa cabbageBase
- Baby bok choyBase
- Whole chickenBase · Own stock
- GingerAromatic · Own stock
- ScallionsAromatic · Own stock
- WaterLiquid
- SaltSeasoning
- SugarSweetener
- Freshly ground pepperSeasoningIngredient page not linked
- Bean sproutsBase
- Prepared riceAccompaniment
- Apricot preservesBase · Optional duck sauce appetizer · Optional
- Salted pickled plumBase · Optional duck sauce appetizer · OptionalIngredient page not linked
- Liquid from salted pickled plum jarLiquid · Optional duck sauce appetizer · OptionalIngredient page not linked
- Rice vinegarSeasoning · Optional appetizer sauces · Optional
- English dry mustard powderSeasoning · Optional hot mustard appetizer · Optional
- White pepperSeasoning · Optional hot mustard appetizer · Optional
- Vegetable oilCooking medium · Optional hot mustard appetizer · Optional
Ingredient details & uncertainties
Allergen information is incomplete. Unconfirmed details do not establish that an allergen is absent.
- Peanut oil: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Peanuts source-confirmed. First noodle-frying oil before canola; literal peanut oil supports Peanuts. Product processing details unprovided.
- Fresh Chinese wide egg noodles: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Egg source-confirmed; Wheat (gluten) source-confirmed. Broader egg-noodle candidate does not specify fresh wide form. Ordinary egg noodles support Egg and Wheat; complete product formula unknown. Publisher notes this available noodle differs in colour/width from old restaurant noodles, while preserving the named classic fried-noodle construction.
- Chicken breast: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Main sliced breast, distinct from whole chicken used for own stock.
- Soy sauce: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Soy source-confirmed. Required marinade and optional own duck-sauce uses consolidated; ordinary soy sauce supports Soy, exact wheat/product formula unknown.
- Sesame oil: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Sesame source-confirmed. Explicit sesame oil supports Sesame.
- Cornstarch: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Shared marinade coating and water slurry.
- Oil, type unspecified: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Required chicken-searing oil is unnamed. It is not forced to be the separately specified noodle-frying peanut oil or optional mustard vegetable oil.
- Onion: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed
- Garlic: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed
- Celery: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Celery source-confirmed. Explicit celery supports Celery.
- Fresh shiitake mushrooms: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Exact shiitake candidate, source specifies fresh form. Generic mushroom substitutions not added.
- Bamboo shoots: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Exact fresh/canned upstream form unspecified.
- Water chestnuts (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed
- Napa cabbage: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed
- Baby bok choy: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. First baby bok choy choice before Shanghai variety; broader bok-choy candidate.
- Whole chicken: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Broader chicken candidate; actual own stock uses whole chicken, distinct from main sliced breast.
- Ginger: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed
- Scallions: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed
- Water: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Required main slurry and own-stock water; optional own duck-sauce and mustard water uses consolidated.
- Salt: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Required main seasoning; optional own mustard seasoning and stock-tasting uses consolidated.
- Sugar: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Required main seasoning and optional duck sauce; optional mustard sweetening use consolidated.
- Freshly ground pepper: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Main source gives no black/white variety; not silently equated with explicitly white pepper in optional mustard.
- Bean sprouts: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Main list names bean sprouts without an explicit species; botanical identity not forced.
- Prepared rice: Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Literal final rice side retained as prepared form with broader cooked-rice mapping; own upstream formula and variety unprovided.
- Apricot preserves (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Own linked duck sauce expanded; exact preserve formula unknown.
- Salted pickled plum (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Own named compound plum; species and full pickling formula unknown. Not replaced with raw plum.
- Liquid from salted pickled plum jar (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Distinct literal pickling liquid from the jar; formula unknown, not assumed water/salt only.
- Rice vinegar (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Shared own duck-sauce and mustard inputs; exact product formula unknown.
- English dry mustard powder (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Mustard source-confirmed. Own mustard source explicitly used English dry mustard powder; broader mustard-powder candidate and positive Mustard. Exact brand formula and additional ingredients unknown.
- White pepper (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Explicit own mustard input, distinct from main pepper of unspecified variety.
- Vegetable oil (optional): Recipe-specific ingredient evidence; Allergen details unconfirmed. Own mustard explicitly specifies vegetable oil; botanical source unknown. Required main searing oil remains unspecified, so identity is not silently equated.
Origins & food traditions
An established American Chinese takeout style, distinct from soft stir-fried noodle versions of chow mein.
Countries
- United States
- United StatesCatalogue link pending review
Cuisines & regions
- Chinese American
- Chinese American cuisineCatalogue link pending review
AI-generated illustration of one possible presentation. Recipes and ingredients vary; the image does not establish allergen content.