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 both agreed to streamline our household food expenses, which means less eating out and more home-cooked meals for us.
So what does one do when she’s craving for 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 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.
This popular side dish is a simple medley of stir-fried noodles, onions, celery, and cabbage that is hearty and delicious. If you want to bulk it up into a complete meal, feel free to add protein such as shrimp, chicken, or pork and more veggies such as carrots, snap peas, and bean sprouts.
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 noodles are good options if you can’t find them. Whatever type of noodle you buy, check their package directions on preparing them properly for stir-frying.