Panda Express Chow Mein Copycat (The BEST Recipe!) - Rasa Malaysia (2024)

FAQs

What is Panda Express chow mein made of? ›

Ingredients: cabbage, wheat flour, celery, carrots, water, mung bean vermicelli, green onions, modified corn starch, contains less than 2% of: ginger & garlic oil, sesame oil, salt, sugar, dehydrated soy sauce, onion powder, natural stir-fry flavor, spices, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, soybean oil, sodium ...

The BEST Chow Mein Sauce:

Combine soy sauce, light sesame oil, oyster sauce, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and chicken broth to make the signature sweet and savory sauce that makes chow mein taste authentic.

Panda Express entrees and sides contain zero grams of trans fat per serving and adds no MSG in their food. Panda Express uses only 100% pure soybean oil in the preparation of recipes.

The other critical ingredient that Panda Express uses in their Chow Mein is oyster sauce. Oyster sauce is a thick, dark brown sauce made from the extract of fresh oysters along with sugar, salt, and water.

Simple sauce: While chow mein sauce is unbelievably easy to make, it still brings a complexity of flavors to the dish. The careful combination of ingredients like soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce and sugar results in a chow mein sauce that has hints of both savory and sweet notes.

✗ Chow Mein

This side dish is high in almost every category, with 510 calories, 20g total fat, 3.5g saturated fat, 80g carbohydrate, 13g protein, and 860mg sodium (fried rice is a close second, with similar nutrition info.).

The sauce is what gives chow mein all of its seasoning and addictive flavors. It's a mix of oyster sauce, sweet soy sauce, toasted sesame oil and freshly ground black pepper. It's full of sweet and savory umami and seriously SO good.

In American Chinese cuisine, it is a stir-fried dish consisting of noodles, meat (chicken being most common but pork, beef, shrimp or tofu sometimes being substituted), onions and celery. It is often served as a specific dish at westernized Chinese restaurants. Vegetarian or vegan chow mein is also common.

Oyster Sauce: Oyster sauce is said to have originated when an oyster seller left his oysters over the heat for too long, and they became a rich, caramelized sauce, which is used in many Chinese food dishes, including Chinese brown sauce.

However, Panda Express is one of the healthiest fast food chains because it has the 'Wok Smart' menu. The items on this menu have at least eight grams of protein and less than 300 calories, which makes it a good option if you're looking for something healthier on-the-go.

Does Panda Express use thighs or breasts? ›

For the best flavor and texture, I highly recommend using boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. It's what Panda Express uses, and they're less likely to overcook and become dry compared to chicken breasts.

Meet the billionaire couple behind Panda Express, who built a $3 billion fortune selling 90 million pounds of orange chicken each year and run 2,000 restaurants across the globe. Husband and wife duo Andrew and Peggy Cherng are the co-CEOs of Panda Restaurant Group, the company behind Panda Express.

Panda express uses Stir Fried Wheat Noodles similar to these. I used these Chow Mein noodles for this recipe. You can find them in your local grocery store where they have a dedicated section for Asian ingredients.

Long Grain Rice – If you're going for fluffy, not sticky, then long grain is the way to go for fried rice like Panda Express! Medium grain or jasmine are okay substitutes to use, but short grain should be avoided.

Don't miss the Chow Mein. These stir-fried wheat noodles are blended with cabbage, celery, and onions for the perfect dish. Whether you're ordering it as a side or making it the main meal, you really can't go wrong. We are obsessed with this vegan-friendly choice.

Tips for the perfect chow mein

I find that flank steak works best in this recipe, but you can also use skirt steak or thinly sliced sirloin. Place your meat in the freezer for 20-30 minutes to firm it up, it makes it much easier to cut thin slices this way. The meat can marinate for up to 8 hours if you have the time.

The biggest difference between chow mein and lo mein lies in the translations of their names: chow mein is fried, and lo mein is tossed. The experience is somewhat different between the two. Lo mein tends to be saucier and more toothsome, with a texture some describe as “slippery” because of the noodles' softness.