Panda Express Chow Mein Copycat The Best Recipe

Published Apr 05, 2019 Updated Sep 03, 2024

Chinese Takeout

When it comes to Chinese food in the United States, no restaurant is more iconic than Panda Express, who has over 1650 stores here. How does it sound if you could make all the things you get at Panda Express for a fraction of the price, and even healthier as well? Look no further, as I am going to share a series of popular and super easy Chinese recipes with you all.

Getting The Best Panda Express Copycat Recipe

Panda Express is famous for its Chow Mein and I am sharing the copycat recipe with you today. Everyone loves Chow Mein, greasy Chinese noodles tossed with lots of vegetables, stir-fried over very high heat in a wok. Furthermore, to make sure that I do justice to the real deal, I recently went to Panda Express twice. I made sure to talk to the cook and drill down the recipe, and I got it down to a T.

Ingredients To Make This Copycat Recipe

Noodles Onion Cabbage Celery Soy sauce Oyster sauce Oil

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.

Tips For The Best Chow Mein

A perfect chow mein should be loaded with lots of wok hei (breath of wok)—the ingredients should be flash cooked over high heat in a wok, so the noodles and vegetables are slightly burned and charred I am sure you have seen the cook at Panda Express tossing and cooking the noodles behind the counter, all done in a matter of minutes. To get good wok hei, you need lots of oil and a wok (but skillet will do). The chow mein should never be soggy or wet, and no water should be added during the cooking process.

See It For Yourself

So, below is the real Panda Express on the left and my version on the right. The chow mein tastes exactly like Panda Express, the only difference is the noodles used. Panda Express noodles are specially made for them only and not available at the stores. For the closest replacement, use yakisoba. This is a super easy recipe to make at home and you can get all ingredients from regular stores. Make a big batch of Panda Express Chow Mein—it’s so good, so easy, healthier, cheaper, and you can have as much as you want!

What To Serve With This Recipe

For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes. I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.