Slow Cooker Chicken Chow Mein

Fresh egg noodles, crunchy vegetables and succulent chicken all cooked in an aromatic and flavoursome sauce. Slow Cooker Chicken Chow Mein is a simple to make noodle dish which will please all of the family.

Slow Cooker Chicken Noodles in a Chow Mein sauce

We really couldn’t have an Asian slow cooker recipes category here at Slow Cooker Club without including Chow Mein. It’s a popular choice in restaurants, being one of those dishes that everyone will enjoy. But it’s also fantastically easy to make at home so it’s a great addition to your evening meal repertoire.

As with many recipe names, the title Chow Mein (or chaomian which means fried noodles) refers to the way that the food is cooked rather than the ingredients. So although there is no frying involved in this slow cooker recipe the result tastes remarkably similar. I don’t think stir fried vegetables and noodles are ingredients that you would expect to work in a slow cooker, however technique makes all of the difference!

In the recipe steps I include instructions for ensuring crunchy vegetables, beautifully soft chicken and noodles that hold their shape. The end result is a wonderfully flavoured and textured dish which I hope you enjoy cooking and eating.

Why Make This Recipe?

• Makes a great weeknight or fake-away meal with a healthy fresh vegetables and protein.
• An easy to make one pot meal with meat, vegetables and carbohydrates all cooked together.
• Easy to change the meat and choice of vegetables in the recipe to add variety.
• Simple to follow recipe steps to ensure vegetables remain crispy, noodles soft and the chicken tender.

What You’ll Need

Exact ingredient quantities can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Chicken – Chicken thighs stay juicy over longer cooking periods, so are great in the slow cooker. Don’t cut them up before cooking so they retain their shape. They break into chunks easily once cooked. Chicken breasts can be used if preferred but keep the pieces large to retain moisture.

Onions, garlic, ginger – White onion, garlic and ginger provide a fragrant, savoury flavour base.

Seasoning – The bold and aromatic flavour is brought by Chinese 5 Spice seasoning which is a blend of fennel, star anise, cloves, szechuan peppercorns and cinnamon. I supplement with garlic granules, chilli, white pepper, and a chicken stock cube. Honey, soy, sesame and mirin (rice wine vinegar) add sweet, salty and sour notes to the sauce.

Vegetables – Carrots, mushrooms, beans sprouts and mange tout.

Noodles – Dried egg noodles, I’ve used Sharwood’s medium thickness.

Water – To cook the noodles.

Cornflour – To stabalise and thicken the sauce.

Equipment

I cooked this in my Crockpot Time Select Slow Cooker (5.6L) slow cooker. The ingredients would also fit into a smaller slow cooker such as 3.5L slow cooker.

How to make Slow Cooker Chicken Chow Mein

1. Mix the spices together to blend the seasoning.
2. Put the chicken, onions, garlic, ginger and mushrooms in the slow cooker. Sprinkle over the seasoning and the stock cube and then mix. Add the sesame oil, honey, soy and mirin and stir again. Cook for 3 hours on high (2 hours if using chicken breasts).
3. Add the remaining vegetables and cover with the cornflour then mix well.
4. Next add the egg noodles and water. Ensure the noodles are entirely submerged in the sauce. Cook for 1 hour on high.
5. Toss the chicken, noodles and vegetables in the sauce to ensure everything is well coated and then serve immediately.

Serving Suggestions

This is a great one pot meal which means there is a blend of carbohydrates, vegetables and protein all cooked together. So I often don’t feel the need to serve it with anything else. A perfect no fuss meal!

If I want to add some colour and bursts of flavour I scatter any of these toppings over:

• Freshly chopped red chilli’s.
• Finely sliced spring onion.
• Toasted sesame seeds.

If you want another idea for a one pot meal why not take a look at Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole.

Alternatively if you are cooking a fakeaway banquet here are some other slow cooker fakeaway recipe ideas!

Recipe Variations

• Vegetables – There are lots of vegetables that work superbly in this recipe so try adding some pak choi, bamboo shoots or water chestnuts (both of which come tinned and are really convenient).
• Frozen vegetables – You can use pre-prepared or frozen stir fry mixes to reduce preparation time. Be aware, frozen mixes will release more water as they cook which will thin the sauce.
• Noodles – There are various different types of noodles which can replace egg noodles, just bear in mind the cooking times can vary! Here is a few suggestions:
  • Wholewheat dried noodles.
  • Rice vermicelli noodles. Thin, pale noodles commonly found in Vietnamese dishes.
  • Lentil Noodles. An egg free alternative (check the ingredients lists as brands do vary). These noodles from Waitrose look very similar to egg noodles and have a good taste and texture.
  • Linguine, a long strand pasta made from flour and egg.

• Heat – I use a small amount of white pepper and chilli powder in this recipe to give a hint of heat. To add more increase the quantity in the recipe or you can sprinkle through some freshly chopped red chilli when you serve.
• Meat – Diced pieces of turkey, pork or beef make a great alternative to chicken.
• Vegetarian noodles – To make meat-free noodles leave out the chicken thighs, change the stock to vegetable and then reduce the cooking time at step 2 (above) to 1 hour. You may also want to add more vegetables or edamame beans (soy) for some protein.

Top Tips

Noodles – I like dried, medium thickness egg noodles as they retain their texture. Fresh noodles or fine noodles should be cooked for less time so they don’t break down.

Vegetables – Don’t be tempted to add the vegetables in at the same time as the chicken. To replicate that crisp, stir-fried crunch they need to cook for a shorter period.

Sauce – If the sauce appears thinner than you would prefer, you can leave the lid of the pot ajar for the last 30 minutes of cooking to allow some moisture to escape.

FAQs