Panda Express Chow Mein

Name: Panda Express Chow Mein
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 14 ounces yakisoba noodles (or lo mein noodles); 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 1 tablespoon oyster sauce; 1 teaspoon sesame oil; 1 teaspoon sugar; 2 stalks celery, sliced diagonally; 1 cup shredded cabbage; 1/2 medium onion, sliced; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes Servings: 4 servings

Panda Express chow mein is arguably the most underrated item on their menu. It’s the side dish everyone orders without thinking about it, but when it’s done right — with slightly charred noodle edges and that soy-sesame sauce coating every strand — it’s genuinely crave-worthy. The vegetable mix is intentionally simple: celery, cabbage, and onion. Nothing more.

The trick Panda Express uses is extremely high heat. Commercial woks generate heat that home stoves can’t match, but you can get close by using a carbon steel wok or cast iron skillet preheated until smoking. The high heat gives the noodles that characteristic slight char, or “wok hei,” that separates takeout chow mein from the homemade stuff.

Wok Hei at Home

Get the pan screaming hot. The oil should shimmer and almost smoke before anything goes in. This is how you get charred edges instead of steamed noodles.
Don’t overcrowd. If your wok is small, cook in batches. Overcrowding drops the temperature and steams the food instead of searing it.
Yakisoba noodles are the closest match. Fresh yakisoba noodles from the refrigerated Asian section have the exact texture and chew of Panda Express chow mein. Dried lo mein works as a backup.

Side Dish Savings

A side of chow mein at Panda Express costs about $4-5. This recipe makes four servings for about $5 total — $1.25 per serving. Pair it with homemade orange chicken for a complete Panda Express meal at home for a fraction of the price.

More Panda Express Copycat Recipes

Chow mein is the side — here are the proteins and sides to plate it with:

Panda Express Orange Chicken — the protein most people order alongside chow mein; crispy orange-glazed chicken that is Panda Express’s single best-selling item by a wide margin.
Panda Express Fried Rice — the other essential Panda Express side; day-old rice wok-fried with eggs and soy sauce for under $1.25 a serving.
Panda Express Beijing Beef — crispy flank steak strips in a sweet-tangy sauce with bell peppers and onions, a great protein alternative when you want something other than chicken.

See all Panda Express copycat recipes →

Panda Express Chow Mein