CopycatSpices
Copycat Panda Express Chow Mein
Panda Express chow mein is stir-fried yakisoba noodles with celery, cabbage, and onions in a savory soy-sesame sauce — ready in under 15 minutes.
copycat · panda-express · fast-food · main-dish
🕑Prep10 min
🍳Cook10 min
⏱Total20 min
🍽Serves4
⭐DifficultyEasy
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
Instructions
- 1.Prep the noodles. If using dried noodles, cook according to package directions and drain. If using fresh yakisoba noodles, separate them gently and set aside. Fresh noodles don't need pre-cooking.
- 2.Mix the sauce. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
- 3.Heat the wok. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat until the oil shimmers and just begins to smoke. This is important — high heat prevents the noodles from getting soggy.
- 4.Cook the vegetables. Add the celery, cabbage, and onion. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until the vegetables are slightly softened but still have crunch. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- 5.Add the noodles. Add the noodles to the wok and toss with tongs. Pour the sauce over everything and toss continuously for 2-3 minutes until the noodles are evenly coated and slightly charred in spots.
- 6.Finish and serve. Season with white pepper, toss once more, and serve immediately. Chow mein is best eaten right away while the noodles are still slightly crispy on the edges.
Copycat Panda Express Chow Mein
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.
