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January 28, 2013

Copycat Panda Express Chow Mein

 You have no idea how long I had been wanting to find a recipe for these noodles.  

I was thrilled to find this recipe and to learn that it wasn't going to be that hard to make them.

The hardest part of this dish was trying to find the Yakisoba noodles (which really wasn't that hard).  I couldn't find them at Walmart and I ended up asking the produce guy at my other local grocery store and he knew exactly what they were.  He said they are a new item that they carry.  Hopefully, you won't have a hard time finding them.

I thought this Chow Mein tasted almost identical to Panda's, which means it is delicious!  Panda's doesn't have a ton of flavor, but part of what makes it so good is the combination of all the different textures from the slight crunch of the celery and cabbage to the soft noodles.  

These are great and I will make them again!
Copycat Panda Express Chow Mein
1/4 c. soy sauce 
1 Tbl. brown sugar
1-2 cloves garlic, grated
1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
ground black pepper, to taste
2 Tbl. vegetable oil
around 15 oz. Yakisoba noodles 
   (found in the refrigerated part of the produce 
   section of the grocery store)
2/3 c. celery, chopped diagonally
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 c. (heaping) cabbage, chopped

In a small bowl combine soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and black pepper; set aside.  Remove noodles from packages and discard the included flavoring packets.  Rinse noodles well, drain, and set aside.  Heat oil in a large wok or skillet.  Add celery and onion and saute for several minutes until onions become soft and transparent.  Add cabbage and saute another few minutes until soft.  Add noodles and soy sauce mixture and heat for an additional 2-3 minutes or until noodles are heated through.  Serve immediately.  Serves: 4

Jenn's Notes:  It might seem like a lot of cabbage when you add it to the pan, but it cooks down a ton and ends up being perfect.  I used Lite Soy Sauce, which has 50% less sodium than regular.   Easy and delicious.

96 comments:

  1. This looks really tasty! I'm always looking for good, easy Chinese food recipes and this one fits the bill!! My hubby will appreciate you sharing this. ;)
    Blessings,
    Leslie

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    1. It was delicious! Let me know if you try it! - Jenn

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    2. Really? That's it? Sounds so simple! I have to make this, my 4 year old is constantly asking to go to Panda Express! Thanks for sharing!

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  2. OMG thanks for this recipe! I love chow mein. :)

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    1. I hope you like this version. Let me know if you try it! - Jenn

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  3. Did you use chinese cabbage or regular cabbage? Looks delicious and like it will fit the bill for a lighter Chinese dish, thanks for the recipe!

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    1. I used regular cabbage! Thanks for stopping bye! - Jenn

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  4. I know I'd love this-sounds great:@)

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    1. I sure love this! If you ever try it, let me know what you think! - Jenn

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  5. Panda Express is my son's FAVORITE!! I may just get an award for "Mom of the Year" when I surprise him with this!!

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    1. You have got to make this for your son ASAP. I can't wait to hear what he thinks! - Jenn

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  6. This is a dream come true! I love Panda Express Chow Mein! Thank you!!

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  7. This looks so good!! Just pinned :)

    Paula
    lifeasweknowitbypaula.blogspot.com

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  8. This looks so delicious! I will be trying this dish. Pinned :)

    ~Rina
    Itheecook.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks so much for the pin - let me know what you think, if you end up trying it! -Jenn

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  9. Pinned! I am soooo making this! Looks delish Jenn!

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  10. Oh my, I absolutely love their noodles and so want to try this. Sure hope I can find these noodles locally!

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    1. I love their noodles too. Hopefully you can find the noodles or at least a similar noodle. If you have no such luck, I think you could use a spaghetti noodle. -Jenn

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    2. I use Top Ramen noodles because my grocery store doesn't have the ones your recipe calls for and they work great! This recipe is fast and easy, and super delicious!! Great post!!

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  11. Your recipe quickly caught my eye at Your Creative Timeout Party! We love Panda Express ... how fun to come across this copycat recipe! Pinning ... thanks so much for sharing, Jenn! :*)

    Your Newest GFC Follower :),
    Brenda @ChattingOverChocolate.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks for the pin and thanks so much for following!

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  12. I love Chow Mein! You made it looks even better than those in Panda! :) Looks so delicious.

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  13. Do you know if they carry the noodles at walmart? Yum!

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    1. I could not find them at my Walmart, but maybe yours will have them? - Jenn

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    2. I was able to find the noodles at super walmart the the produce fridge section. They don't carry it in the neighborhood walmart ( grocery store)

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  14. This is my husbands favorite thing to order from PE. THANK YOU!!!

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    1. If you make these for your hubby, come back and let me know what he thought? I think they taste almost the exact same! - Jenn

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  15. THIS LOOKS HEAVENLY!!! Will be trying this ASAP!

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  16. Looks and sounds so good. I love Chinese food. Don't know if I've ever been to Panda before? Thanks for sharing the recipe.

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    1. I'm pretty sure there is at least one or two Panda's in every city around me for at least 50 miles! I guess you could say it a well-known chinese place where I live. Let me know if you try it. -Jenn

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  17. Bless you for this! I just need to dig out that Dupe Panda Orange Chicken recipe I have somewhere in the catacombs of my laptop and I can have homemade Panda!

    Also, I'm hosting a giveaway on my blog (it ends Tuesday) if you'd like to come back by and check it out that would be excellent!

    Sara Ivy

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    1. I love Panda's Orange Chicken! Thanks for stopping bye! - Jenn

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  18. I'm pinning this one for sure! Thanks.

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  19. I can't wait to try this--looks delicious.

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  20. This looks so good, thank you the recipe. I would love for you to come to my link party at http://www.memoriesbythemile.com/
    It going on now.
    Thanks,
    Wanda Ann @ Memories by the Mile

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  21. So glad I came across your blog AND this recipe! My husband is a little obsessed with panda express and I'm always trying to imitate their food! lol Would love for you to share at the party tonight! xo bridgett


    http://www.osiemoats.com/2012/07/thursday-linky-party-1.html

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    1. Thanks for the invite! I can't wait to hear what your husband think of this recipe- Jenn

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  22. Looks so yummy! Featuring tonight! Thanks so much for sharing at Mom On Timeout!

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  23. Mmmm, that looks good! My kids are obsessed with Panda Express, hopefully this will help them get their fix. :)

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  24. This looks so yummy! We love cabbage and noodles, I guess it would be more of the Polish version with bacon. But we all love Chinese and this would be the perfect spin on a dish I know we already love! Thank you can't wait to try it!

    Lori Clark
    Co-Owner/Creator
    Live Love Dew
    http://www.livelovedew.com
    Whole & Natural Products Handmade for your Body & Home

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  25. Yum, I will definitely by trying this!

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  26. I tried this just yesterday and it was very good! Almost akin to the original Panda recipe! Thank you.

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    1. I agree, it is so close! Glad you liked it! -Jenn

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  27. Good recipe. I was hesitant since I don't usually like onions, but they were alright after being cooked down. We'll keep the recipe around to have again!

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    1. I was also worried the onions would be overpowering and was pleased to find out they weren't at all. So glad you liked it! -Jenn

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  28. if you don't have fresh ginger, can you use ground and how much? Sounds like a keeper to me!

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    1. To me, ground ginger has a completely different taste than fresh. I highly recommend using fresh and I would probably omit it completely before using dry. If you still want to try dry I read that you use 1/4 tsp. dry per 1 Tbl. fresh.

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  29. Aye Carumba, I am in SERIOUS trouble! I'm so addicted to this chow mein. If yours tastes anything like the original, you may just have saved my wallet, but not my waistline :)

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    1. I really think it tastes just like it, but I can't wait to hear what you think! - Jenn

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  30. Well, I don't know what happened for me, but after I rinsed my noodles they all stuck together into one big sticky mess. There was no way to separate them again and dinner was inedible. Bummer. I had high hopes for this recipe!

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    1. Oh no, I'm so sorry this didn't work for you. I wonder why they did that? Did you try and heat them up anyway to see if the heat would help separate them?

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  31. I'm definitely looking for those noodles at my Walmart! What a great copy cat recipe!! I pinned it to make for my family one night!!!

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    1. Let me know if you end up trying it! - Jenn

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  32. This looks delicious!! :) I have pinned for later!

    I would love for you to join my Link Up and Blog Hop! :)

    http://www.pluckys-secondthought.com/pluckys-link-up-and-a-giveaway/

    http://www.pluckys-secondthought.com/pluckys-blog-hop/

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  33. We love this stuff I am pinning this to try sometime soon looks easy and tasty.

    Kristen
    www.chickyscafe.com

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  34. So I cut the celery too big, i used some of my frozen onion that I keep on hand, I used splenda brown sugar and I put like a whole small cabbage in there, plus I used regular Ra-men noodles which I hate. End result? This is the best thing ever!!! Thank you so much for the recipe I will definitely be doing this again as a side for other Asian things that I have been trying to make.

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    1. Wow - I am so glad it worked even with those substitutions - good to know! I think this is pretty great too. - Jenn

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  35. This looks so yummy, but I can't find the noodles. Do you think I could use ramen noodles?

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    1. You know what? My friend used dried yakisoba noodles which she found by the ramen noodles and I think they are very similar to ramen noodles and she said it totally worked. It might not be as good as when made with fresh noodles, but it's worth a try. - Jenn

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    2. Thanks! I'll give it a try and let you know! :)

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  36. I thought the soy sauce was very overpowering the last time I made these and I followed it exactly, I am making it again tonight but with less soy sauce.

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    1. I was actually surprised I didn't think the soy sauce flavor was too strong, because usually I end up adding less in most recipes. Let me know how it turns out with less. -Jenn

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  37. The recipe was really good. I bought the same brand of noodles(Yakisoba)at WalMart near the Top-Roman. It was not the one shown in the picture. It was basically Top Roman noodles, but it was still delicious. My suggestion is to use Top Roman. Also, lower sodium soy sauce is a must. The salt content is really high and noticeable in taste, but still the taste was delicious overall. Thanks.

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  38. This was excellent!I doubled the sauce... otherwise followed recipe...very yummy and easy!

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  39. Can I use ramen noodles as a substitute for the Yakisoba noodles?

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    1. I haven't tried it, but one of my readers used ramen noodles and said it was the best thing ever.

      You could also use regular spaghetti noodles that have been cooked.

      If you try it, let me know what you think!

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  40. Hi Jenn

    I am looking at your banana cookie recipe which is helpful.

    Chow Mein is a very common chinese food. If you can find SPRING ONION, try it. Just chop the spring onion into small pcs. About 1-2 min. before you think the chow mein is done, throw in the spring onion. Cover up. Cook at low heat for 1-2min. It will smell good.

    BTW, there are 2 types of soy sauces indeed. One is salty while the other one is less salty and it is darker than the salty one.

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  41. I was surfing for Panda noodle recipes and came on yours. I'm going to try this, soon. Thanks so much for experimenting and pioneering for us! I'm a new follower. Come over and visit us at Prairie Cottage Corner when you have a minute. Kathie in Odessa, WA

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  42. My hubby and I made this tonight. We used lo Mein noodles that I had in the pantry, purple cabbage, and we added some chicken. So delish! Love that I can make one of my favorite things at home now with real food ingredients and satisfy my prego cravings! Win win win!

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  43. This is delicious, Better than Panda's in our opinion! I have made this for my family & guests multiple times! Affordable, fresh & soo good! We pair it with an orange chicken and veggie egg rolls---> Perfection. Thank you for sharing this gem with us!

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    1. That is so good to hear! Your egg rolls sound fabulous. Thanks.

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  44. I'm eating this right now and it's amazing! I paired it with Bubbly Nature Creation's orange chicken. Yum! Also, I found the noodles in my local grocer's dairy/deli aisle, with the egg roll wrappers. They were called Hot & Spicy Yakisoba, but the sauce came in a separate packet.

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  45. I thought Chow mein was lots of veggies served with crispy noodles and that Lo mein was made from noodles and veggies

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  46. I make this all the time and swear its as good as what I used to get at Panda !!!!

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  47. I've made this a few times now, but with carrot instead of cabbage; also never with yakisoba noodles, but it's really the sauce I enjoy anyway. So good, thank you for sharing!

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  48. I had this recipe on my Pinterest- but now it's blocked! I had to search and search because
    I love this recipe!!

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  49. Thanks for the information you shared about Panda Express Feedback I appreciate your efforts and taking the time and sharing this content.

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