The Simple Ingredients TikTok Uses For Copycat Panda Express Chow Mein

Copycat recipes are extremely popular, with the #copycatrecipe hashtag on TikTok having about 97.5 million views as of January 2023. There is probably a copycat recipe out there for whatever fast food or restaurant item you're craving. For example, just scrolling through the #copycatrecipe hashtag on TikTok, you'll see copycat recipes for Starbucks' pink drink, a shamrock shake from McDonald's, a chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A, chicken scampi from Olive Garden, jalapeno ranch dip from Chuy's, and so much more.

Among all of the copycat recipes, a popular one is for Panda Express' chow mein. According to Panda Express' website, the chain's chow mein consists of "stir-fried wheat noodles with onions, celery, and cabbage," but there's no mention of the ingredients needed for the yummy, umami-tasting sauce. Luckily, two TikTok users are helping the rest of us out with their Panda Express chow mein copycat recipes, and you only need a few simple ingredients. Here's how you can recreate the popular Panda Express side dish.

TikTok user @ashleybakes shared a video of their copycat recipe for Panda Express' chow mein, and it looks just like the real thing. She pans over her ingredients, which include yellow onion, celery, green cabbage, and chow mein noodles. They chop up the veggies and saute them in some sesame oil before adding the cooked noodles. The sauce is made with soy sauce and oyster sauce. Most of the comments were all here for the copycat recipe, with one user writing "That looks waaaay better than Panda [Express' chow mein]." Another person suggested adding other ingredients, such as chicken, snap peas, shrimp, or scallions, to the chow mein, and the versatility of this recipe is one of the best things about it.

Another TikTok user @saucedupfoods posted their version of the copycat Panda Express chow mein recipe, and it only differs slightly. They use yakisoba noodles, garlic, onion, cabbage, celery, sugar, ginger paste, soy sauce, and oyster sauce. In both TikTok videos, a few people asked if there was a substitute for the oyster sauce due to personal or dietary preferences, and @ashleybakes suggested hoisin sauce instead. 

So, if you're ever craving Panda Express' chow mein and you have all of the simple ingredients needed, you can whip up a cozy bowl of chow mein in no time at all.