Pancit – authentic Filipino-style fried noodles recipe made with protein and vegetables. My family favorite meal is perfect for a special occasion but easy enough for any weeknight!
My Pancit Recipe is one of my most favorite meals. And the best part is that it’s a quick recipe! In fact, when asked “What would you choose for your last meal?” Hands down, some of my mama’s Filipino recipes like lumpia, adobo, fried rice and most definitely Pancit (which is pronounced Pon Sit)!
Authentic Pinoy Recipe
Pancit is a classic Filipino recipe and popular dish in the Philippines; sometimes served as street food.
As you may know by now, I’m half Filipino; my Pinoy Mama is an amazing cook and she taught me my love for cooking, for food, and all things delicious. She also taught me how food should be enjoyed. When cooking for us she always kept ingredients pretty simple.
Often in Filipino culture, the pancit bihon dish is served at special occasions like family gatherings and birthday celebrations.
What is Pancit?
Pancit is a popular Filipino food. A traditional Filipino noodle dish and is usually made with meat like pork, chicken, turkey and even beef, and veggies. It is typically made with rice noodles. When people ask me, I always say it is similar to Chinese Lo Mein, but with thinner noodles. The savory sauce is very simple: I use soy sauce and chicken broth, and my secret ingredient, see below.
Basically it’s like stir fry: you toss lots of great veggies and the protein of your choice, the noodles and sauce into a large pot. The entire dish can be made in one
Classic Pancit Recipe with Chicken
One time I was experimenting with her pancit bihon recipe and it turned out pretty well and she literally said, “This is the best pancit I’ve ever had – you make it better than I do!”
And now when she makes it, she makes it my way.A compliment on my ‘Pino food from a true ‘Pino??! That’s how you know this Pancit Bihon recipe is legit, friends! A super quick and easy recipe.
Which Ingredients are in Filipino Stir Fried Noodles?
The secret ingredient in my Pancit recipe is a little bit of dry soup mix and chicken stock. It adds a ton of flavor! In traditional Filipino cooking, this may not be an ingredient, but I use it each and every time.
I also like to make things even easier by using shredded slaw mix because I hate having to buy a big head of cabbage when I only need a few cups.
Other veggies to include are onions, celery and carrots. These are the basic ingredients and traditional veggies in Pancit, but feel free to use broccoli, cauliflower, bean sprouts, snap peas or green beans. You can also use any variety of veggies you like.
Another way to make this recipe easy is to use leftover chicken or precooked chicken chicken breast. A rotisserie chicken is perfect.
Vegetarian Pancit Recipe
Make it vegetarian by leaving out the meat or adding tofu instead. Vegetable options include: green cabbage, onions, celery and carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, bean sprouts, snap peas, snow peas, bok choy, green beans.
Traditionally Pancit is made with whatever you’ve got in the house – so use up those leftovers! There are so many different versions of this authentic recipe. It is really such a simple dish made with simple ingredients and lots of great flavor.
Substitutions
Instead of chicken, use turkey, sliced pork, steak, fresh shrimp. Some people even like to add Chinese sausages.
How to Store Pancit and How Long Will it Keep?
Store any leftover Pancit in a sealed container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Freeze: Once your Pancit is cooked, store any leftovers in an airtight freezer bag for up to 30 days. To thaw, just place in your fridge for 12 hours. To reheat, just microwave or heat in a skillet until warmed through.
Additional Questions
Q: Do you have to soak rice noodles in warm water? No; the noodles are thin and cook quickly in the chicken broth that has been heated over medium heat.
Q: Can I use fish sauce or oyster sauce? Absolutely; these add great flavors and I would add them to the sauce mixture.
Q: What is the difference between Pancit Bihon and Pancit Canton? These recipes are similar except the noodles are different. Pancit Bihon uses the thin rice noodles, and Pancit Canton uses the thicker noodles made with egg or wheat.
Q: Can you find these thin noodles in your local store? Yes; head to the Asian aisle of your store and look for rice noodles, rice vermicelli, rice sticks, bihon noodles, pancit noodles, cellophane noodles, etc. If you have Asian Markets in your area, even better.
How to Make Pancit
This Filipino cuisine recipe comes together so easily. Here are some great tips to make Pancit:
- Slice your veggies thinly
- Slice your chicken/protein into thin strips
- Heat oil in a large heavy skillet.
- Keep the pan hot in order to flash fry the meat and veggies – medium-high heat is great
- If you’d like to add fresh cloves garlic, or garlic powder do this when you add your veggies
- Sauté your veggies, then remove to a dish while you cook the chicken/protein unless using precooked
- Cook the chicken/protein, then remove to the veggie dish while you cook the noodles
- Make the sauce and add it to the pan to heat
- Add and saute noodles; these will cook quickly and absorb the sauce
- Once the noodles are cooked (just a few minutes), add in the veggies and chicken/protein and stir
- You can even top it with green onion or a splash of lemon juice or lime juice for added citrus flavor when serving
- I like to add red pepper flakes for some spice
Let’s get to it – I really think you’re going to love this recipe – from my family to yours!
This recipe was updated on June 2, 2022
Pancit - Authentic Filipino Noodles with Chicken
Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Pancit Canton - This is the easy pancit (Filipino Noodles) recipe you've been looking for!
Ingredients
- 8 oz Vermicelli Rice Noodles, They need to be made of rice - they come really thin up to the thickness of linguine
- 2 tsp Sesame Oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 10 oz Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, sliced or diced (I used tenders, then chopped after cooking); you can also use precooked or leftover chicken
- 1 cup Carrots, sliced
- 1 Med Celery, sliced
- 1 tsp Minced Garlic
- 2 cups Cabbage, shredded; I use slaw mix for ease
- 3 cups Chicken Broth
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Dry Soup Mix, Like Onion or Herb; I just measure 2Tbsp out of the packet.
Instructions
- This is what the rice noodles look like. I prefer the thin vermicelli
- In a wok or large skillet with higher sides, heat oil until nice and hot – sizzly, if you will.
- Place the chicken in and brown it on both sides until it’s no longer pink. Remove and set aside. Skip this step if using precooked chicken.
- In the still hot pan, add carrots and celery and sauté for about 6 minutes until beginning to get soft but still firm.
- Add the minced garlic to the veggies and sauté for about 30 seconds.
- Add the cabbage mix and stir everything together…heating through…you don’t want to cook the cabbage too much; it should be a little bit crunchy. Then, remove everything from the pan.
- In the still hot pan (see a trend? Keep that pan nice and HOT!) add the chicken broth, Worcestershire, soy sauce and dry soup mix. Heat through.
- Add the dry noodles to the pan and let the liquid get absorbed. It will happen, just wait for it…wait for it…see? It happens pretty quickly.
- As soon as the noodles have almost absorbed all of the liquid and they are easily stirrable (pretty sure that’s a word), add the veggies and chicken back in and mix everything together; heating through. It’s easier at this point to use tongs to mix.
- That’s it! I like to add hot chili paste to mine afterwards. YUM!!
Notes
Substitutions:
You can easily make these vegetarian by leaving out the chicken and using veggie broth.
Another variation is to use pork strips, my second favorite addition to this delicious noodle dish.
Use shrimp or steak, too!
Storing/Freezing:
Store any leftover Pancit in a sealed container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Freeze: Once your Pancit is cooked, store any leftovers in an airtight freezer bag for up to 30 days. To thaw, just place in your fridge for 12 hours. To reheat, just microwave or heat in a skillet until warmed through.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 servingsServing Size 1 grams
Amount Per ServingCalories 382Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 58mgSodium 947mgCarbohydrates 45gFiber 4gSugar 7gProtein 26g
Nutrition calculation is offered as a courtesy and no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. The data provided are a product of online nutrition calculators and should be considered an estimate only. I am not a registered dietician nor a certified nutritionist. For more accurate information, or if you have dietary restrictions, please consult a trusted professional. A Healthy Makeover strongly supports Intuitive Eating, body trust, and Health at Every Size.
Pin to Your Favorite Asian Recipe Board
If You Enjoyed This Recipe for Pancit Bihon, You May Like These Too
Hibachi Noodles With Shrimp
Chicken Karaage – Japanese Fried Chicken
