Pancit

By Naz Deravian

Published Dec. 20, 2023

Pancit
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
45 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
35 minutes
Rating
4(938)
Comments
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Often served for special occasions like Noche Buena or birthdays, pancit is a Filipino dish of stir-fried noodles, meat and vegetables coated in a savory-sweet sauce. Pancit, which means “noodles”, has many delicious variations. This one, made with tender vermicelli rice noodles, carrots, cabbage, and chicken or pork, is known specifically as pancit bihon. Feel free to add other vegetables like green beans or snow peas. You can top the noodles with lechon kawali, crispy and juicy fried pork belly, and use the stock from that dish instead of chicken stock. (Just be sure to adjust the salt as necessary.) Pancit can be prepared in large batches, but however it’s served, include wedges of calamansi, if available. It’s a citrus fruit native to the Philippines that will brighten up the entire dish.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings
  • 8ounces vermicelli rice noodles
  • 1cup chicken stock
  • 3tablespoons soy sauce
  • 3tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 3tablespoons oyster sauce
  • 1tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 3tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil, plus more as needed
  • 1pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
  • Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
  • White or black pepper
  • 1small yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 2medium carrots, scrubbed or peeled, thinly sliced into 3-inch-long sticks
  • 3cups shredded green cabbage (about 8 ounces)
  • 4garlic cloves, chopped
  • 3scallions, sliced in 2-inch pieces
  • Calamansi or lime wedges, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

354 calories; 10 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 43 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 23 grams protein; 1307 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Rehydrate the noodles: Place the noodles in a large, heat-proof bowl and cover with hot water. Using tongs, gently pry them apart. Soak the noodles according to package directions. (Be sure not to over-soak so they don’t become mushy when stir-fried.) Drain.

  2. Step 2

    In a medium bowl, combine the chicken stock, regular soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar. Set aside.

  3. Step 3

    In a large wok or pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium. Add the chicken, season well with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until just cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a small bowl.

  4. Step 4

    Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the wok. Increase heat to medium-high and add the onion, stirring frequently until it is fragrant and taking on a little color, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the carrots, cabbage and garlic. Stir-fry, tossing constantly, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Return the chicken to the wok, stir-frying for 1 minute. Add the noodles and reserved chicken broth mixture; toss well. Cook, stirring frequently, until the noodles are coated and glossy from the sauce, about 3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed. Stir in the scallions, remove from the heat and serve with calamansi wedges for squeezing over the dish.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
938 user ratings
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Comments

This mama G

Been making pancit for 35 years, first as a high-schooler in Cebu City cooking for my family, til now as an American homemaker. The ingredients listed sound about right in a typical, traditional pancit recipe — except oyster sauce. That’ll make it more salty than savory, imo. I’d leave that out, and only wait to the very end to add it, if it’s even needed. Use any parts of the chicken, deboned. The addition of hard-boiled eggs add an extra heft; lemon or calamansi wedges add a tangy ooomph.

Mike

Every family's pancit recipe is different, can't really quibble over variations, but my family would never put sugar in, and would have a higher ratio of noodles to other stuff. Also, I'll always argue that best way to make pancit is to use leftover turkey from Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner with turkey stock made from the same turkey. Regardless, yummy Filipino comfort food.

Manong David McConnell, LV NV

Quite similar to asawa ko's Cagayan Valley Ilocano version, with a couple of notable exceptions: "Vermicelli rice noodles": look specifically for bihon, by name; Soy sauce: Kikkoman (in a can) tastes fine; No oyster sauce or sugar; Teresa switched to extra virgin olive oil a while back - it adds a lovely fruitiness to the finish; Scallions only - sliced thin, and also 2" on the bias for garnish; We have a lemon tree, so that's what we use - lots of lemon, while cooking and for serving.

Colleen

Agree you should leave out the oyster sauce and sugar. I added more flavor to the chicken by marinating it in garlic and ginger paste with soy sauce and hoisin. Highly recommend.

Melissa

I made this as written and we loved it! The lime was such a great surprise and addition. I don’t know if I did the noodles correctly; it says to soak and separate and to follow the instructions on the package…which were to cook. So I did. They are soft, probably too soft for those who know this dish, but I got away with it for lunar new year dinner with a few friends. I will make this with all the tweaks folks have mentioned!

Calvin Chan

Had a bunch of leftover vegetables in the fridge matching what was needed in the recipe and some homemade stock and this seemed like the perfect way to use it all up. Followed everything precisely but there is just way too much sauce in this recipe. The noodle absorbed some but the end product was still way too coated in sauce. If I do it again I’d add half the sauce, see how it looks once it cooks in and then add more as needed until seasoning and consistency is correct. Also the sauce was pretty salty. Some others have mentioned they don’t add oyster sauce in the Philippines, so I may omit that next time to reduce the saltiness

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