Pancit Canton
Pancit Canton is a savory, glossy noodle stir-fry packed with tender chicken, juicy shrimp, and crisp vegetables. This quick home-style version delivers the classic balance of soy, oyster sauce, garlic, and citrusy calamansi in an easy beginner-friendly format.
Ingredients
Noodles and proteins
- 250 gfresh canton noodles
- 150 gboneless chicken thigh, thinly sliced
- 120 graw shrimp, peeled and deveined
Vegetables and aromatics
- 150 gbok choy, stems and leaves separated, chopped into 4 cm pieces
- 80 gcarrot, julienned
- 80 gonion, thinly sliced
- 15 ggarlic, finely chopped
- 20 gspring onions, sliced
Sauce
- 30 mllight soy sauce
- 20 mloyster sauce
- 180 mlchicken stock or water
- 1 gground black pepper
- 4 gsugar
For stir-frying
- 20 mlneutral oil
To finish
- 2 piecescalamansi or lime wedges
Instructions
- 1
Prepare everything before heating the pan: slice the chicken thinly, pat the shrimp dry, chop the bok choy with stems and leaves kept separate, julienne the carrot, slice the onion, chop the garlic, and slice the spring onions. In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, chicken stock or water, black pepper, and sugar so the sauce is ready to pour in quickly.
- 2
Heat a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the oil, then the sliced chicken. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until the chicken loses its raw color and gets a little browning at the edges. Add the shrimp and cook for about 1 minute, just until starting to turn pink; do not fully cook them yet, as they will finish later.
- 3
Add the onion and garlic to the pan and stir-fry for 30-45 seconds until fragrant. Add the carrot and bok choy stems, and cook for 1-2 minutes until slightly softened but still crisp.
- 4
Pour in the prepared sauce and bring it to a lively simmer. Add the fresh canton noodles and toss continuously for 2-3 minutes so the noodles absorb the sauce. Use tongs or two spatulas to separate the strands; if they look dry before loosening, add a splash of water.
- 5
Add the bok choy leaves and most of the spring onions, then toss for 1-2 minutes more until the leaves are just wilted, the shrimp are fully pink and opaque, and the chicken is cooked through. The finished pancit should be glossy and moist, not soupy; let excess liquid reduce briefly if needed.
- 6
Transfer to plates, top with the remaining spring onions, and serve immediately with calamansi or lime wedges for squeezing over at the table.
Nutrition per serving
Notes
- •For beginner-friendly cooking, keep all ingredients beside the stove; stir-frying moves fast and this prevents overcooking.
- •If using dry canton noodles instead of fresh, cook them 1 minute less than package directions, drain well, and add them in step 4 with an extra 30-60 ml water if needed.
- •Chicken thigh stays juicier than breast in a hot wok, but breast can be used if sliced very thinly.
- •A wide pan works if you do not have a wok; avoid overcrowding so the ingredients fry rather than steam.
Background
Pancit Canton is a beloved Filipino noodle dish influenced by Chinese noodle traditions introduced through centuries of trade and migration. In the Philippines, it evolved into a festive and everyday stir-fry often served at birthdays and gatherings, as noodles symbolize long life and good fortune.
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