Pancit Bihon is an irresistible Filipino recipe that’s is easy to make and delivers traditional Filipino flavor. Perfectly chewy rice noodles are stir fried with chicken and veggies, then seasoned with soy sauce, oyster sauce, and other seasonings. It’s quick to make and full of delicious flavor!
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In this traditional Filipino Pancit Bihon recipe, chewy rice noodles get a quick stir fry in a wok with vegetables, chicken, and a sweet and savory sauce. It’s delicious, filling, and only takes 35 minutes to make from start to finish. It’s simple, but incredibly satisfying, the way most Filipino food is.
WHAT IS PANCIT BIHON?
Pancit is a Filipino word that refers to a few different Filipino noodle dishes. Pancit Bihon, or Pancit Bihon Guisado as it’s also called, is made with thin rice noodles (also called rice stick noodles or rice vermicelli noodles) and usually has chicken or other meat and an assortment of vegetables. The flavor comes from onions, garlic, and a sauce made of soy sauce and oyster sauce.
Pancit Palabok is another popular noodle dish that uses bihon noodles or rice noodles with a shrimp sauce. There’s a similar dish called Pancit Canton, but it’s made with egg noodles. Pancit Malabon is studded with seafood.
The seasonings also vary from pancit recipe to pancit recipe. Some use only soy sauce, others use a combination of soy sauce, fish sauce, and oyster sauce.
Some pancit recipes use more sugar, less sugar, or no sugar at all. Vegetables can include carrots, cabbage, bell peppers, onions, green beans, and others.
No matter how you make it, Pancit Bihon is a quick, delicious, and satisfying one-skillet meal! Noodles represent long life in Filipino culture, so this dish is popular to celebrate birthdays and other special occasions.
What ingredients do you need to make Pancit Bihon?
The ingredients needed for this recipe are mostly available at any supermarket. The only ingredients that may require a trip to a local Asian market are the noodles and perhaps oyster sauce, but many supermarkets do carry both of these items.
- Boneless, skinless chicken breast
- Cooking oil (peanut, safflower, canola, or any neutral-flavored, high-smoke point vegetable oil)
- Salt + pepper
- Dried bihon noodles (or rice vermicelli or rice stick noodles)
- Chicken broth
- Green beans
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Onion
- Minced garlic
- Dark soy sauce
- Reduced sodium soy sauce
- Oyster sauce
- Sugar
brown chicken 
saute onion and garlic Stir fry vegetables add sauce add browned chicken add noodles
How do you make it?
This dish is easy to make. The only equipment you need is a large pan or wok and a spatula or spoon to stir.
- Heat oil in a large skillet or wok. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and then brown it in the wok.
- Saute onion and garlic and then cook whatever vegetable mixture you are using in the same skillet.
- Add the noodles along with a mixture of sweet soy sauce, reduced-sodium soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar.
- Add the dry noodles to the wok and cook, stirring constantly, to coat the noodles.
- Cover the wok and cook for about 7 minutes, until the noodles are tender. Add more broth or a little water if needed to keep the pan from becoming dry.
- Serve hot.
Can you add other ingredients to pancit?
Definitely! You can add shrimp, pork, Chinese sausages, green onions or scallions, snow peas, sugar snap peas, broccoli, Chinese broccoli, mushrooms, bok choy, and other simple ingredients.
More asian noodle dishes to try
I love noodles, especially Asian noodle dishes! Singapore Noodles are similar to Pancit, but made with wheat noodles and seasoned with curry powder. Veggie Pad Thai is another great one-skillet noodle dish that makes a complete meal.
I also love Spicy Miso Ramen, Instant Pot Pho, and Burmese Garlic Noodles.
Pancit Bihon
Pancit Bihon is an irresistible Filipino recipe that’s is easy to make and delivers traditional Filipino flavor. Perfectly chewy rice noodles are stir fried with chicken and veggies, then seasoned with soy sauce, oyster sauce, and other seasonings. It’s quick to make and full of delicious flavor!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces chicken breast, diced
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6 ounces dried bihon noodles (or rice vermicelli or rice stick noodles)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 8 ounces green beans, sliced
- 1 cup shredded cabbage
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut into matchstick pieces
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Instructions
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a wok or wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the chicken from the wok.
- In the same wok, cook the onions and garlic, stirring frequently, the onions begin to soften softened, about 3 minutes.
- Add the cabbage, carrots, and green beans and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes more, until the vegetables are tender.
- Add broth, dark soy sauce, reduced-sodium soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar to the wok and let simmer for 4 minutes.
- Return the chicken to the wok.
- Add the noodles and cook, stirring constantly, so that the noodles get fully coated with the sauce mixture and absorb some of the liquid.
- Cover and cook for about 7 minutes, until the noodles are tender. Add more broth or a little water if needed to keep the pan from becoming dry.
- Serve hot.
