Quick and Easy One-Pot Pancit

One-Pot Pancit is a quick and easy rice noodle dinner the whole family will love. With chicken, shrimp, and vegetables, this recipe makes a lot, so you can have leftovers too. Pancit is delicious and it’s even kid-approved!

I was first introduced to Pancit a few years ago by my best friend. She is Filipino and has shared many delicious Filipino recipes.

That’s a big deal for me because I grew up with casseroles and classic “American” dishes with little to no seasoning and spices. I rarely used garlic and if I did it was garlic powder (usually from the dollar store. Yes I cringe at that thought now too.)

Allie taught me how to take advantage of the many flavors out there. I now use garlic, herbs, and spices often and liberally.

Back to our Pancit dinner – first, let’s talk pronunciation.

It looks like “Pan-cit” but the correct pronunciation is “Pun-cit.”

So what is Pancit?

Pancit is a simple dish made with rice noodles. (You can find them in the Asian food section of your store.) They are thin and soften and cook quickly.

There’s also chicken, shrimp, cabbage, carrots, garlic, and spices in Pancit. Some people like to add pork or additional veggies like snap peas, beans, even broccoli.  

While Pancit might sound fancy and ethnic, it’s really very simple.

As an added bonus, the rice noodles are delicious and naturally gluten-free, so if you avoid gluten like my family, this is a perfect gluten-free dinner.

My whole family loves Pancit; we have since Allie first made it for us on Thanksgiving day in 2011.

And yes, my kids love Pancit too. They can be very picky, but whenever I make Pancit, they gobble it up and ask for more.
I even had to stop a couple of them from taking Pancit as leftovers for lunch because I wanted to save it for dinner. (That almost NEVER happens!)

One of the reasons why I love One-Pot Pancit is because it can be made in 30 minutes or less. It’s a perfect easy dinner for a busy weeknight. And one batch makes a LOT, so you can have leftovers the next night or two.

I’ve never frozen Pancit (because we do love it and have no problem eating it 2-3 nights in a row), but I have heard it does freeze well.

How to Make Pancit:

Ingredients:

• 2 lb chicken thighs or breast, cut into small pieces
• ½ lb shrimp, tails removed and deveined
• oil for sauteing (I use coconut or avocado oil)
• 1 cup diced onion (use frozen for simpler prep)
• 1-2 Tbsp minced garlic
• 3-4 shredded carrots
• 1 medium green cabbage, shredded
• 1 pkg (14-16 oz) rice noodles
• ¼ cup (or more) coconut aminos or soy sauce to your preference
• 1 -2 cups chicken broth
• 2 Tbsp fish sauce (can omit and use additional salt)
• 2 tsp sea salt
• black pepper to taste
• lemon juice

Begin by opening up your package of rice noodles. Break the noodles in half or cut them with sharp scissors. This is a simple step I’ve learned that makes the long Pancit noodles a little shorter and easier to stir later. Place the rice noodles in a large pot or bowl and fill with cold water. They will soften in the water while you work.

Heat the oil in a large Wok or pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and diced onion.

Saute for about 5-8 minutes or until the meat is cooked through. Add 1 tablespoon (or more to your taste) of minced garlic and cook for another minute.

Remove the chicken mixture from the heat and set aside in a separate bowl.

Add a little more oil to your pan and add the chopped cabbage and carrots.

I am not the best chopper as you can see by my somewhat large bits of cabbage, but it still tastes good. 🙂

Cook until the veggies are tender, about 4-5 minutes.

Now it’s time to cook the shrimp. If you have pre-cooked shrimp, you can simply add them to the veggies and cook for a couple minutes until heated.

If your shrimp is not pre-cooked, remove the veggie mixture from the pan to the chicken and cook the shrimp by itself until pink. 

Now drain the rice noodles and add to the shrimp in the pan, along with the cabbage and chicken.

Add the coconut aminos or soy sauce (you can add more if you prefer. I typically use ½ cup coconut aminos, but you may prefer less), 1 cup of chicken broth, and fish sauce. Mix together. It will hard to stir because the whole mixture is very dense.

You may add up to 1 more cup of chicken broth if the Pancit seems dry. I have found that this varies depending on the rice noodles and how much vegetable is in your Pancit. I try to make sure there is some liquid in the bottom of the pan as the rice noodles will soak it up.

Season with sea salt (I use around 2 tsp) and pepper (I use 2 tsp – Pancit tastes GREAT with pepper!)

Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice….

…and serve your delicious One-Pot Pancit!

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