Looking for your new favorite one-pot meal? Look no further than this kid-friendly pancit recipe. In fact, the entire family will love this rice noodle dinner—and you’ll love how easy it is to make.
Made with chicken, shrimp, and vegetables, this wholesome recipe makes a lot, so you can have leftovers too. Did I mention you only need one pot? Hooray for fewer dishes!
Filipino Noodle Recipe
My best friend, who is Filipino, first introduced me to Pancit a few years ago. She actually has shared many delicious Filipino recipes with me, but I have a soft spot for this one.
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 – and 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—and my dinner is that much better for it!
My whole family loves Pancit! We have since Allie first made it for us on Thanksgiving day in 2011.
And yes, this means my kids love Pancit, too. They can be very picky, but whenever I make this dish, 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!)
What is Pancit?
Pancit is a simple dish made with rice noodles. They are thinner than your typical spaghetti noodles and also soften and cook much faster. This version of Pancit contains chicken, shrimp, cabbage, carrots, garlic, and spices as well.
Some people add pork or additional veggies like snap peas, beans, or broccoli. You really can customize this dish to make it your own!
While Pancit might sound fancy, it’s really very simple. And very delicious.
As an added bonus, the rice noodles are naturally gluten-free, so if you avoid gluten like my family often does, this is a perfect gluten-free dinner.
Ingredients
- Chicken thighs or breast – Cut into small pieces
- Shrimp – Tails removed and deveined
- Oil for sauteing – I use coconut
or avocado oil
- Diced onion – Use frozen for simpler prep
- Minced garlic
- Shredded carrots – You can buy the pre-shredded bags or grab a large carrot and a cheese grater and shred your own
- Green cabbage – Shredded
- Rice noodles – I highly recommend finding noodles that specifically say “pancit” on them, like the ones in the image below, or using vermicelli noodles. Thin noodles make this dish extra yummy!
- Soy sauce or coconut aminos – Use whichever you prefer. Keep in mind that coconut animos are gluten-free and also slightly sweeter than soy sauce.
- Chicken broth
- Fish sauce – If you don’t have this on hand, you can omit and use additional salt, but I highly recommend you give it a try! It adds umami and a deeper flavor profile.
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
– Use to taste
- Lemon juice
How to Make Pancit
One of the reasons I love this Pancit recipe 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.
Begin by opening up your package of rice noodles. Break the noodles in half or cut them with sharp scissors. This makes the long noodles a little shorter and easier to stir later.
Place the rice noodles in a large pot or bowl and fill them with cold water. They will soften in the water while you work.
Heat the oil in a large Wok
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 it 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 of 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 half a cup of coconut aminos, 1 cup of chicken broth, and 2 tablespoons of 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 – these noodles taste GREAT with pepper!)
Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice…
…and serve your delicious one-pot Pancit!
Storage
As I’ve mentioned, this recipe makes a lot of food! I typically put half in the fridge for the next day, then serve the rest. It keeps well in the fridge for 2-3 days.
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.
FAQs
How do you pronounce pancit?
While it looks like “Pan-cit,” the correct pronunciation is actually “Pun-cit.”
Do you eat pancit hot or cold?
Pancit is typically served warm, but I have eaten it cold plenty of times, as well as at room temperature. It’s delicious in all forms!
Can I make this without shrimp?
Yes, absolutely. While my family loves pancit with shrimp, I have made it with just chicken several times, too. It’s delicious either way!
More Easy Dinner Recipes
One-Pot Pancit
This easy, delicious one-pot meal is flavorful and simple to make. Your entire family will love pancit!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 8–10 1x
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
Instructions
- Break or cut the rice noodles in half and soak in cold water in a large pan while you are working.
- Heat the oil over medium heat and add the chicken and minced onions. Saute for 5-8 minutes or until the meat is cooked. Add 1 tablespoon minced garlic (or more if you love 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 along with the chopped cabbage and carrots. Cook until the veggies are tender.
- 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.
Vanessa says
I just made this and it is amazing. My husband (who is Filipino) will be the real judge tonight. But I thought it tasted very similar to his family’s cooking. The vegetables I added were: cabbage, carrots, zucchini, green beans, celery and the onion and garlic. It took a long to make due to all the prep. Maybe it would have been faster if I didn’t add all the extra ingredients, but I don’t think there is any way I could have it on the table in 30 minutes unless I was only cooking.
Nora says
When I’m pressed for time or just feeling lazy I buy cole slaw mix in place of the cabbage and carrots. It has a bit of red cabbage in it, but it’s basically just shredded cabbage and carrot anyway.
Erika says
Great tip, Nora. I’m definitely going to try that next time I make pancit. Thank you!
Rose says
I am Filipino who loves “pancit bihon” (rice noodles) and this is exactly how you make it. I’m glad you and your family love it!
Patti says
I have everything to make pancit, except a wok. What do you suggest I can use instead?
Erika says
Do you have a big pot? I am actually getting rid of my Wok because I don’t like to have a ton of clutter in my kitchen and I use my large soup stock pot for this.
debra says
can i substitute bean threads? i would think any asian noodle would do?
Erika says
I’ve never heard of bean threads, but if it’s an actual noodle, then I would think it should be fine.
Rebecca says
This was a delicious meal!! Thank you!!