Chicken Lo Mein – chewy noodles tossed in a yummy soy-based sauce and combined with chicken and veggies. A classic Chinese noodle recipe packed with crazy delicious flavors, and it takes only 30 minutes to make. No not kidding!
Because of that, it has quickly become one of our favorite easy weeknight dinners.
Ready to jump into all this Chicken Lo Mein goodness??
Why you need Chicken Lo Mein in your life?
Up until a couple of weeks ago, we went on our lives without this Chicken Lo Mein…oh, all the things we were missing out!!
The many reasons why this dish is necessary in your every day life! 🙂
- 30 minutes!!! I said it once, I will say it again. 30 minutes from start to finish. So dang easy!!
- Amazing flavors. If you had Chicken Lo Mein from an average Chinese restaurant, you haven’t truly experience Chicken Lo Mein. Just sayin’. This recipe is the MVP of all Chicken Lo Mein. It tastes soooo much better (not to mention it is also way healthier), and the secret is in the sauce.
- Healthy-ish. Is it the healthiest thing in the world? Probably not. But it is not deep fried and soaked in grease, and is a fairly balanced meal with the vegetables and protein added to the noodles. It is also definitely much healthier than takeout, while tasting better! I MEAN…WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED.
- Keeps well a leftovers. Double or triple the batch and have it for lunch or dinner the next day, and the day after next. Which leads me too…
- Meal prep!!! This one-pot meal screams meals prep. It will be the lunch all your co-workers wish they have!
Appliances needed for Chicken Lo Mein
Ready for this? Just a pot and a large skillet. No wok is required, although you can use that if you have it.
Chicken Lo Mein can sound like a fancy and complicate task. But truly it is not.
I prefer using a non-stick skillet because noodles do have a tendency to stick to the skillet. Make sure to use more vegetable oil if you are not using a non-stick skillet.
What noodles to use for Chicken Lo Mein
I buy this Lo Mein noodles that comes dry and in “stick” form. If you cannot find Lo Mein noodles, believe it or not, spaghetti noodles work just as well.
If you are using fresh egg noodles (typically found in the Asian grocery stores in the refrigerated section), the amount use will vary from the way this recipe is written.
For example, this recipe calls for 10 oz of dry lo mein noodles, but 10 oz of fresh noodles will yield less noodles. Take note and proceed with caution. No not really but kinda yes. 😉
Other Ingredients for Chicken Lo Mein
I like to incorporate vegetables into our diet because it is good for you. For this dish, vegetables also add texture, and without them it just doesn’t quite taste the same!
I added bell peppers, shredded carrots, and shredded cabbage to it but many other veggies will be just as yummy:
- Snap peas
- Spinach
- Baby corn
- Onions
- Shelled edamame
I’ve been teasing about that sauce. It’s about time we actually talk about it. The thing that makes this noodle dish what it is is in the sauce – savory with a hint of sweetness and nuttiness, this sauce is not to be messed around with. It is complex and has so many dimensions. In other words, so darn good.
Also, the good news is it calls for ingredients that you can find in regular stores – soy sauce, oyster (flavored) sauce, sesame oil, sugar, ground ginger, black pepper, and chicken broth.
An optional ingredient for the sauce is dark soy sauce. Dark soy sauce contributes to the color and gives the noodles a hint of a deeper, richer flavor, however, not using it will not break the dish.
In fact, I didn’t use it the first few rounds of recipe testing and it was just as delicious. I am also making it optional because it can be harder to find dark sauce at regular grocery stores.
How to Make Chicken Lo Mein
Chicken Lo Mein may sound intimidating but it is a quick 30 minute kinda meal. In fact, unlike more complicated noodle dishes like Pad Thai or Pad See Ew, the process is very straight-forward and it can be quickly summed up to this:
- Boil noodles
- Prep/chop veggies
- Mix together sauce
- Combine everything. Sauté Sauté Sauté!
When sautéing, start by heating up vegetable oil and add garlic and chicken. Once chicken is cooked, add sauce and bring to boil.
Then add noodles, vegetables and combine so the noodles are coat in that sticky, yummy, amazing sauce.
Then the very best part…grab a chopstick, fork, whatever suits your fancy, and dig in!!
Other Noodle dishes on the blog!
- Ramen Noodle Stir Fry
- Shrimp Stir Fried Noodles
- Simple Thai Noodle Bowl
- Pad Thai Noodles
- Pad See Ew Noodles
If you make this recipe, don’t forget to let me know how it goes in the comment boxes below! Also, take a picture and tag me on Instagram!
Chicken Lo Mein
Ingredients
- 10 oz dried lo mein noodles or spaghetti noodles
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup shredded cabbage
- 1 cup sliced bell peppers
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large chicken breast
- vegetable oil
- green onions sliced
Sauce
- 3 tbsp oyster (flavored) sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2/3 cup chicken broth more if needed
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce optional
Instructions
- In a pot, bring water to boil and add lo mein noodles. Make sure noodles are completely submerged in water. Cook time will vary based on package instruction.
- Once noodles are done, remove promptly and drain water, then rinse noodles with cold water (this will prevent noodles from continuing to cook and sticking to each other). Do not overcook noodles.
- Prep/cut bell peppers, shredded carrots, shredded cabbage, garlic, green onions and chicken. (Start this step while waiting for noodles to boil to save time!)
- Prepare sauce by combining all sauce ingredients into a bowl.
- Heat skillet and add vegetable oil. Once oil is hot, add garlic and chicken slices. Sauté chicken until it is done, flipping occasionally. Add sauce. Bring to a boil.
- Add noodles and gently stir them into the sauce and coat them evenly with sauce. Add bell peppers, shredded carrots and shredded cabbage and continue to combine until they are all coat in sauce.
- Add one tablespoon at a time of additional chicken broth if noodles seem too dry. Continue to combine for another 30 seconds or so, or until sauce thickens and everything are well coated with sauce.
- Remove from heat and garnish with green onions. Serve and enjoy!
Kathleen says
This dish looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it on my family MinShien!!
Joyous Apron says
Thank you Kathleen! Please let me know how it goes! 🙂