Chicken Lo Mein is a take out classic! My recipe is quick, easy, and oh so delicious. Forget ordering in, whip this up at home instead!
Chicken Lo Mein
It’s always such a treat whenever I get to go to an Asian market in my city. Does anyone else feel like a kid in a candy store? I used to feel intimidated going in, worried that I wouldn’t read the labels properly and would end up buying the wrong things, but I’ve learned to just have fun with it!
There’s so many different types of snacks, the best drinks I’ve bought in a store, and hundreds of types of noodles. I bought so many noodles and I’ve been dying to start using them. There’s just nothing that takes a stir fry to the next level like fresh noodles.
Lo Mein
This is a Chinese dish that uses long egg noodles as its base. Traditional Cantonese style preparation of this dish would just be making a wonton soup broth and serving these noodles dry (but cooked) on the side. I, however, prefer the American version of lo mein, a saucier dish with lots of meat and veggies.
If you have a Cantonese style lo mein recipe that would totally knock my socks off please feel free to share! I’m always hunting for new favorites and you guys clearly have great taste!
Ingredients In Chicken Lo Mein
Sauce
- Brown sugar – We want a syrupy base that will really stick to our noodles and add a bit of color. I prefer brown sugar but white corn syrup (most definitely in Asian markets) will work.
- Soy sauce – I used both low sodium soy sauce and dark soy sauce for this chicken lo mein recipe. Dark soy sauce is thicker, darker, and has more concentrated flavor than light soy sauce.
- Oyster sauce – Yes there is oyster in this sauce, so avoid it if you’re allergic to shellfish. If not this is a great way to add some umami to your dish!
- Hoisin – I love Hoisin sauce, I even mix it with a little hot sauce and vinegar for a great dip. Anyways, this sauce is rich, thick, dark, and savory. If you don’t have any on hand this recipe is a quick way to replicate that flavor.
- Pepper – Black pepper to taste, don’t add any additional salt as all our sauces have that base covered.
- Sesame oil – Such a secret weapon for flavor! I can’t rave enough about sesame oil, it adds a nice toast-iness and complexity to dishes. I like to buy roasted sesame seed oil as its flavor is richer.
Chicken
- Chicken – Skinless and boneless chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces is what I like to use in this lo mein recipe but chicken thighs will work as well.
- Soy sauce – Just regular old soy sauce for this component, I prefer to use low sodium.
- Ginger – Fresh and minced is best! If powdered is all you have on hand that is fine just keep in mind 1/2 teaspoon equals 1 tablespoon of the fresh stuff.
- Garlic – American lo mein calls for fresh garlic, but if minced is all you have just keep in mind that 1 1/2 teaspoon equals 1 clove.
- Olive oil – I used olive oil today but Chinese recipes often use soybean, peanut, or vegetable oil instead.
Lo mein
- Veggies – Fresh shiitake mushrooms, Chinese cabbage, carrots, and onion.
- Egg noodle – Or any other style asian noodle.
- Green onion – Optional garnish.
- Olive oil – For sautéing.
How To Make Chicken Lo Mein
Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on my printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Prepare the noodles: Boil the noddles according to package instructions, set aside.
- Combine sauce: Whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Prepare the chicken: In a medium sized bowl toss the chicken with the ginger, garlic, and soy sauce.
- Saute the saute-ables: Heat your oil in a large wok, making sure everything is nice and hot before adding the chicken. Stir the chicken well and allow it to brown for 5 minutes or until it browns. Remove from the heat and set aside, don’t worry if it’s still pink inside. Add more oil and saute the veggies till they soften, stirring regularly.
- Finish lo mein: Add the chicken back to the wok along with the cooked noodles and prepared sauce. Toss everything together well and turn off the heat. Garnish with green onion and serve steaming. Delish!
Tips For Making The Best Lo Mein
- If you decide to use ramen noodles for this dish, keep in mind that rice ramen noodles have a tendency to break when stir fried in a dish like this.
- If you choose to use regular flat rice noodle for this dish be sure to let them soak according to package instructions before boiling.
- There’s no need to go out and buy a wok for this recipe (although they are amazing to have on hand), just use a large skillet instead, we need something with lots of surface area to cook up all these ingredients.
- Beef and shrimp also taste amazing in this dish.
- Don’t confuse this dish with the very popular chow mein, check out my recipe for chow mein where I talk a bit more about the difference between the two.
- BBQ sauce can be used in place of hoisin and additional soy sauce can be substituted for the oyster sauce.
Storing Lo Mein
No more styrofoam containers for our left over Chinese! Just store this in an airtight container and it will last 3 – 4 days in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer. Allow to thaw completely before reheating.
Craving More Asian Recipes? Try these:
- Asian Style Udon Noodles with Pork and Mushrooms
- Hoisin Chicken Udon Noodles
- Spicy Black Pepper Shrimp with Udon Noodles
- Tofu Drunken Noodles
- Shrimp Shiitake Noodles
- Beef Broccoli Noodle Stir Fry
- Spicy Thai Chicken And Veggie Noodles
- Chow Mein
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Chicken Lo Mein
Ingredients
For Sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar packed
- 2 tbsp soy sauce low sodium
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp sesame oil
For Chicken
- 1 lb chicken breasts skinless and boneless, cut into small pieces
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp fresh ginger minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For Veggies
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups shiitake mushrooms sliced
- 1 cup Chinese cabbage shredded
- 1 cup carrots julienned
- 1 large onion chopped
Other
- 16 oz ramen noodles or any other Asian style noodles
- 3 green onions chopped
Instructions
- Cook the noodles according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- In a small bowl whisk all the sauce ingredients together, then set aside.
- In another medium sized bowl toss together the chicken with the soy sauce, ginger and garlic.
- Heat the olive oil well in a large wok. Your wok should be nice and hot before adding the chicken to it. Add the seasoned chicken and cook for about 5 minutes or until the chicken starts to brown and is no longer pink inside. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Add the other 2 tbsp of olive oil to the wok then add the shiitake mushrooms, cabbage, carrots and onion to the wok. Cook for a minute while tossing around.
- Add the chicken back to the wok. Add the cooked noodles, prepared sauce and toss everything together. Turn off the heat.
- Garnish with green onions and serve.
