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Chicken Lo Mein is a take-out favorite that’s quick and easy to make at home. This simple weeknight dinner made with lo mein noodles, sauteed chicken and veggies topped with a savory sauce is even better than the restaurant version.
Chicken Lo Mein with Veggies
Noodles are one of my absolute favorite things to make! I love how versatile they and easy are. On busy weeknights after working all day, I just want a meal that I can throw together in just 20-30 minutes with very little effort and this chicken lo mein recipe sure fits the bill!
It’s jam-packed with fresh vegetables and chicken so you get a fantastic variety of flavors, textures, and colors from everything mixed into the noodles. Plus the sauce is fantastic! All you need are a few simple ingredients to make the sauce that you probably already have on hand!
A great way to use leftover vegetables
Another great thing about this chicken lo mein recipe is that it’s a great way to use up any fresh vegetables sitting around in your fridge. You can customize the vegetables in the recipe by just adding varieties you like or removing ones you aren’t a fan of.
When I made this, I had a whole bunch of extra bok choy from a Chinese Chicken Pasta Salad I had just made earlier that week. Spinach also works great! Feel free to experiment with different veggies!
How to Make Chicken Lo Mein
Ready to kick your weeknight dinner up a notch? Let’s make some lo mein!
- Sauce. You’ll need soy sauce, granulated sugar, sesame oil, and ground ginger. Whisk together until the sugar is melted and there are not lumps of ground ginger.
- Noodles. Cook the lo mein noodles according to the instructions on the packaging. Make sure to salt the water since noodles are very bland.
- Vegetables and chicken. Cook your veggies in olive oil and garlic – my favorites to use are bell pepper, snow peas, mushrooms and carrots – with some chicken, together for 4 minutes before adding in the bok choy and cooking 3-4 more minutes, stirring frequently. Veggies should be crisp-tender, not mushy, and the bok choy to be wilted.
- Serve. Toss lo mein noodles with with the chicken and veggies. Pour sauce all over everything and mix together until well combined. Serve as is (it’s delicious!) or toss with some sesame seeds for a little extra texture.
Chicken Lo Mein is a great dish to serve on it’s own, or as part of a complete Asian-inspired meal with some Potstickers, Egg Fried Rice and Sweet and Sour Pork.
What kind of noodles are used for Lo Mein?
Both Lo Mein and Chow Mein are made with Chinese egg noodles, that you can usually find in the refrigerated section of most Asian markets. If you don’t have an Asian market near you, grocery stores usually have a few options. If you aren’t able to find the egg noodles, you can use Japanese Udon noodles, soba noodles, ramen noodles, rice noodles or even spaghetti.
Make Chicken Lo Mein with either fresh or dried noodles.
The cooking method is the real difference between Chow mein and lo mein noodles. Chow mein noodles are boiled, then fried, while lo mein noodles are boiled then tossed in a sauce. The actual egg noodle that’s used is pretty much the same, but lo mein noodles end up being slightly thicker and chewier.
Helpful Tips and FAQs
- I made the chicken ahead of time when I was doing some meal prep for the week. It helped save time when it came to making this for dinner in the evening but if you do not have any made ahead of time, no worries! Just dice up two chicken breasts and cook them in the pan before you cook the veggies.
- I suggest leaving the chicken in the pan with the veggies whether you just cooked it or you made it ahead of time so that it can stay warm and soak up some of the flavors of the veggies as they cook.
- If you do not have lo mein noodles on hand, you can use ramen noodles, rice noodles, or any other kind of Asian noodle you might have on hand. Even spaghetti or linguine would work in a pinch.
- Substitute the chicken with shrimp, thinly sliced beef or ground pork. Make your lo mein vegetarian by omitting the proteins altogether.
More Asian Inspired Recipes
Love take-out but want to learn how to make your favorites at home? We’ve got you covered! Chicken Fried Rice is super easy and a website favorite, as is Crockpot Orange Chicken. Want to try some soup? Or for something little lighter you can’t go wrong with an Asian Chicken Salad.
Do yourself a favor and try out out at home take out style recipes. They are fresher, tastier and budget friendly!
Chicken Lo Mein
Ingredients
- 8 ounces lo mein noodles
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts sliced into thin strips
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and sliced into thin strips
- 1 cup bok choy roughly chopped
- 1 cup sugar snap peas
- 1 cup shredded or sliced carrots
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- for garnish: sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and ground ginger.Â
- In a large pot, cook lo mein noodles according to the instructions on the packaging.
- While noodles are cooking, add olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Cook until no longer pink, turning once, a few minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
- If needed, add another tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. Cook garlic, bell pepper, peas, carrots, and mushrooms together for 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add bok choy and continue cooking 3-4 more minutes. The vegetables should be tender and the bok choy wilted.
- Add the chicken back to the pan and stir until warmed. Remove from heat.
- Once noodles are done cooking, drain and then add them to the pan with the chicken and veggies. Pour sauce over everything and mix together until well combined. Top with sesame seeds and serve immediately.
Notes
- I made the chicken ahead of time when I was doing some meal prep for the week. It helped save time when it came to making this for dinner in the evening but if you do not have any made ahead of time, no worries! Just dice up two chicken breasts and cook them in the pan before you cook the veggies.
- I suggest leaving the chicken in the pan with the veggies whether you just cooked it or you made it ahead of time so that it can stay warm and soak up some of the flavors of the veggies as they cook.
- If you do not have lo mein noodles on hand, you can use ramen noodles, rice noodles, or any other kind of Asian noodle you might have on hand. Even spaghetti or linguine would work in a pinch.
- Substitute the chicken with shrimp, thinly sliced beef or ground pork. Make your lo mein vegetarian by omitting the proteins altogether.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of "Yellow Bliss Road" is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
This was very bland. Barely edible.
Flavor levels can be very personal. Sorry it didn’t suit your tastes, but my family loves it.
I tried this tonight. It was delicious.
Thank you
You are so welcome Rose! Thanks for your feedback.
I generally love working with your recipes, and l adore Asian inspired dishes, but l am allergic to all peppers and chilies (with the exception of white and black pepper). I’ve noticed that most of your Asian dishes use either peppers or red pepper flakes. I will sometimes use a fairly heavy garlic/ginger combo to add some heat, or complete my dish with a little wasabi at the end. Are there any other non pepper ways you can recommend to add spice to some of your Asian recipes?
Hi Zoe, Chiles and peppers are the most common way to add heat to a dish. Wasabi is a great idea, and garlic and ginger can help too. Horseradish is another idea.