This Chicken Lo Mein recipe is loaded with chicken and chewy noodles stir fried with crunchy bell peppers, snap peas and more in a flavorful sauce, so easy!
Easy Chicken Lo Mein
We're cooking up a quick and easy noodle dish tonight in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen, and it's huge on flavor.
This dish is loaded with lots of chopped chicken, a great mixture of fresh vegetables, all stir fried together in a flavorful Chinese sauce that you can spice up as much as you want.
Chicken Lo Mein is sort of a go-to in our kitchen, as it is done in 30 minutes or less, and that includes prep time, which is mostly a bit of whisking and chopping.
This is great for a slow cook like me.
This is a recipe you'll want to keep on hand for those nights when you're busy and want dinner on the table fast, but you don't want to sacrifice flavor. No way!
Definitely no need to call down to your local Chinese restaurant with this recipe in your back pocket.
Plus, it's super easy to customize both the heat and spice factors, but also with different vegetables from your garden or crisper, pretty much whatever you have on hand.
I hope you love it as much as we do.
Let's talk about how to make Chicken Lo Mein, shall we?
Chicken Lo Mein Ingredients
- FOR THE LO MEIN SAUCE
- Dark Soy Sauce.
- Light Soy Sauce.
- Oyster Sauce.
- Sesame Oil.
- Sugar. Or use honey, or brown sugar, for a touch of sweet.
- Ginger. I use ground ginger, though fresh ginger is good, too.
- Sriracha. For a touch of spiciness. I add extra for myself.
- FOR THE CHICKEN LO MEIN
- Sesame Oil.
- Chicken. Use either chicken breast, chicken thigh, or a combination.
- Salt and Pepper. To taste.
- Vegetables. Napa Cabbage, Red Bell Pepper (or use hotter peppers, as desired), Cremini Mushrooms, Carrot, Snow Peas, Bok Choy, Garlic.
- Lo Mein Noodles. Or use your favorite egg noodles.
- For Garnish. Sesame seeds, red chili flakes.
How to Make Chicken Lo Mein - the Recipe Method
Get Water Boiling. Set a small pot of water to boiling on the stovetop. This will be for your lo mein noodles.
Make the Lo Mein Sauce. Whisk together the dark and light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar or honey, ginger and sriracha until well combined. Set aside until ready to use.
Cook the Chicken. Heat 1 teaspoon sesame oil (or use vegetable oil) in a large wok or pan to medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the chicken and cook 3-4 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside.
Stir Fry the Vegetables. Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in the same wok to medium high heat. Add the cabbage, bell pepper, mushrooms and carrot. Stir fry for 5-6 minutes to soften.
Add the snow peas, bok choy and garlic. Cook, stirring, 2-3 more minutes to soften.
Boil the Lo Mein Noodles. While the vegetables are cooking, boil the lo mein noodles for 3-4 minutes, or until cooked to your liking. Drain.
Combine. Stir the cooked noodles, reserved chicken and reserved lo mein sauce into the wok. Toss and stir until well coated and warmed through.
Serve. Garnish with sesame seeds and red chili flakes and serve.
Boom! Done! Your Chicken Lo Mein is ready to serve. So easy to make, isn't it? On the table in under 30 minutes, and it's loaded with chicken and veggies. Double win!
I love stir fried noodles.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Two Soy Sauces. The combination of both dark soy sauce and light soy sauce gives the sauce a richer depth of flavor. You can use only light soy sauce if needed.
- Oyster Sauce is a must, as it adds a wonderful umami flavor. Look for it in your grocery store international aisle.
- The Vegetables. As mentioned, this recipe is super customizable. If you have vegetables in your refrigerator that you need to use, feel free to include them. Some popular additions are bean sprouts, other hotter peppers, onions, green onions, beans and more. Use your favorites.
- The Noodles. You can often find products listed as "lo mein noodles" in the international section of some grocery stores. However, if you are unable to find them, any long egg noodle will work for making chicken lo mein. You can realistically use any noodles, like soba noodles or vermicelli, or even fresh noodles, and achieve good results.
- Spice It Up. Chicken lo mein is not typically a spicy recipe, but that doesn't mean we can't spice it up the way we want it. I like to include a couple jalapeno peppers, maybe a serrano, or often a habanero when I want a good level of heat added. Also, feel free to include spicy chili flakes with the sauce or when stir frying the vegetables, and using extra sriracha or an even hotter sauce.
Here are answers to other questions I've received about this particular dish.
Chicken Lo Mein Vs. Chicken Chow Mein
The primary difference between Chicken Lo Mein and Chicken Chow Mein is how the noodles are prepared.
Lo mein means "stirred noodles", where the prepared noodles are simply stirred into your stir fry then smothered in lots of sauce, often accompanied by a copious amount of vegetables.
Chow mein, on the other hand, means "fried noodles", where the prepared noodles are lightly stir fried in the pan over heat and served with fewer vegetables, making the noodles crispier and the star of the dish.
Each dish can use the same noodles, but the preparation is different.
Storage
This recipe will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. It isn't bad served cold, but is easily reheated in a microwave or tossed in a hot pan.
You can also freeze it for 2-3 months.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy this chicken lo mein recipe. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you, and if you decided to spice it up!
Cookbook Recommendation
If you enjoy Chinese cuisine, I recommend the following cookbooks, which I used to adapt this recipe.
- 101 Asian Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die: Discover a New World of Flavors in Authentic Recipes - by Chef Jet Tila
- Essential Wok Cookbook, by Naomi Imatome-Yum
- Also, check out my own cookbook, “The Spicy Food Lovers’ Cookbook – Fiery, No-Fuss Meals”, by Mike Hultquist (affiliate link, my friends!)
Recommended Wok for This Recipe
Amazon Affiliate links, my friends!
HexClad 12 Inch Hybrid Stainless Steel Wok Pan with Stay-Cool Handle - I've been loving this wok, makes stir frying and clean up so easy.
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
- Lo Mein Noodles
- Spicy Ramen Noodles
- Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)
- Yakisoba Noodles
- Dan Dan Noodles
- Mie Goreng (Indonesian Stir Fry Noodles)
- Szechuan Chicken
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Chicken Lo Mein Recipe
Ingredients
FOR THE LO MEIN SAUCE
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sugar or use honey
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon sriracha or to taste
FOR THE CHICKEN LO MEIN
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil + 1 tablespoon divided
- 1 pound chicken breast or use chicken thighs - cut into bite-sized pieces
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup napa cabbage shredded
- 1 red bell pepper chopped, or use hotter peppers as desired
- 1 cup cremini mushrooms sliced
- 1 large carrot julienned
- 1/2 cup snow peas
- 2 cups bok choy
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 8 ounces lo mein noodles egg noodles
- For Garnish: sesame seeds, red chili flakes
Instructions
- Set a small pot of water to boiling on the stovetop. This will be for your lo mein noodles.
- Whisk together the dark and light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar or honey, ginger and sriracha until well combined. Set aside until ready to use.
- Heat 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a large wok or pan to medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and stir fry 3-4 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside.
- Stir Fry the Vegetables. Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in the same wok to medium high heat. Add the cabbage, bell pepper, mushrooms and carrot. Stir fry for 5-6 minutes to soften.
- Add the snow peas, bok choy and garlic. Cook, stirring, 2-3 more minutes to soften.
- While the vegetables are cooking, boil the lo mein noodles for 3-4 minutes, or until cooked to your liking. Drain.
- Stir the prepared lo mein noodles, reserved chicken and reserved lo mein sauce into the wok. Toss and stir until well coated and warmed through.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and red chili flakes and serve.
Nutrition Information
Donna says
This is going to be made today! I have to go to the store first! It sounds wonderful.
Mike Hultquist says
Enjoy!!