Chicken Lo Mein with chewy Chinese egg noodles, bean sprouts, chicken, bell peppers and carrots in under 30 minutes like your favorite Chinese takeout restaurant.
Lo Mein is a fantastic Chinese takeout option if you’re looking for something a bit thicker than the traditional Chow Mein.
 Easy Chicken Lo Mein
As a kid growing up my mom was not very well versed in making Chinese food (she once made chow mein with angel hair noodles). I wanted to know how to make lo mein like in Chinese restaurants but despite her best efforts we’d end up with were soy sauce flavored noodles with all the veggies she thought she could hide in the pot.
It was a valiant effort, but it never really tasted like Chinese food from a Chinese Restaurant.
Since watching my favorite Daytime talkshow make their version of The Chew chicken lo mein (I’m a huge Micheal Symon fan), I had a craving to make some lo mein.
What you’re looking at is my quickly thrown together lo mein with the ingredients I had on hand and it was as delicious as my favorite takeout spot. My husband was watching along with me but he didn’t understand the difference of lo mein vs chow mein until he saw the difference in these noodles!
What is the difference between lo mein and chow mein?
A traditional chow mein has noodles that are boiled, then stir fried until having a slightly crisped exterior while lo mein is boiled then tossed in a sauce without cooking the noodles an additional amount. The noodles are roughly the same, both egg noodles, but lo mein noodles are normally thicker and chewier.
What kind of sauce is in lo mein?
Lo Mein sauce is made with a sesame oil base that the noodles are tossed in with garlic, ginger, oyster sauce and soy sauce to round out the slightly sweet and slightly spicy sacuce.
Lo Mein Recipe Variations:
- Shrimp Lo Mein: Cook the shrimp after the veggies instead of before and remove them reserving them to toss with the pasta at the end. Undercook the shrimp by about 15 seconds before cause they will keep cooking in with the pasta.
- Beef Lo Mein: Flank steak is the best beef for lo mein. Slice the beef against the grain and cook in on a high heat for just 30 seconds on each side.
- Vegetable Lo Mein: The easiest of all the varieties, add in your favorite vegetables cooked until just softened but still with a crisp bite.
Best Vegetables for Lo Mein:
- broccoli
- red and green bell pepper
- snow peas
- green onions
- sliced baby bok choy
- sliced zucchini
- julienned carrots
- thinly sliced onions
More Easy Asian Recipes:
Tools Used in the making of this Chicken Lo Mein:
Lo Mein Noodles: Authentic and flavorful for the perfect lo mein.
Soy Sauce: Nothing much to say here except Kikkoman has the best flavor overall and I always recommend reduced sodium.
Wok: The best way to cook quickly and over high heat for Asian dishes, this wok is the perfect stir fry pan.
Sesame Oil: The flavor of sesame oil in this dish is unmistakeable and not really able to be substituted. Some Asian grocery stores will try and sell less expensive options that aren’t actually sesame oil, so just be sure the one you’re buying is authentic sesame oil.
Ingredients
- 10 ounces Chinese egg noodles
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 chicken breasts sliced thinly
- 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup lite soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 carrot thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup onion slices
- 1/2 cup shredded cabbage
- 1 cup bean sprouts
Instructions
- Cook the egg noodles one minute shy of the directions.
- Drain and toss with sesame oil in a bowl to coat.
- Heat canola oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
- Cook the chicken 3-4 minutes on each side until cooked through.
- Remove from the pan and add in the red bell peppers, ginger and garlic and cook them for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently until just softened.
- Add in the water, soy sauce, cornstarch, vegetable oil and oyster sauce into the skillet.
- Add in the carrot, onion and cabbage and cook for 1-2 minutes before adding back in the chicken and egg noodles.
- Add in the bean sprouts, toss all the ingredients together well and serve.
Nutrition
Want to save this recipe? Create a free account to easily save your favorite recipes
I made this tonight for dinner but it’s lacking flavor what did I miss?
Hi Bev! I am so sorry you did not enjoy it! Its hard for me to say what could have caused so little flavor without watching you cook, but I hope the next recipe you try is to your liking!
Hello, I don’t know when this receipt changed but it is no longer accurate. It was great now it is trash. The now lack of specificity in the instructions 1/4 cup from Tbls. It’s just bad. No taste, very bland now.
Sabrina
I found this recipe is so easy to make
The steps and times to cook were right on
this will be my go to recipe for lo mein with any type of meat
Thanks very much
I went to the store today just to get all the stuff to make this delicious looking fish but forgot Oyster sauce ? any suggestions substitute I can use? I’m definitely not going back to the store.
Hey Holly, soy sauce would work just fine for this recipe.
Just made this for the family this evening. Not only is the recipe super simple, it has the flavor of restaurant quality lo mein. The kids requested shrimp instead of chicken, but there are clearly so many variations possible here, especially as noted with respect to the veggies. This will be saved in my favorites for sure!! Thank you for sharing.
I couldn”t see the recipe because of all the ads that covered the page!!!
The ads are why you are able to get these recipes for free. I am sorry for the inconvience.
Just click the X to get rid of them
Easy and tasty.
My husband & I had this Lo Mein dish tonight and it was fabulous!!! Absolutely loved it, thank you for the recipe.
So glad you loved it!! thank you!
I love to try new recipes, I cooked this tonight and was not impressed. No flavour.I liked all the veg , noodles, chicken but the sauce tastes like something is missing.
Loved this recipe. I used already cookied tail off x-small shrimp. I only made one tweak. I boiled my lo mein noodles in chicken stock. Which I reserved a little of the liquid to cook the veggies and to thicken instead of cornstarch. I also made your lemon chicken (a few times now), but finally thought to grab a picture before I dig into my left overs (even better the next day). I made egg fried rice as well. Thanks for sharing your recipes. I just don’t know how to attach it. Lol
I’ve made your recipe a whole lot of times and added broccoli and removed cabbage option , added mushroom to it, white pepper and sweet chili to it and its delicious. Its such a big hit and when my Asian friends tell me I’ve mastered the flavors and taste better than our local chinese stores I smile because of your recipe .
I added a little sweet chili sauce as well! It really gave it that extra kick it needed.