Chicken Lo Mein with yummy Chinese egg noodles, bean sprouts, chicken, bell peppers and carrots ready in under 30 minutes!
Of all the Chinese dishes to choose from, this recipe is a fantastic Chinese Food Recipe option if you’re looking for something a bit thicker than the traditional Chow Mein. And with other incredibly easy recipes like Crab Rangoon and Easy Mongolian Beef, you won’t run out of yummy options to feed to your family!
Chicken Lo Mein is one of the best takeout foods you can easily make at home. Authentic flavors and a savory sauce make this fragrant dish a mouthwateringly good option for any weeknight meal. It is a healthy noodle dish that is absolutely packed with tons of fresh veggies.
We’ve all been there as kids when someone would try and make a good Chinese noodle dish like in Chinese restaurants but despite their best efforts, they’d end up with soy sauce flavored noodles and all the veggies they thought they could hide in the pot. This is not that. This also not chow mein which utilizes thin, pan fried noodles.
The thick egg noodles are boiled, drained, and then tossed with light coat of sesame oil. This brings a strong base flavor critical to the dish. Then, the chicken is cooked until ready. Then the veggies are stir fried until just crisp, a special homemade sauce is then added, and it all gets mixed together. The result is a fabulous, and easy, authentic Chinese food dinner that your family will absolutely love. Serve with a side of Potstickers or Spring Rolls for a yummy anytime dinner!
How to Make Chicken Lo Mein
Making Chicken Lo Mein is very easy! The process is simple, just follow the steps to ensure perfectly cooked vegetables that aren’t soggy when served.
- Step One: Prep and chop all the veggies and other ingredients before cooking.
- Step Two: Cook and prep the noodles. Rinse in cold water before coating in sesame oil. Set aside in a medium bowl.
- Step Three: Cook the skinless chicken breasts on both sides until ready.
- Step Four: Half of the veggies will get cooked (see recipe below for more details).
- Step Five: Prep and stir in the sauce base.
- Step Six: Cook the other half of the veggies.
- Step Seven: Mix everything together in the pan, toss well, and serve steaming hot!
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Frequently Asked Questions
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.
Lo Mein sauce is made with a sesame oil base that the noodles are tossed in with garlic, fresh ginger, oyster sauce and soy sauce to round out the slightly sweet and slightly spicy sauce.
This recipe is not spicy and is friendly for all ages.
If you’d like to make it a bit spicy, you can add a teaspoon of red pepper flakes while cooking the first half of the veggies. If you’d like it more spicy, add about a tablespoon of sriracha to the sauce. If you’re trying to make it flaming spicy hot, half 5 Schezuan chilis (also commonly known as chile árbol) and fry at the beginning with the garlic and ginger.
Yes! The best way to cook quickly and over high heat for Asian dishes is the Wok. It is the perfect stir fry pan and can be used for dozens of Asian Food Recipes.
There’s a lot of options.
These veggies are used in this recipe:
– red and green bell pepper
– green onions
– julienned carrots
– thinly sliced onions
Not used in this recipe:
– sliced baby bok choy
– sliced zucchini
– snow peas
– broccoli
– water chestnuts
– baby corn
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Key Ingredients in Chicken Lo Mein
The variety of ingredients in this recipe is astounding, and delicious! As always, try to buy frozen or fresh vegetables from your local farmer’s market or Asian market. And don’t use canned vegetables for this recipe.
- Chicken: We’re using skinless chicken breasts in this recipe (about one pound chicken breasts). You can also use chicken tenders or chicken thighs as well. Just make sure they are boneless when cooking.
- Vegetables: There are a lot of vegetables used in this recipe. You can get each one individually and prep it yourself. Another great option is to buy the pre-mixed bag of stir fry noodles from your local grocery store. If you choose this route, cook half the veggies at the beginning, then the other half during the second round according to the recipe below. The result may not be exact, but if you’re trying to save time, this is a great option.
- Sesame Oil: This is a critical ingredient and must not be overlooked. The flavor of sesame oil in this dish is unmistakeable and not really able to be substituted. You can find sesame oil in the international section of your local grocery store. Or, you can easily purchase your sesame oil online. 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 by checking the ingredient list.
- Noodles: The secret to good Lo Mein is found in the thick Chinese egg noodles. Avoid angel hair noodles or other thin noodles. If you’re desperate and in a pinch, spaghetti noodles will work just fine, they just won’t be as thick and chewy as authentic Lo Mein noodles.
- Soy Sauce: Nothing much to say here except Kikkoman Soy Sauce (regular soy sauce) has the best flavor overall and we always recommend low sodium soy sauce (light soy sauce). If you do have dark soy sauce, that is fine to use as well.
- Oyster Sauce: If there was a secret ingredient, oyster sauce would probably be it. It’s a special sauce literally made from oysters! It is dark brown, thick, and slightly sweet. Many Asian Food Recipes call for oyster sauce so you won’t run out of ways to use it!
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. Try adding water chestnuts for a crispy addition.
- Tofu Lo Mein: Simply substitute the chicken for a regular block of tofu. Slice it thin into thirds, pat dry with paper towel, and fry on both sides like you would chicken.
- Sauce Ingredients: You can substitute the water with equal parts chicken broth. Add a tablespoon of brown sugar to give it the slightly sweet taste found in your favorite Chinese restaurant version.
How to Serve Chicken Lo Mein
- Toppings: Sprinkle the top with green onions and sesame seeds for an impressive presentation.
- Plate or Bowl: It’s recommended to serve in a bowl, or thick rimmed plate. It looks really nice too.
- Sauce: You can serve Chicken Lo Mein with side sauces of hot sauce, hoisin sauce, and dark soy sauce or light soy sauce.
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How to Store Chicken Lo Mein
- Serve: Chicken Lo Mein can be kept and served at room temperature up to 2 hours before it should be refrigerated. Just be sure to keep a lid on it when not being served.
- Store: If it’s sealed in an airtight container, Chicken Lo Mein will last up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Be sure to reheat fully to 165º F internally.
- Freeze: You can freeze Chicken Lo Mein in an airtight container or freezer safe bag for up to 2 months for best taste. Defrost overnight before reheating, adding some soy sauce if needed.
Ingredients
- 10 ounces Chinese egg noodles
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 chicken breasts , thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper , thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 carrot thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup onion thinly sliced
- 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.
- In a bowl, mix together the water, soy sauce, cornstarch, vegetable oil and oyster sauce then add the mixture 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
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Photos used in a previous version of this post.
Before I start making this, quick question. I have fish sauce in the pantry but not oyster sauce, may I substitute or is oyster sauce imperative? Also, I have Tamari (even though I am not gluten free), may I substitute that for the soy? Thanks in advance!
So sorry I missed this – if you haven’t made it yet, I would use Worcestershire sauce for the fish sauce and Tamari for the soy. Hope this helps!
Maybe I did something wrong. This was a tasteless, glued together mess of noodles.
I’m so sorry to hear this. If you try this again, try rinsing the noodles until they are cool and then toss with the oil. This will cut the starch and keep them from sticking.
GAMMY, sounds like you may have over cooked your noodles. Try boiling a minute less than package says. Then drain, give them a quick shake, sprinkle a bit of oil ( NOT MUCH) cook your veggies, add noodles and beat a couple eggs into it. Should be delish.!! Good luck.
Great recipe! Thank you. We needed a little more spice and added more hoison sauce. Overall, great recipe to start with and tailor to your taste buds.
Usually all the recipes I make from here are good. This one was a miss. The sesame flavor on the noodles was too much and cooking the veggies on the order instructed made them mushy. Would definitely suggest quickly cooking all veggies separately so as not to overcrowd the pan and also checking the amount of oils used. I feel like I wasted an entire meal on this :/.
OhMyGosh — This made a HUGE ‘batch’ of Lo Mein — Absolutely DELICIOUS! Bean sprouts had gone off, so subbed in thinly sliced cabbage and added a can of water chestnuts — Someone suggested doubling the sauce – Thank you for that tip — Will NEVER eat lo mein in a restaurant again — This recipe, by far, surpassess restaurant dishes!
Woohoo! Thanks so much for coming back to let me know how much you enjoyed it, Melody.
Hi Sabria
I made this last night. I tripled all measurements and amount so I would have leftovers throughout the week. I think the amount of cornstarch may have ruined it although the ratio to the amount of the other ingredients was accurate. The noodles were incredibly starchy.
Even though the box did not say to I image rinsing the noodles may help and stop the cooking process so they are not overdone. If there is a way to cut down on the amount of cornstarch it may help.
My second attempt should come out better now that I’ve learned from my mistakes.
It is still getting a high rating because the flavor was amazing and my own mistakes caused it to be bad.
I’m so glad you’re giving it another chance.
this was so great! i am 12 years old and i make dinner 2x a week for my current family of 8. this was great. i added a litte less onion because i put green onions in also. My faily will love it! thanks for this great recipie!!!
How awesome! Thank you so much for coming back to let me know!
Hi Katie, I’m just a mom of 2 boys reading this recipe and came across your reply about how your son comes home shaken up and defensive…please take that seriously, he could be, being abused in some way at the boy Scout leaders house. That’s very scary. My ‘mom red flag’ went up right away when I read that!
Take care.
Angela
My husband is extremely picky but we both loved this recipe! Thank you.
I made this today and used thigh meat instead of the breast. My husband only likes the canned Chop Suey and Lo Mein. He ate 2 servings. It’s a keeper for us. Easy to do. I’d give it 5 stars.
Thank you so much!
Am I blind or is there no amount for chicken?
I used 2 chicken breasts sliced thinly. All the ingredients are listed in the recipe card. 🙂
I’m extremely intimidated by the idea of using oyster sauce since I’m not a seafood person. How necessary is it?
You can use a mushroom based oyster sauce if you don’t want a seafood based one. It tastes pretty similar!
I really hope your little guy is okay.
Very very good. I did add 3 th brown sugar.
I didn’t have all the veggies. But I just added a bit more of the ones I had. It worked great
Thank you!
Made this last night. When I was cooking my husband said it smells like a Chinese restaurant. We absolutely loved it. Just like a restaurant we used to go to in Detroit. Could not find it in other restaurants as good as that one in Detroit, until this recipe. Thanks Sabrina.
Yay, so glad you both loved it!
I don’t know what I did, but the noodles were super sticky and the taste of. Sesame oil overpowered the dish. Is there anyway to fix
I’m not sure why they would be sticky but you can always use a bit of water to help with that. As far as the sesame oil being to strong for you, you can use canola oil instead. Hope this helps!
Mine was sticky too but I missed the water…oops! Still good.
Do you absolutely need the cornstarch and the oyster sauce?
Yes, it makes up the flavor in this dish. Leaving them out will change the texture and taste.
Just made the chicken lomein and it is DELICIOUS !! The sauce is soo good!!! My daughter loved it and she is picky!!! I used fresh assorted already cut up veggies. Your recipe was very easy to follow!! I will def be making this again!!
Thank you!!
YAY!!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! We love this recipe too. I consider it a huge win when kids will eat a recipe I write so thank you for that victory today!
I made this recipe tonight with a few tweaks just because of what I had/didn’t have on hand and it was delish!! Everyone enjoyed. Definitely and do-over!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
Amazing recipe .
Where does the vegetable oil fall you call for in the ingredients?
Thanks for catching that. It should be added in step 6. Enjoy!
I made this and followed the directions, but my noodles keep breaking. Any suggestions?
It sounds like maybe the noodles were cooked too long. Next time, try a shorter cook time.
It turned out great. I did a couple of things differentially but who doesnt. I added salt and pepper to the chicken before cooking. I also put more ginger than it called for but those are my personal tastes. Thank you foe this recipe
Thanks for dropping by to let me know! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This turned out really gummy. It was almost like gravy on noodles with the cornstarch slurry. And the lo mein noodles were really over cooked. I followed the instructions on the box and took them out a minute before. Not sure where I went wrong.
I just made this and it was really good but my noodles also game out kind of gummy. Although the package didn’t say it, I looked up another recipe and apparently you should rinse the Lo Mein until it is cool. Not sure if you did this, but I did not. I just drained it and add the sesame oil. So I suspect the Lo Mein just kept on cooking while I was preparing the rest. I will try rinsing my noodles the next time I make this recipe!
I’ve tried several lo mein recipes, and this one is by far the best!
Thanks, Launi! I appreciate the 5 star rating!
Very good! No more take out for lo mein.
Very good!
Looks good. Problem is; you can’t buy sprouts in Americans super markets any. We can’t seem to figure out how to grow them safely.
Not sure what stores you have around you but I’ve been able to find them at Sprouts and Whole Foods.
I don’t know where you live but here we have oriental grocery stores that carry bean sprouts, Walmart and hy-vee has it also. H hope that helps
.
I didn’t have oyster sauce but I used fish sauce in its place. All 5 of my picky eaters loved it! I also used radicchio. This is a new favorite so thanks for this!!
You’re welcome Elizabeth!
This was really good, and this recipe is definitely a keeper! But I wouldn’t say it’s like Chinese takeout. Definitely a lot of good flavors going on, but it seems to be missing that one extra zing that all takeout places seem to have in their lo mein. I wish I knew what it was. But I’d definitely make this again! Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you Sabrina. It turned out wonderfully.
So glad to hear it, May!
Can you show us the name and kind of noodles you used thanks
The noodles are linked right above the recipe (and right here)!
Hi Sabrina, the noodles in the link do not look like the same ones used in the photo. They look thinner and I was hoping to use the thicker ones you have in your picture. Any idea where I can find them?
I used Wel Pac Lo mein Egg Noodles for this recipe. 🙂 I bought them from Amazon.
I have my ingredients. I am making this tomorrow! What type of oyster sauce do you prefer? I bought Dragonfly premium
Here’s a link to the one I prefer. https://amzn.to/2IEoxWh
Hi, I am cooking tomorrow & I see that oyster sauce is required.
I am allergic, do you have any suggestions for a substitute?
Many thanks.
They do make a vegetarin oyster sauce so I’m not sure if that helps eliminate the allergy, if not you can also use soy sauce or hoisin sauce as a substitute though it will change the flavor a bit. I hope you enjoy it!
We LOVED this! I used what was ” in house “… chicken, carrots, arugula, bok choy, green onion, peas, cabbage and celery. It was outstanding, better than take out for sure! Thanks so much for the inspiration!
Yay!! So glad you enjoyed it Peggi!
I am SO pumped to make this…and 15 minutes…my soul is literally jumping for joy.
Let us know how it turns out!
This looks amazing! If I use a different kind of noodle, will it affect the taste? Thanks!
It’ll change the texture but shouldn’t affect the taste. Let me know how it turns out.
I would give it more stars if I could!! Absolutely delicious!!!!! Even my very picky children loved it! I felt like I was in a restaurant while eating it, I couldn’t believe I made something that delicious and authentic tasting! Thanks for the wonderful recipe! Will be making this a lot!
You’ve made my day! Anytime I can get picky eaters to enjoy something I feel like I have won the lottery!
Can I use canned bean sprouts or do they have to be fresh?
I used fresh 🙂
Will it be negatively affected if I leave out the oyster sauce??
You won’t want to leave it out, sorry. There is a vegetarian “oyster” sauce you can use it that’s a concern. It’s mushroom based.
Can’t wait to try this. I have all ingredients except oyster sauce.Do you know if it’s noticeable if I omit it? I hate to buy it for 1 spoonful.
You really need it for this recipe, sorry.
Can’t WAIT to try this but I need to get the ingredients right. Are the bean sprouts canned or fresh? I’m thinking (hoping) fresh but I’m really not sure if I can find them. Also, is it best to use Chinese cabbage or regular cabbage? Thanks for sharing this and other recipes!
I used fresh bean sprouts for this recipe and either cabbage would be fine.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying all the recipes. 🙂
Hello dinner! My family is going to devour this!
Enjoy!
I love you telling the difference btwn the two! This looks great
Can’t wait to try this! The links for the sesame oil takes you to the soy sauce and I am curious about the authentic sesame oil and brand!
This is the one I use. http://amzn.to/2dXbkLF
Can you link a picture of your sesame oil preference – the link attached doesn’t not connect to the item.
Here’s the link to the one I use. http://amzn.to/2dXbkLF
My family definitely love this!
Thank you Erin!
I’ve always wanted to make authentic lo mein!!
Glad I could help!
I absolutely love this recipe! It’s perfect for my hungry family!
Thanks Chrissie!
OH MY WORD! Do you think if I took out the chicken and made as directed it would still be delicious? This looks WAY better than my local chinese restaurant!
Oh, definitely! You can even add in additional vegetables of your liking.
Yes! I love indulgent “takeout style” dishes and homemade fast food. I’ll be making this shortly.
I’ve been really into homemade Pad See You lately, might this be next in your takeout recipes series? 🙂
Yes, it’s in the works. 🙂 Stay tuned!!
You have delivered! Quite excited to taste test… :p
Enjoy!