If you're anything like me, chicken and vegetable lo mein is a staple when it comes to carry-out. And if you've never attempted to make it at home you're missing out. Don't worry, it's easy: there aren't any weird or complicated ingredients or methods and homemade almost always tastes better.
This is one of the simplest and easiest take-out meals to mimic at home, and the flavors will pop even more with hand-picked fresh ingredients that go straight from your pan to your plate.
If you want to know the difference between these lo mein noodles and chow mein noodles, check out my post here. People often confuse them if they're new to Chinese food, but this post does a good job of explaining the differences.
I also make these mini Chinese pork buns and an easy xo sauce that you might like!
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Homemade Chicken Lo Mein Ingredients
There's a good chance that you already have most of what you'll need for this recipe on hand. It features egg noodles and chicken breast, with a whole host of bright and flavorful veggies.
The rich teriyaki sauce is so simple- it has just five ingredients and comes together in one pot within a few minutes.
Chicken Marinade:
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 pound chicken breasts - sliced
For the Sauce:
- 3 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger - grated
- 1 teaspoon garlic - minced
For the Stir Fry:
- ½ pound Chinese egg noodles
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ onion - sliced
- 2 cups cabbage - shredded
- 1 red bell pepper - sliced
- 1 cup mushrooms - sliced
To Serve:
- ½ cup scallions - chopped (to garnish)
- sesame seeds - to garnish
Recipe Tweaks
Remember, this whole dish can be ready in no time, and even the kiddos will want to dig into it, making it a perfect weeknight dinner. And the best part about this dish is the versatility.
- If you don't want chicken or don't have any on hand, swap it out for steak or shrimp.
- And if you don't have egg or wheat noodles, you can wing it with rice noodles.
- If you want to add a little more flavor to the finishing touch, you can lightly toast your sesame seeds in a pan over medium heat before sprinkling them over your masterpiece.
- For a spicy kick, add some sriracha.
How to Make Chicken Vegetable Lo Mein
- Marinate the chicken. Place the marinade ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk together until the cornstarch dissolves. Add the chicken pieces. Mix the chicken with the marinade to coat. Let it marinate for 30 minutes.
- Make the sauce. Whisk together all sauce ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until it starts to bubble (a few minutes). Take it off the heat and set aside.
- Cook the noodles. Cook the egg noodles according to package instructions. Drain and toss with 1 teaspoon sesame oil so that they don't stick. Set aside.
- Fry. In a deep skillet or wok, heat the vegetable oil to medium-high heat. Fry the chicken pieces in the wok until browned and cooked through - reserve. Add the vegetables to the wok and sauté for about 5 minutes - so they are tender but crispy.
- Toss together. Return the chicken to the wok. Add the noodles and sauce - toss to combine.
- Serve. Serve garnished with sesame seeds and sliced scallions.
Joss' Tips
- Marinade Time: Marinate the chicken for at least 15 minutes to tenderize and flavor it or for the full 30 minutes if you have time.
- Thin Cuts: Slice the chicken thinly for quick cooking. Cut the vegetables into thin, uniform pieces so they cook evenly and quickly.
- High Heat: Cooking vegetables on high heat ensures that everything cooks quickly and retains a good, tender-crisp texture.
- Avoid Overcrowding: If your pan is small, cook the chicken and vegetables in batches to avoid steaming them.
- Fresh Noodles: If you can find fresh lo mein noodles, they often have a better texture than dried ones.
Storage & Reheating
- Storage: Cover and store leftovers up to 4 days in the fridge.
- Reheating: Reheat in the pan or microwave.
Chicken Vegetable Lo Mein FAQs
Chicken lo mein is a dish consisting of Chinese noodles, pieces of chicken, a range of stir fried vegetables and a delicious sauce.
While it's traditional to use Chinese egg noodles for lo mein, you can absolutely use spaghetti noodles if you like. Just make sure to cook them according to the package directions.
Besides spaghetti noodles, you could also substitute with rice noodles, udon noodles, linguini, soba noodles or any noodles that are similar. You could even use zucchini 'noodles'.
More Asian Take Out Dish Recipes to Try
If you tried this 🍜 Homemade Chicken Vegetable Lo Mein Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. And please share the recipe!
📋Recipe
Homemade Chicken Vegetable Lo Mein
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 pound chicken breasts - sliced thinly
For the Sauce
- 3 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger - grated
- 1 teaspoon garlic - minced
For the Stir Fry
- ½ pound Chinese egg noodles
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ yellow onion - sliced
- 2 cups cabbage - shredded
- 1 red bell pepper - sliced
- 1 cup mushrooms - sliced
To Serve
- ½ cup scallions - chopped (to garnish)
- sesame seeds - to garnish
Instructions
- Place the marinade ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk together until the cornstarch dissolves. Add the chicken pieces. Mix the chicken with the marinade to coat. Let it marinate for 30 minutes.
- Whisk together all sauce ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until it starts to bubble (a few minutes). Take it off the heat and set aside.
- Cook the egg noodles according to package instructions. Drain and toss with 1 teaspoon sesame oil so that they don't stick. Set aside.
- In a deep skillet or wok, heat the vegetable oil to medium-high heat. Fry the chicken pieces in the wok until browned and cooked through - reserve.
- Add the vegetables to the wok and sauté for about 5 minutes--so they are tender but crispy.
- Return the chicken to the wok. Add the noodles and sauce - toss to combine.
- Serve garnished with sesame seeds and sliced scallions.
Equipment
Notes
- Storage: Up to 4 days in the fridge.
- Reheating: Reheat in the pan or microwave.
- Can you use spaghetti noodles? While it's traditional to use Chinese egg noodles for lo mein, you can absolutely use spaghetti noodles if you like. Just make sure to cook them according to the package directions.
- More noodle substitutes: Besides spaghetti noodles, you could also substitute with rice noodles, linguini, udon noodles, soba noodles or any noodles that are similar. You could even use zucchini 'noodles'.
- Marinade Time: Marinate the chicken for at least 15 minutes to tenderize and flavor it or for the full 30 minutes if you have time.
- High Heat: Cooking vegetables on high heat ensures that everything cooks quickly and retains a good, tender-crisp texture.
- Avoid Overcrowding: If your pan is small, cook the chicken and vegetables in batches to avoid steaming them.
- Fresh Noodles: If you can find fresh lo mein noodles, they often have a better texture than dried ones.
- Thin Cuts: Slice the chicken thinly for quick cooking. Cut the vegetables into thin, uniform pieces so they cook evenly and quickly.
Nutrition
Nutrition information on In the Kitch is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may not include toppings and/or sauces.
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