Amazing Chicken Lo Mein with garlic, soy sauce and ginger tastes just like take out, but even better! The secret is in the moist, marinated chicken!
If there is a dish that I judge every Chinese take-out restaurant by, it would be Chicken Lo Mein. If they can’t get this simple dish right, I will move on to the next one.
My criteria is pretty simple. Are the noodles hard, or even worse, mushy! Is the chicken tender and full of flavor, or does it taste like yesterdays buffet leftovers? Finally, is the sauce tasty, or just a dump of soy sauce.
What I found was that there is no consistency in how this dish is prepared. I found amazing noodles and awful chicken. Sauce that was tasty and others that are so salty each bite required a drink of water after it. Discouraged, I threw out my take out menus and decided to make my own at home. This recipe became so popular at our house it is now on a weekly rotation!
Reasons to love this Amazing Chicken Lo Mein Recipe:
- It is easy to make and it takes only around 30 minutes!
- Versatile – Great for using up leftover meat and veggies
- The dish is packed with amazing flavors and lean protein
- It is perfect for busy weeknights and also for entertaining guests
The secret to the tasty chicken in this lo mein is marinating it first in soy sauce, ginger and garlic. It does not take long for the chicken to absorb these flavors, and it adds so much extra flavor to the sauce! The chicken is fully cooked first to lock in the flavors.
Next come the vegetables. The high heat cooks them tender-crunchy in minutes.
Then the chicken is added back in with the noodles and sauce and everything is cooked quickly until heated thru. Done, delicious and ready to eat in minutes!
What is the difference between Chicken Lo Mein and Chicken Chow Mein?
The main difference between Lo Mein and Chow Mein is the cooking of the noodles. Mein is simply the Chinese word for noodles. Lo Mein means “tossed noodles,” while chow mein means “fried noodles.” Chow mein noodles are fried to crispness, while lo mein noodles are boiled to softness. They are similar in that both dishes are from China, and both chow mein and lo mein use wheat-flour egg noodles.
Tips for making the best Amazing Chicken Lo Mein Recipe:
- Start with quality meat – use organic chicken breasts if possible
- Use fresh, minced garlic. Garlic is an integral component of this sauce recipe so use fresh if possible.
- You can taste and adjust the sugar in this recipe. The sauce for this recipe is not overly sweet, but you can use less if you like.
- This recipe was created for cooking in a wok. If you are using a flat pan or skillet, you may need to lower the cooking heat slightly to keep the food from burning, and increase the cooking time.
- Make the chicken slices as thin as possible to reduce cooking time.
- Cut the vegetables into uniform bite size pieces so all cook tender at the same time.
MORE ASIAN STYLE RECIPES
- Easy Fried Rice – Serve with lettuce wraps for a complete meal
- Sweet and Soy Chicken – pan seared chicken Heaven!
- Fiery Asian Chicken Wings – sticky and smokin’ hot
- Pork and Vegetable Ponzu Fried Rice – savory, sweet with a hint of citrus
Amazing Chicken Lo Mein
Ingredients
- 12 ounce Chinese or Ramen noodles uncooked
For the Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
For the Chicken:
For the Vegetables:
- 1 red pepper thinly sliced
- 1 cup carrots shredded
- 1/2 cup green onions sliced thin
- 6 ounces snow peas cut into bite size pieces
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil optional
- Additional green onion slices for garnish optional
Instructions
- Prepare noodles according to package directions, drain and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients. Set aside.
- In another medium bowl, combine the chicken with the soy sauce, ginger and garlic. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring constantly until the chicken is cooked thru, about 2 – 3 minutes, depending on thickness of chicken slices. Remove from wok and set aside.
- Heat additional 1 tablespoon of oil in wok, if needed. Add red pepper, carrots, green onions and pea pods, stirring constantly, cook until just tender about 2 minutes.
- Add sauce, chicken and noodles to wok and stir to combine. Using tongs makes it easier to separate noodles to toss in the sauce.
- Cook until heated thru and serve immediately.
Chef Tips
Equipment Used
Nutrition Facts
© Copyright Christine Mello for Must Love Home. We would love for you to share a link to this recipe but please do not copy/paste the recipe instructions to websites or social media. We are happy for you to share a photo with a link back to this website instead.
