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I don’t believe that I had eaten Chinese food of any sort until I was in high school. At least not with any regularity. And if I did, I definitely didn’t have anything other than sweet and sour something.
While it was hard for me to find decent Chinese food in my small rural town growing up, these days, Chinese food is universal and delicious!
While Chinese is one of the more common things to order as takeout, if you have a few special ingredients stocked in your pantry, you can make great Chinese dishes at home—like this easy Chicken Lo Mein! It’s family-friendly, fast, and economical.
KIDS AND CHINESE FOOD
This lo mein is a great chance to introduce some new flavors to kids, because you can use almost any veggie along with the chicken and noodles. This is the kind of dish you can make almost on a whim once you get the hang of it.
For this version, I used shredded green cabbage, which I knew would be a stretch for my kiddos. Little did they know that I had a secret weapon for this meal! (SPOILER: CHOPSTICKS)
WHAT ARE LO MEIN NOODLES?
Lo mein noodles are a common Asian noodle that are made with eggs and wheat. They come in a variety of thicknesses and are usually fresh (not dried). If I’m being honest though, I’ve made lo mein dishes with spaghetti in a pinch, and it turns out just fine.
Traditional lo mein noodles are getting more common these days, and you can find them in most grocery stores in the Asian section, or in the refrigerated foods section. Try to find fresh noodles, but the dried variety is also fine.
LO MEIN VERSES CHOW MEIN
Another common noodle dish in Chinese cuisine is chow mein, which is very similar to lo mein.
However, chow mein noodles are fried and tend to be crunchier than lo mein noodles. In my experience, chow mein noodles tend to be thinner as well.
Also, lo mein dishes have more sauce, while chow mein tends to be a drier stir-fry.
A SIMPLE LO MEIN SAUCE
Most lo mein sauces are very simple, with a soy sauce base. Some involve adding sugar or honey. I like to add hoisin sauce to mine, which is a little more complex; in addition to being sweet, it brings some some salty and tangy flavors that make it a great sauce base.
You could also add some chili sauce or a dash of fish sauce as well and be in very good shape.
MAKE LO MEIN WITH WHAT YOU HAVE
The beautiful thing about this recipe is that it’s adaptable to almost any vegetable. It can really be a fridge-clearing recipe. When I make this, I rarely buy vegetables for it. Whatever I have in my produce drawers goes in. Typically, however, when you order it, it is served with cabbage, shredded carrots, and sometimes peas.
So, feel free to experiment and add the vegetables that you have.
Sturdier veggies like zucchini, cabbage, and broccoli should be added after the chicken and given time to get tender in the wok before adding the noodles. If you add more fragile, quicker-cooking veggies like spinach or Swiss chard, then add them at the very end of cooking.
The DAD ADD: SRIRACHA ROASTED VEGGIES!
This is an extremely entry level lo mein dish. The sauce is about as simple as a sauce gets, which is great because it means that it’s fast to make and very approachable for children. But if you know me, you know I want a little something extra!
So, I make these quick roasted veggies, which cook in about the same time as the lo mein dish. You could use almost any veggie, but I like mushrooms and red peppers. Toss them with some sesame oil and sriracha, and they go great as a noodle topper!
THE REPORT CARD
Noodles are generally a hit with my kids, but I was a bit worried about these, because loads of veggies are mixed into this dish. Cabbage isn’t something that my kids have had a lot of.
However, there was a secret weapon for this meal: CHOPSTICKS.
My kids love using chopsticks. You can get child-friendly chopsticks that have little finger holds that make them easy to use. My kids use them for all kinds of food, and I always try to make it fun by racing them or seeing who can get the biggest chopstick bite. (Tricks of the trade, right?)
My four-year old ate a pretty solid dinner on this night, but he is getting good enough with the chopsticks that he can sort through a dish like this and avoid all cabbage. UGH. My 2-year old slurped a few noodles and then had to go tend to her stuffed puppy collection. I’ll take it.
WANT MORE EASY HOMEMADE CHINESE FOOD?
Easy Chicken Lo Mein Recipe
Ingredients
DAD ADD: Sriracha Roasted Veggies
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered
- 1/2 red pepper, sliced
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 to 2 teaspoons sriracha hot sauce
For the sauce:
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons hot water
For the lo mein:
- 8 ounces lo mein noodles, fresh or dried
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound boneless chicken breast, sliced thin
- 1/2 head green cabbage, shredded (about 3 cups)
- 1 large carrot, grated
For the garnish:
- Fresh scallions, chopped
- Sesame seeds
Special equipment:
- Wok or large skillet
Method
1 If making the Sriracha Roasted Vegetables: Heat the oven to 400°F. In a small bowl, toss quartered mushrooms and red peppers with the sesame oil and sriracha. Spread out on a baking sheet.
While you make the Chicken Lo Mein, bake for 15 minutes until tender and blistered in spots.
2 Stir the sauce ingredients together and set near the stove.
3 Cook the lo mein noodles: Bring a large amount of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until tender, usually around 4 minutes, but check the package directions for the noodles you are using.
Drain the noodles and toss with sesame oil to prevent sticking.
4 Cook the chicken: Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the vegetable oil once that's hot, add the chicken. Cook until the chicken is just barely cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently. (The chicken will continue to cook with the vegetables, so it's ok if it seems a little undercooked right now.)
5 Add the vegetables: When chicken is cooked, add cabbage and carrots, and continue to stir and cook until the veggies wilt and the liquid they release is mostly evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes.
6 Add the noodles and sauce: Add noodles along with sauce and stir with the chicken and veggies to combine. The sauce should coat the noodles and other ingredients. If the dish seems too dry, add more water.
Taste and adjust the flavor to your liking. It might need another dash of soy sauce, for example.
7 Serve: Serve the Chicken Lo Mein topped with scallions, sesame seeds, and roasted veggies (optional).
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 3 to 4 days and will reheat beautifully in the microwave.
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Nick has been writing delicious recipes for the home cook for almost a decade. He lives in Denver, CO and embraces a delicate balance of diaper changing, trail running and beer drinking. His website is Macheesmo and his first book is Love Your Leftovers.
Easy Chicken Lo Mein
This is really tasty! Better than take out and much less oily. I used spaghetti instead of lo mein noodles and it still came out good. Even my picky 3 year old is enjoying it. Thanks for a great recipe!
xxxxxyyyyy
This was really great and easy and the fickle teenagers liked it. I would suggest either removing the chicken from the pan after it’s fully cooked and re-adding it after the vegetables & noodles or cooking the chicken for a shorter period before adding the veggies & noodles and sauce as the chicken did get overcooked following the directions exactly. Thanks!!
xxxxxyyyyy
I’m gluten free, could I make these with rice noodles?
Absolutely! Check the hoisin sauce and soy sauce though. I believe you can find gluten-free versions of both of those. The rice noodle sub would be great!
I did not make this but I would like to know if I would be able to use Gluten Free noodles instead of the wheat Lo Mein noodles?
Absolutely! Should be unchanged but check the other ingredients as well. Sometimes hoisin and soy can contain gluten as well.
Absolutely easy and so delicious! Made it with dried lo mein noodles and the sriracha roasted veggies.
xxxxxyyyyy
So glad you liked it Barb!