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With a simple, flavorful 3-ingredient sauce, tender stir-fried chicken, and plenty of colorful vegetables, this easy chicken lo mein recipe is a perfect 30-minute meal! Kids love the homemade Chinese noodles served alongside egg rolls, dumplings, or extra steamed broccoli.

Close overhead shot of chicken lo mein noodles in a bowl
Table of Contents
  1. How to Make this Chicken Lo Mein Recipe | 1-Minute Video
  2. Why You’ll Love this Easy Chicken Lo Mein Recipe
  3. What is Chicken Lo Mein?
  4. Chicken Lo Mein vs. Chicken Chow Mein
  5. Ingredients
  6. How to Make Chicken Lo Mein at Home
  7. Serving Suggestions
  8. Preparation and Storage Tips
  9. Recipe Variations
  10. Tips for the Best Chicken Lo Mein Recipe
  11. Chicken Lo Mein Recipe (“Chinese Noodles”) Recipe

If you love Chinese-inspired dinner recipes as much as we do, be sure to try this healthy chicken chow mein, our dump-and-bake General Tso chicken, pepper steak with onion, this dump-and-bake sweet and sour chicken, and an easy chicken and bell pepper stir-fry, too!

How to Make this Chicken Lo Mein Recipe | 1-Minute Video

Hands serving a white bowl of easy chicken lo mein recipe on a wooden table

Why You’ll Love this Easy Chicken Lo Mein Recipe

  • Quick and Easy. The best chicken lo mein recipe is also the easiest! You don’t need to spend hours prepping in the kitchen, and you don’t even have to drive to the nearest Chinese restaurant for takeout. Instead, you can whip up this mouthwatering dinner from start to finish in about 30 minutes!
  • Simple Ingredients. This homemade recipe only requires a handful of basic ingredients that you can find in just about any grocery store. No fancy markets required.
  • Kid-Friendly. With simple flavors and familiar ingredients, this chicken lo mein is a family-friendly meal that will keep everyone at the table happy.
Shaking lo mein sauce in a jar

What is Chicken Lo Mein?

This Chinese-American dish is made with egg noodles and a combination of vegetables, meat, or seafood. The noodles are usually about an eighth of an inch thick (slightly thicker than spaghetti), so they’re much different than the wide American egg noodles that you might otherwise know.

Lo mein noodles are cooked separately in boiling water, then tossed with the rest of the ingredients in a sesame oil and soy sauce-based sauce.

Cooked chicken lo mein noodles in a colander

Chicken Lo Mein vs. Chicken Chow Mein

While some Chinese-American restaurants sometimes use these terms to describe the same dish, there are actually a couple of differences between lo mein and chow mein.

  • Preparation: Chow mein, or chāu-mèn, translates to “stir-fried noodles.” Lo mein, lāo miàn, means “stirred noodles.” So, the biggest difference is in how they’re cooked. For chow mein, the noodles are par-boiled first, and then stir-fried in a wok to crisp up and finish cooking. By contrast, lo mein noodles are fully-cooked apart from the rest of the ingredients, and then tossed together with the sauce and other ingredients at the end.
  • Sauce: The consistency of these dishes is also quite different. Lo mein typically has quite a bit of sauce, while chow mein is drier.
Process shot showing how to make chicken lo mein in a skillet on the stovetop

Ingredients

This is a quick overview of the simple ingredients that you’ll need for a pan of homemade chicken lo mein. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.

  • Less-sodium soy sauce: the base of the sauce, which gives the dish a rich, salty, umami flavor. We like the low sodium soy sauce, but any variety will work.
  • Sesame oil: adds a rich, toasted, unique flavor to the dish. This is a key ingredient in lo mein, so do not substitute with other types of oil.
  • Brown sugar: to sweeten the sauce.
  • Lo mein noodles: I use these lo mein noodles, which I can find in my local grocery store, in Walmart, or online on Amazon. If you can’t find lo mein noodles, feel free to substitute with spaghetti or soba noodles.
  • Broccoli: fresh bite-size florets can boil right with the pasta so that they’re perfectly crisp-tender without any extra cooking time.
  • Vegetable oil: to stir-fry the chicken and vegetables. You can substitute with other neutral oils that have a high smoke point, such as canola oil.
  • Chicken breast: thinly-sliced into bite size pieces, the chicken cooks in a hot skillet in just a few minutes. You can sub with boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you prefer the dark meat.
  • Red bell pepper, green onions, carrots: extra veggies add color, flavor and nutrition.
  • Garlic and ginger: for plenty of savory, zesty flavor. Tip: keep a fresh gingerroot in the freezer so that you always have it on hand for grating into dishes.
Adding ginger garlic and chopped vegetables to a cast iron skillet

How to Make Chicken Lo Mein at Home

This chicken and broccoli lo mein recipe comes together from start to finish in about 30 minutes. Have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go, because the process moves quickly! You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:

  1. Shake or whisk together the lo mein sauce.
  2. Boil the noodles, adding the broccoli toward the end. Drain.
  3. Stir-fry the thin strips of chicken.
  4. Cook the bell pepper, onion, garlic, and ginger in the skillet.
  5. Add the carrots.
  6. Stir in the cooked noodles and broccoli, the cooked chicken, and the sauce. Toss to coat.
  7. Cook for 1 more minute, just until everything is warmed through.
  8. Serve immediately and garnish with the tops of the green onions, toasted sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, or lime wedges.
Pouring easy chicken lo mein sauce into a skillet

Serving Suggestions

To round out the meal, try pairing the lo mein with steamed broccolioven-roasted sesame broccoliramen noodle coleslaw, or a sesame ginger snap pea salad. Don’t forget about spring rolls or egg rolls, too (pick up some prepared egg rolls in the frozen section at your grocery store).

Overhead shot of a bowl of homemade chicken lo mein on a table with lime wedges garnish and a side of egg rolls

Preparation and Storage Tips

Leftover homemade chicken lo mein will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze lo mein for up to 3 months; however, the texture of the noodles and the vegetables will not be quite as good when thawed.

To reheat lo mein, simply transfer the noodles to a warm skillet and cook, stirring regularly, until warmed through. If the mixture seems dry, stir together some additional sauce to add to the pan.

Square shot of hands holding a bowl of chicken lo mein

Recipe Variations

  • If you can’t find lo mein noodles, you can substitute with spaghetti or ramen noodles.
  • Instead of cooking the chicken in the skillet, add 1-2 cups of cooked, shredded rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken from a previous meal.
  • Chicken and Shrimp Lo Mein: use ½ lb. of boneless, skinless chicken breast and ½ lb. of large, peeled and deveined shrimp that are cut into ½-inch pieces. The shrimp will only need about 1 minute in the skillet, so add it to the pan after you’ve added the chicken. You can also use 1 lb. of shrimp and omit the chicken altogether.
  • Use any vegetables that your family enjoys. Try water chestnuts, bean sprouts, zucchini, mushrooms, snow peas, sugar snap peas, corn, green peas, or edamame.
  • Beef Lo Mein: thinly slice flank steak against the grain and cook for a total of about 1 minute.
  • Vegetable Lo Mein: omit the chicken and add an extra 1-2 cups of vegetables.
  • Use a cornstarch slurry with water or chicken broth to thicken the sauce if you like, or stir in some hoisin sauce to thicken and add sweetness.
Side shot of homemade chicken lo mein in a bowl on a wooden farmhouse table

Tips for the Best Chicken Lo Mein Recipe

  • Prep all of the ingredients in advance, because the cooking process moves very quickly and you want to be able to focus on the skillet.
  • Make separate piles of the white/light green parts of the green onions and the darker top parts of the green onions. The white parts have an oniony punch and a more substantial texture, so they withstand longer cooking times better. Wait to add the dark green tops as a garnish at the end.
  • Be careful not to overcook the chicken or it can quickly become tough or dry.
  • Garnish each bowl with chopped peanuts, crunchy chow mein noodles, or toasted sesame seeds for even more flavor and texture.
Close up side shot of a bowl of the best chicken lo mein recipe with green onions and chopped peanuts on top

More “Better than Takeout” Chinese Recipes to Try at Home

Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

28 minutes mins

Egg Roll in a Bowl

20 minutes mins

Moo Shu Pork

26 minutes mins

Square overhead shot of chicken lo mein in a bowl

Chicken Lo Mein Recipe (“Chinese Noodles”)

5 from 3 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings 4 people
Calories 480 kcal
With a simple, flavorful 3-ingredient sauce, tender stir-fried chicken, and plenty of colorful vegetables, this easy chicken lo mein recipe is a perfect 30-minute meal!

Ingredients
  

For the Sauce

For the Lo Mein

  • 8 ounces lo mein egg noodles or spaghetti
  • 2 cups small broccoli florets
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 3 green onions, thinly sliced with the white and green parts placed in separate piles
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons minced or grated fresh ginger
  • 1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
  • Optional garnish: toasted sesame seeds; chopped peanuts; lime wedges

Instructions

Make the Sauce:

  • Shake together all of the sauce ingredients in a jar; set aside.
    Shaking lo mein sauce in a jar

Make the Lo Mein:

  • Cook noodles in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package instructions. During the final 3 minutes of cooking time, add the broccoli florets to the boiling water with the pasta. Drain and toss with sesame oil.
    Cooked chicken lo mein noodles in a colander
  • Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken and cook until no longer pink inside, 3-4 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate.
    Process shot showing how to make chicken lo mein in a skillet on the stovetop
  • Do not clean out the skillet. Add the bell pepper, the white parts of the onions, the garlic and the ginger to the skillet. Cook over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes, until softened. Stir in the carrots; cook for 1-2 more minutes.
    Adding ginger garlic and chopped vegetables to a cast iron skillet
  • Add the cooked noodles and broccoli, the cooked chicken, and the sauce to the skillet. Toss everything together; cook for another 1-2 more minutes, until the ingredients are heated through.
    Pouring easy chicken lo mein sauce into a skillet
  • Garnish with the green parts of the onions, toasted sesame seeds, and chopped peanuts, if desired.
    Hands serving a white bowl of easy chicken lo mein recipe on a wooden table

Video

Notes

  • Be careful not to overcook the chicken or it can quickly become tough or dry.
  • Prep all of the ingredients in advance, because the cooking process moves very quickly and you want to be able to focus on the skillet.
  • Make separate piles of the white/light green parts of the green onions and the darker top parts of the green onions. The white parts have an oniony punch and a more substantial texture, so they withstand longer cooking times better. Wait to add the dark green tops as a garnish at the end.
  • If you can’t find lo mein noodles, you can substitute with spaghetti.
  • Instead of cooking the chicken in the skillet, add 1-2 cups of cooked, shredded rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken from a previous meal.
  • Chicken and Shrimp Lo Mein: use ½ lb. of boneless, skinless chicken breast and ½ lb. of large, peeled and deveined shrimp that are cut into ½-inch pieces. The shrimp will only need about 1 minute in the skillet, so add it to the pan after you’ve added the chicken. You can also use 1 lb. of shrimp and omit the chicken altogether.
  • Use any vegetables that your family enjoys. Try water chestnuts, bean sprouts, zucchini, snow peas, sugar snap peas, corn, green peas or edamame.
  • Beef Lo Mein: thinly slice flank steak against the grain and cook for a total of about 1 minute.
  • Vegetable Lo Mein: omit the chicken and add an extra 1-2 cups of vegetables.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of the recipeCalories: 480kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 34gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 694mgPotassium: 844mgFiber: 4gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 3797IUVitamin C: 81mgCalcium: 54mgIron: 2mg
Keyword: chicken lo mein, chicken lo mein recipe, easy chicken lo mein, homemade chicken lo mein
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Chinese
Author: Blair Lonergan
blair

Hey, I’m Blair!

Welcome to my farmhouse kitchen in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Inspired by local traditions and seasonal fare, you’ll find plenty of easy, comforting recipes that bring your family together around the table. It’s down-home, country-style cooking!

Read More

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This was amazing! 1/2ed the recipe for the 2 of us and it was plenty. Had hubby grill the chicken and used my Pampered Chef mandolin for the veggies. This will be on our bi-weekly rotation. Thank you for a great meal!

  2. The flavor was really good (my kids even ate it) but my noodles were a little mushy. I am a novice and probably took longer to do everything than most people. Was I supposed to rinse my noodles with cold water while waiting on the chicken to cook or should I maybe just cook them a little less next time? Thanks for the recipe!

    1. Hi, Meg! I wouldn’t rinse the noodles. It just sounds like they were cooked a little bit too long. Glad the taste was good!