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!
Course Dinner
Cuisine Chinese
Keyword chicken lo mein, chicken lo mein recipe, easy chicken lo mein, homemade chicken lo mein
Shake together all of the sauce ingredients in a jar; set aside.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Garnish with the green parts of the onions, toasted sesame seeds, and chopped peanuts, if desired.
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.