If you love Chinese takeout, this Chicken Lo Mein recipe is for you. Easy and quick to make (requires only 25 minutes of your precious time), it makes a perfect healthy weeknight dinner!
Let me start by saying that I am not a huge fan of take-out food. I grab it few times a month and that's pretty much it. Actually, I kind of like it, but my wife is a fantastic cook and I love cooking myself too, so we always end up preparing something at home. However, when we do order stuff, in most cases it's from our favorite Chinese place. The taste of their stir-fries, soups, dumplings, spring rolls, and other culinary creations is crazy good and I can't resist it!
BUT. Being huge culinary enthusiasts, we decided that even this awesome place is not worth ordering from, because we can replicate all their dishes at home. Oh well. You can call us crazy and I won't even deny it. Just chill on the couch, watch some TV, relax after a long day of work and games with your baby, and order some Chinese takeout... A perfect evening, right? Not for us, the fanatical couple. We will rather stay in the kitchen until wee hours cooking stuff and then eating it in the middle of the night. Maybe someday it will change, ha ha!
Yesterday we made this fantastic Chicken Lo Mein. It's one of our Chinese take-out favorites, so we were excited to replicate it in our kitchen. Lo mein is a Cantonese term meaning stirred noodles. Basically, it's a stir-fry featuring egg noodles, chicken (or any meat you like), marinated in soy sauce and vinegar, and a bunch of veggies.
Every single chicken lo mein recipe I found uses a different set of veggies, meaning you can throw in whatever you like. The most popular options are bok choy (Chinese cabbage), carrots, scallions, broccoli, snow peas, bell peppers, celery. Some recipes also add mushrooms to the mix.
The result exceeded our highest expectations. I would even dare to say that it was better than the original chicken lo mein from our favorite place... And it's so easy and quick to make! You should spend less than 30 minutes in the kitchen. Plus it's easy to customize: you can change the meat, the veggies, or even add something like mushrooms or whatever you like.
That's what I call a perfect weeknight dinner. After such a success I plan to recreate more take-out dishes in the nearest future. As the proverb popular in my country says, "it is good everywhere, but it is the best at home." 
Chicken Lo Mein Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 oz (340g) skinless, boneless chicken breast , cut into bite-sized pieces
- 6 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 4 teaspoons sugar
- 10 oz (280g) dried Chinese egg noodles or linguine
- ⅓ cup chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 carrot , julienned
- 1 red bell pepper , cut into strips
- 1 stalk celery , thinly sliced
- chopped scallions , for sprinkling
Instructions
- Combine 2 tablespoons soy sauce, rice vinegar, and 2 teaspoons sugar in a medium bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Let marinate for 20 minutes at room temperature.
- Cook the noodles according to package directions and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the broth, cornstarch, remaining 4 tablespoons soy sauce, and remaining 2 teaspoons sugar. Set aside.
- In a wok or a large skillet, heat the vegetable and sesame oil. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring. Add the carrot, bell pepper, celery and cook for 2-3 minutes more, stirring. Remove the veggies from a skillet.
- Drain the chicken, discarding the marinade, and add it to the same wok / skillet. Add more oil, if necessary, and cook for 3-4 minutes until no longer pink. Stir in the broth based sauce and cook, stirring, until thickened. Add the cooked noodles and prepared veggies. Toss the mixture using two spatulas until combined. Serve sprinkled with some chopped scallions over the top. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Noel Lizotte
Take out is so fast and easy, that we often grab it as a meal when we're too busy to cook. This however, doesn't look like a lengthy prep meal and has all the great flavors of take out. Plus I can say I made it Myself! Call me a fanatic too!
Igor
Yes, I agree with every single word of yours, Noel. Plus I think that homemade versions of take-outs are always healthier 🙂
Platter Talk
This is something that my family is going to want to dig into! Thanks.
Igor
I am sure you will love it!
Amanda Mason
This looks so fantastic! I love that you replicate restaurant food! I try to do it, but it does not always turn out the best lol!!I just saved this in and I'll be making it this week!
Igor
Sometimes you don't get the result you want the first time, but it's normal because restaurants have their little secrets they won't tell you 🙂 However, after a few tries and tweaks you can come closer to that restaurant taste!
Bintu - Recipes From A Pantry
This dish looks much healthier than a take out which is always full of salt and too much oil. Looks simply delicious
Igor
That's what I thought too, Bintu. Homemade versions are always healthier!
Kim @ Three Olives Branch
Yum! Lo mein is my favorite dish for Chinese take out. Looks amazing!
Igor
It's one of the best, can't argue with this! 🙂
Karly
Uh, YUM! This looks SO tasty-- even better than takeout! I must make this ASAP!
Igor
You will love it, Karly!