Easy Chicken Lo Mein [Recipe with Video] (2024)

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Recipe by Nora from Savory Nothings

4.80 from 5 votes

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Prep 10 minutes mins

Cook 20 minutes mins

Total 30 minutes mins

• ▢ 2 tablespoons oil sesame works best
• ▢ 8 oz button mushrooms sliced (see notes for substitutes)
• ▢ 2 peppers sliced (any color works; see notes for substitutes)
• ▢ 3 spring onions sliced (see notes for substitutes)
• ▢ 1 pound chicken breast diced
• ▢ 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• ▢ 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• ▢ ½ cup chicken broth plus more as needed
• ▢ 8 oz spaghetti cooked according to package directions (spaghettini, Linguine or Ramen noodles all work, too)

• Cook vegetables: Place 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté mushrooms for a couple of minutes, then add the peppers and spring onions and sauté until softened. Remove to a plate and set aside.

• Cook chicken: Add remaining tablespoon of oil to skillet. Increase heat to medium-high, add chicken and cook until browned. Push chicken to sides of skillet to make space in the middle.

• Make sauce: Reduce heat to low. Whisk cornstarch into chicken broth, then pour into middle of skillet together with soy sauce. Stir well and simmer until starting to thicken, adding a few more tablespoons of chicken broth as needed in case sauce gets too thick/gloopy.

• Finish: Add cooked spaghetti to skillet, along with set aside vegetables. Toss well until heated through and coated in sauce. Serve immediately.

Ingredient notes

Pantry/freezer substitutes for vegetables:

• 4 ounces drained canned sliced mushrooms work well in place of the fresh
• use 3 cups frozen onion and pepper mix in place of the fresh peppers and spring onions
• use 20oz bag of frozen stir-fry vegetables in place of the fresh mushrooms, peppers and spring onions

Oil: Sesame oil really works best here. But if you don’t have it available, the sauce will still taste good with a neutral vegetable oil.

Chicken: You can also leave out the chicken and replace it with more mushrooms, or use cubed tofu instead.

Spaghetti: Traditionally, this dish would use egg noodles. If you’re not concerned about auheneitciy, most long, thin noodles work! I always have spaghetti in the pantry, so that’s what I use. Spaghettini are also delicious, but so are Ramen or actual Lo Mein noodles if you can get them.

More flavor: Feel free to add fresh minced ginger and garlic along with the vegetables for more flavor. You can also use dried garlic powder if you don’t have fresh. I tried to keep this recipe very basic to have easily accessible ingredients in the current worldwide climate. But absolutely up the flavor if you want/have the ingredients on hand!

Recipe tips

• Make sure to use medium heat when adding the soy sauce and cornstarch slurry, so the cornstarch doesn’t settle and burn on the bottom of the skillet.
• A lot of the flavor in this recipe comes from the stir-fried onions, so please make sure to stir-fry the vegetables for long enough until they’re completely softened and starting to brown.
• Cook the spaghetti until just done. If you overcook them, they’ll turn mushy in the sauce.
• Cornstarch needs both time and enough heat to work, so if it doesn’t thicken at first try increasing the heat a little and continue stirring for a few minutes. If the sauce still doesn’t thicken to your liking, only add more cornstarch by stirring it into a small amount of cool water. Never add dry cornstarch directly into a hot liquid, it would clump.

How do you make lo mein noodles without sticking?

If you’re having trouble with the noodles sticking to the pan, here are a few tips:

• Make sure there is plenty of sauce evenly covering the bottom of your skillet before you add the noodles.
• Cook the noodles until they’re just done – overcooked, starchy noodles tend to stick more.
• Finally, toss the drained noodles with a little sesame oil, then let them cool down before adding them to the stir fry.