Here I have used a method of velveting chicken / tenderizing the chicken by marinating it with a little bit of soy sauce and cornstarch. That makes the chicken when stir-fried very soft and juicy.

Most Chinese cooking techniques use baking soda to be used for velveting chicken.

Chicken Lo Mein Recipe

What is Chicken Lo Mein?

Chicken Lo Mein is a famous takeout noodles dish where vegetables, chicken, and egg noodles are tossed together in savory homemade sauce.

This chicken lo mein copycat recipe is closest to the lo mein served in most Asian restaurants, where the noodles are boiled and then tossed along with chicken or any other protein of your choice, further adding in vegetables and finally sauce.

What is the difference between Lo Mein and Chow mein?

I have found two differences between these dishes. Whenever I ordered and ate either Lo Mein or Chow mein, chow mein is mostly cooked with thin and fried noodles; in Lo Mein, the noodles are slightly thick and chewy.

Another difference is that in Lo Mein the noodles are cooked/boiled in water and then tossed along with vegetables, proteins, and sauce, whereas in Chow mein the noodles are stir-fried, along with veggies and proteins in the sauce, with noodles being slightly crunchy.

But in both dishes, there are Egg Noodles. So that is the similarity.

I have used Egg Noodles here too but the noodles that I found in the store close by were thin and not round or thick. But the noodles didn't matter as the sauce was spot on!

Best Noodles For Authentic Lo Mein:

The noodles that work for any lo mein recipe are egg noodles. These noodles are easily available in any Asian store near you.

These egg noodles are available in stores as either cooked or uncooked. Cooked noodles are easy to handle, as you can wash them with hot water and cook them.

With uncooked noodles, first, you will have to cook noodles and rinse them well with cold water. Drain the noodles thoroughly.

Chicken Lo Mein Sauce:

The sauce that goes in to make this best chicken lo mein recipe is made with Sesame Oil, Ginger, Garlic, Oyster Sauce (if you do not like this then instead use Hoisin Sauce, I love Hoisin too), Sriracha for the heat, Light and Dark Soy Sauces.

Chicken Lo Mein Ingredients

Lo Mein Egg Noodles: Use the round, chewy thick Egg Noodles you will find in Asian stores for this recipe. Even if you can't get it, do not worry - even Ramen Noodles go well as the sauce is the important part.

Chicken: I have used tender Chicken Breast meat in the recipe. That contains less fat but tends to get dry too fast but you can also use thigh meat also. That is juicier.

Sauce Mix: The sauce mix is an important part of this recipe. I have made the sauce a little spicier to adjust to my taste but you can go ahead and make it spicier or less by increasing or decreasing the Sriracha quantity in the sauce mix.

Vegetables of Choice: I have used Cabbage, Carrot, and Bell peppers along with Scallions but you can try adding more vegetables of your choice to make it healthier.

How to make Chicken Lo Mein?

Step 1: Cook noodles as per package instructions and keep them aside. the Chicken pieces with soy sauce, salt, and cornstarch. Keep this aside for a few minutes.

Step 2: Next in a large pan/large skillet/wok, add sesame oil and add the chicken pieces. There should be not much of any marinade left but if there is Do NOT use that as that will make this dish messy.

Just use a fork or pair of tongs and drop the chicken pieces in the pan and immediately stir-fry the chicken.

Once done keep the chicken pieces aside.

Step 3: In a mixing bowl add all the ingredients for the sauce mix. Stir well and keep aside.

What variations of this chicken lo mein copycat recipe are possible?

Shrimp Lo Mein: Cook cleaned Shrimp by marinating it with salt and pepper powder. Finally, toss everything together to make this amazing dish.

Try adding scrambled eggs to this along with shrimp too.

Vegetable Lo Mein: Add vegetables of your choice tossed in salt, and pepper powder in this sauce mix along with egg noodles.

What are the best vegetables to go in a restaurant-style authentic chicken lo mein recipe?

You can add the following vegetables:

Red and Green Bell Peppers

Broccoli

Snow Peas

Sliced Onions

Sliced Carrots

Sliced Cabbage

Zucchini

Scallion / Spring Onion

Tips for Spicy Chicken Lo Mein

• When adding the chicken to the wok to fry, do not add the marinade to the pan, Use tongs or a fork to pick chicken pieces and fry them. If the marinade is added then the whole dish will get messy.

• To get the smoky restaurant flavor for the dish use toss noodles on medium to high heat which gives a nice flavor to the final dish.

• Do not overcook the veggies or make them very soft, keep them crunchy to get the combination of chicken and vegetables together in the dish.

• Serve the dish immediately after preparing, reheating works well too but a fresh dish gives the best flavor.

• If you like more spice in lo mein then increase the sriracha quantity too.

• Use low-sodium soy sauce.

• Add beans, bean sprouts, zucchini, bell peppers, bok choy, snow peas, green onions, or even mushrooms as per your choice.

• You can use skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breast meat.

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More Chinese Recipes for you:

• Sesame Chicken 

• Sweet Fire Chicken Breast

• Black Pepper Chicken

• Kung Pao Chicken 

• Hot and Sour soup

• Cashew Chicken

• Chicken Chow Mein

• Vegetable Lo Mein