Chinese
Twenty-Minute Chicken Lo Mein
Chicken and vegetables hit a hot pan, then soft noodles and a soy-oyster sauce come together in one skillet.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Total
- 22 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Photo: jeffreyw (CC BY). Source
Why you’ll love it
- Noodles boiled just shy of done.
- The pan has to be hot.
- Sauce goes in at the end.
- Cabbage is the vegetable that makes it a meal.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Boil the noodles until just tender. Drain.
- 2
Season the chicken with salt. Stir-fry in oil until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Move it aside.
- 3
Add cabbage and carrot for 2 minutes. Add garlic for 20 seconds.
- 4
Toss in the noodles, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar. Stir 1 minute. Finish with sesame oil and scallions.
Pro tips
- Spaghetti works if lo mein is not in the store. Boil it the same way.
- Do not drown it. Two spoons of sauce should gloss the noodles.
- If the chicken is in thick slices it will not finish in 4 minutes. Slice thin.
Easy substitutions
- Chicken breast
- Shrimp, cooked 2 minutes
- Oyster sauce
- Hoisin sauce
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate up to 3 days.
Reheating
Stir-fry with a splash of water until hot.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 430
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
Budget friendly · Stovetop · High Protein, Dairy-Free
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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