Why You’ll Love This this Asian Chicken Lo Mein
This Asian Chicken Lo Mein brings together tender chicken strips and crisp vegetables in a savory soy-based sauce that’ll have you wondering why you ever ordered takeout.
The recipe keeps things simple with just a handful of ingredients – think colorful bell peppers, earthy mushrooms, and snap peas that still have that perfect crunch.
Plus, everything comes together in one pan after you cook the noodles, which means less cleanup and more time to enjoy those satisfying, slurp-worthy bites.
Ingredients List
You’ll need just a handful of simple ingredients to whip up this restaurant-quality lo mein right in your own kitchen.
- 2 whole chicken breasts, skinned and boned
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 (8 ounce) package linguine
- 1/4 cup salad oil
- 1/2 lb mixed mushrooms, sliced
- 1/4 lb pea pods
- 2 green onions
- 1 large red pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon chicken flavor instant bouillon
Health Considerations:
- This recipe packs plenty of lean protein from the chicken breast, which keeps you satisfied without the guilt
- The colorful vegetables bring vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants to the party – your body will thank you
- You can easily swap the regular linguine for whole wheat or even zucchini noodles if you’re watching carbs
- The oil keeps things from sticking, but you could cut it down to 2 tablespoons if you’re being extra health-conscious
- That instant bouillon does add some sodium, so taste before adding extra salt
Step by Step Directions
Following these simple steps will have you enjoying delicious homemade lo mein in under 30 minutes.
- Start the pasta: Begin cooking the linguine according to package directions until al dente, then drain and set aside.
- Prepare the chicken: Cut chicken breasts into thin strips, then toss with soy sauce and cornstarch in a bowl until well coated. Let marinate while you prep the vegetables.
- Cook the vegetables: Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add sliced mushrooms, pea pods, chopped green onions, and red pepper strips. Stir-fry for 3-5 minutes until vegetables are crisp-tender.
Remove vegetables from pan and set aside.
- Cook the chicken: In the same pan, add the marinated chicken strips and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.
- Combine everything: Return the cooked vegetables to the pan with the chicken. Add chicken bouillon and 1/2 cup water, then bring mixture to a boil.
- Finish the dish: Add the cooked linguine to the pan and toss everything together until the noodles are well coated and heated through. Serve immediately while hot.
For those who frequently prepare homemade noodle dishes, a professional stand mixer can help streamline the pasta-making process when you want to create fresh noodles from scratch.
Substitutions and Variations
• Make it heartier: Double the vegetables or add some scrambled eggs during the final toss.
More food, more happiness, right?
Additional Things to Serve With This Dish
This lo mein plays well with others, which is honestly a relief since I’m always worried about serving a one-dish wonder that leaves everyone staring at their plates wondering what’s missing.
- Pot stickers or dumplings – Because who doesn’t want little pockets of joy alongside their noodles, and the dipping sauce doubles as extra flavor for the lo mein.
- Hot and sour soup – The tangy, spicy broth cuts through the richness of the noodles, plus it makes the whole meal feel like you ordered takeout from that place with the best reviews.
- Egg rolls or spring rolls – Crispy meets chewy, and honestly, the crunch factor alone makes everything taste better.
- Simple cucumber salad – Just cucumbers, rice vinegar, and a pinch of sugar, because sometimes you need something cool and invigorating to balance all that savory goodness.
- Steamed rice – I know, I know, carbs on carbs, but some people need their rice fix, and it soaks up any extra sauce like a delicious little sponge.
- Sesame green beans – Quick blanched beans tossed with sesame oil and garlic, because vegetables that actually taste good make everyone feel less guilty about the noodle situation.
Cooking Tips & Tricks (Chef’s Notes)
After making this dish more times than I care to admit, I’ve picked up a few tricks that’ll save you from the kitchen disasters I’ve witnessed.
- Get everything prepped before you start cooking – This isn’t the time to be chopping vegetables while your chicken burns, because lo mein moves fast and forgives nothing.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan when cooking the chicken – Those strips need space to actually cook instead of steam, so work in batches if your pan looks like a chicken traffic jam.
- Keep the linguine slightly undercooked – It’s going back in the pan with everything else, so aim for just shy of al dente or you’ll end up with mushy noodle disappointment.
- Reserve some pasta water before draining – That starchy liquid is liquid gold for loosening up the sauce if things get too thick, and it helps everything stick together like it’s supposed to.
- Toss everything together off the heat – Once you add those noodles back in, kill the flame and let the residual heat do the work, because nobody wants overcooked vegetables that have given up on life.
- Taste and adjust the soy sauce at the end – Some brands are saltier than others, and you can always add more but you can’t take it back once it’s in there.
- Serve immediately – Lo mein waits for no one, and it definitely doesn’t improve while sitting around getting cold and clumpy.
Nutritional Facts
This chicken lo mein packs a solid nutritional punch with lean protein and vegetables, though the sodium content runs high due to the soy sauce and bouillon.
- Calories per serving: Approximately 420-450 calories (based on 4 servings)
- Protein: 28-32 grams from the chicken breasts, making this a protein-rich meal
- Carbohydrates: 45-50 grams primarily from the linguine pasta
- Fat: 12-15 grams, mostly from the salad oil used for cooking
- Fiber: 3-4 grams from the mixed vegetables and pasta
- Sodium: 800-1000mg per serving, which is quite high due to soy sauce and bouillon
- Vitamins: High in vitamin C from red peppers and pea pods, plus B vitamins from chicken
- Minerals: Good source of iron from chicken and potassium from vegetables
- Sugar: 4-6 grams naturally occurring from vegetables
- Cholesterol: 65-75mg from chicken breast
- Saturated fat: 2-3 grams, relatively low for a complete meal
Fun “Did You Know?”
While most people think lo mein is authentically Chinese, it’s actually been markedly adapted for American tastes – traditional Chinese lo mein uses much thinner noodles and less sauce than what we’re accustomed to here.
I find it fascinating that “lo mein” literally translates to “stirred noodles” in Cantonese. The dish originated in Northern China, where wheat noodles were more common than rice.
What’s interesting is that authentic lo mein noodles are boiled first, then tossed with ingredients, unlike chow mein which gets stir-fried.
American versions typically use linguine or spaghetti as convenient substitutes for traditional Chinese egg noodles.
