Hen Lo Mein | Diethood – impulsoplus.com

Hen lo mein is a scrumptious Chinese language stir fry with chewy lo mein noodles, hen bites, and tender veggies cooked in a candy and savory sauce. Make this flavorful takeout recipe at house in half-hour!

I really like recreating genuine takeout dishes in my kitchen! From Chinese language hen and broccoli to do-it-yourself Normal Tso’s hen, a fast stir-fry is the right weeknight dinner.

Closeup overhead view of chicken lo mein garnished with herbs and lime wedges in a stainless steel skillet.

This hen lo mein makes use of simple elements and it’s filled with all of the wealthy and saucy umami flavors that I crave from our native Chinese language takeout joint. All it takes is just a few Asian pantry staples like soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil to offer my do-it-yourself lo mein its genuine taste! In the meantime, juicy marinated hen, chewy egg noodles, and tender veggies make this hen lo mein an all-in-one meal that the entire household obsesses over. It’s a kind of dinners that by no means fails to make everybody completely happy, and it’s typically requested for fast weeknight dinners.

Why I Love Do-it-yourself Hen Lo Mein

Similar to the actual deal. Do-it-yourself Chinese language takeout has grow to be a little bit of a passion. My purpose is at all times to get as near the actual dish as attainable. I gained’t lie, with its savory sauce, this hen lo mein turned out fairly darn shut and possibly even higher than what I order from eating places!
It’s fast. As soon as I noticed how easy and fast it’s to remake a few of my favourite takeout noodle dishes at house, there was no going again. I really like recipes like hen lo mein and hen ramen noodles, that I can have on the desk in about half-hour on weeknights.
Adaptable. Making do-it-yourself hen lo mein implies that I can adapt the recipe precisely how I prefer it, with roughly sauce, additional veggies, totally different protein, and so on. I embody simple variations and ingredient swaps additional down within the submit.

Overhead view of bowls of chicken lo mein garnished with fresh herbs and lime wedges, next to a pair of chopsticks and a second bowl of noodles.

What’s the Distinction Between Lo Mein and Chow Mein?

In the event you’ve ever eaten at a Chinese language restaurant, you’ve most likely seen each on the menu! Each lo mein and chow mein are scrumptious egg noodle dishes, however the greatest distinction is how the noodles are ready. Chow mein is “fried” along with the protein and veggies, whereas lo mein noodles get cooked individually earlier than they’re “tossed” in sauce with the remainder of the elements. Consequently, lo mein recipes are a bit saucier, whereas chow mein tends to be drier.

Ingredients for chicken lo mein with text labels overlaying each ingredient.

What You’ll Want

This hen lo mein recipe makes use of just a few important Asian pantry staples. Under are some fast notes on the stir fry elements, however for the total recipe particulars, please scroll to the recipe card after the submit for a printable listing.

Hen – I like to make use of boneless skinless hen thighs. You should use hen breasts, although they’re simpler to overcook. Chop the hen into 1” items.
Soy Sauce – You too can use tamari or coconut aminos.
Noodles – You’ll discover genuine lo mein in worldwide meals aisles and Asian supermarkets. In any other case, spaghetti makes a superb substitute for lo mein noodles.
Sesame Oil – There’s actually no substitute for sesame oil in Asian-style cooking. Do your greatest to get your arms on some! It may be refined or toasted sesame oil.
Greens – I exploit a mix of shredded carrots and cabbage. Be at liberty to swap in different contemporary (or frozen) veggies like broccoli florets, bell peppers, cauliflower, and so on.
Inexperienced Onions – Slice them up and divide the whites from the greens. The greens make a reasonably garnish together with sesame seeds.

Lo Mein Sauce Components

Oyster Sauce and Hoisin Sauce – Together with extra soy sauce, oyster and hoisin sauce create the umami base for this noodle dish. You’ll discover each within the condiment aisle. If wanted, you possibly can substitute darkish soy sauce for hoisin sauce.
Honey – You may additionally use maple syrup or brown sugar.
Sesame Oil – I exploit a mix of refined and toasted sesame oil within the sauce. Use whichever you may have available (it may be the identical oil you used to cook dinner the hen).
Rice Wine Vinegar – Good substitutes are Asian cooking wines like mirin or sake, white wine or purple wine vinegar, dry sherry, or dry white wine.
Garlic – Freshly minced. In a pinch, swap ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder for each contemporary clove.
Hen Inventory – You may additionally use vegetable inventory.
Cornstarch – Cornstarch thickens the lo mein sauce and makes it silky. Tapioca starch or arrowroot powder will work, too.

The right way to Make Hen Lo Mein

I wish to marinate the hen in soy sauce first. IMO, it’s price the additional 10 minutes for the additional taste it brings to the stir-fry! I’ll normally cook dinner the noodles and whisk up the sauce within the meantime.

In fact, be at liberty to skip the marinading when you’re quick on time. For now, right here’s a visible step-by-step exhibiting the best way to make one of the best do-it-yourself hen lo mein:

Chicken pieces in a glass bowl. — 1. Marinate the hen.

Marinate the hen. Begin by tossing the hen items with soy sauce and letting that marinate when you make the sauce.
Combine up the sauce. Take out a bowl and whisk collectively the lo mein sauce elements.
Cook dinner the noodles. In the meantime, boil the noodles in salted water in accordance with the package deal instructions.
Sauté the hen and veggies. Subsequent, brown the marinated hen items in a skillet with sesame oil over medium-high warmth. As soon as that’s virtually cooked by, stir within the cabbage and carrots. Sprinkle within the whites of the onions and sauté till the veggies are softened.
Put all of it collectively. Add your cooked noodles to the skillet and pour over the ready sauce. Give every thing a superb toss to coat, then serve! Garnish your hen lo mein with sesame seeds and the leftover greens from the onions. See under for extra serving concepts.

Closeup photo of lo mein noodles tossed with bites of chicken.

Ideas and Variations

Don’t overcook the noodles. Because you’ll be including the noodles again into the pan to complete off this hen lo mein, watch out to not overcook them. Similar to when cooking pasta, purpose for al dente or slightly below. This manner, they gained’t grow to be overcooked and mushy.
Salt the water. Once more, like while you cook dinner pasta, keep in mind so as to add a spoonful of salt to the water you’ll use to boil your egg noodles. This useful trick seasons the noodles, even earlier than they’re mixed with the lo mein sauce.
Be light. When you’ve added the noodles to the pan with the remainder of your hen lo mein elements, stir gently when you coat them within the sauce so the noodles don’t break.
Attempt a special protein. It’s attainable to swap out the hen items for one more protein of your alternative. Attempt beef or shrimp lo mein. You too can substitute the meat for tofu as a vegetarian possibility.
Extra veggies. I discussed it within the Components part, however loads of veggies work nicely right here. Together with cabbage and carrots, good stir-frying greens are sliced bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli or cauliflower florets, or different add-ins like bean sprouts, watercress, and bamboo shoots. Frozen veggies are an effective way to chop down on prep, too.
Low carb. Swap the noodles for contemporary zoodles (zucchini noodles) for a low-carb model. There’s no must cook dinner zucchini noodles first, you possibly can stir them in proper on the finish and allow them to cook dinner by within the sauce.

Continuously Requested Questions

Why is it referred to as lo mein?

The time period “mein” is the Chinese language phrase for noodles. So, lo mein interprets to “tossed noodles”, whereas chow mein means “stir-fried noodles”.

Are lo mein noodles thick or skinny?

Conventional lo mein recipes use thick, contemporary egg noodles. Chow mein, alternatively, makes use of thinner noodles (excellent for stir-frying) that may be contemporary or dry.

A bowl of chicken lo mein garnished with fresh herbs and lime wedges with a pair of chopsticks resting on the bowl.

Serving Recommendations

Hen lo mein goes nice with Chinese language boneless spare ribs and shrimp fried rice. I additionally love kicking issues off with an appetizer, like spring rolls or crab rangoon within the air fryer!

For some refreshing crunch, attempt an Asian cucumber salad on the aspect. Different good veggie decisions are garlicky sautéed broccolini and pan-fried oyster mushrooms.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

Refrigerate. Retailer cooled leftover hen lo mein hermetic within the fridge for as much as 3 days. In the event you preserve the stir-fried hen and veggies separate, the noodles will final hermetic for as much as 5 days.
Reheat. I wish to heat my hen lo mein in a skillet over medium warmth, or I’ll use the microwave. Stir gently and watch out to not overcook the noodles whereas reheating.

Chopsticks lifting lo mein noodles from a bowl of chicken lo mein garnished with a lime wedge.

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Marinade the hen. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, toss the hen with soy sauce. Let the hen marinade for ~quarter-hour. Make the sauce within the meantime.
Make the sauce. In a separate mixing bowl, mix the oyster sauce, hoisin, soy sauce, honey, refined sesame oil, toasted sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, garlic, hen inventory, and cornstarch. Whisk till clean and put aside.
Make the noodles. Carry a big pot of water to a boil and add the salt. Add the noodles and cook dinner per the package deal’s directions. Drain and put aside.
Brown the hen. Whereas the noodles are cooking, warmth the refined sesame oil over medium-high warmth in a wok or a big, heavy-bottomed skillet. Add the hen (discard the soy sauce it was marinating in) and saute till golden brown and virtually cooked by.
Saute the veggies. Add the cabbage, carrots, and the whites of the inexperienced onions to the wok. Saute till barely wilted. The hen ought to be cooked by at this level.
Put all of it collectively. Stir the cooked noodles into the hen combination together with the oyster-sauce combination. Saute till the sauce has thickened and the noodles are totally coated in it.
Serve. Serve heat, garnished with sesame seeds and the greens of the inexperienced onions.

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