This chicken lo mein is bold and full of flavor without being overly sweet. A perfectly satisfying one-dish meal!
I grew up surrounded by a variety of home-cooked foods and vivid memories of neighbors making incredible Middle Eastern dishes. While those flavors are unforgettable, I’ve always loved easy, flavorful one-dish dinners — and this chicken lo mein fits the bill. It keeps bright savory notes, avoids being cloyingly sweet, and is adaptable depending on what you have on hand.
What I appreciate most about making this at home is control: you can adjust sweetness, salt, and oil to suit your taste. If excessive sugar or heavy sauce are why you’ve avoided Chinese-style dishes, try this lighter version — it focuses on balanced seasoning and fresh vegetables instead of drowning everything in sticky sauce.
Use whatever noodles or grain you prefer. I used linguine, but thin spaghetti, ramen, Japanese noodles, or brown rice pasta work well. If you prefer rice, this sauce and stir-fry combo pairs nicely with steamed rice too.
If preparing ahead, store the pasta and stir-fry separately until serving so the noodles don’t absorb all the sauce and dry out. Alternatively, make 1 1/2 times the sauce to keep the dish moist. This lo mein stores well in the refrigerator for a day or two but is not ideal for freezing.
A heavy-duty frying pan works perfectly for this recipe; a wok is optional. Toasted sesame oil is recommended for its distinctive flavor, though a neutral oil can be used in a pinch.
Light and Tasty Chicken Lo Mein
Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta,* cooked and drained according to package instructions
Chicken:
- 1½ lbs. chicken cutlets, cut into chunks
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
Stir-Fry:
- 2 Tbsp neutral oil (I used avocado)
- ¼ red onion, sliced
- 2 small zucchini, sliced into rounds
- 4 oz. mushrooms, sliced
- 1 red or yellow pepper, sliced
- 1 cup shelled edamame beans
Sauce:
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup beef stock, or 1 tsp consomme powder dissolved in ½ cup water
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 tsp ground ginger, or 1 cube frozen ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Place chicken pieces on the baking sheet. Toss with flour and drizzle with sesame oil. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
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Meanwhile, in a large frying pan or wok, heat the neutral oil over medium heat. Add the stir-fry vegetables and sauté until lightly browned but still slightly crisp.
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In a small bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients until smooth and lump-free.
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Pour the sauce over the vegetables and stir gently until it thickens and coats the veggies.
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Add the baked chicken and cooked pasta, tossing gently to combine and coat everything evenly with the sauce. Serve warm.
Notes
*Any noodle or pasta works: linguine, thin spaghetti, ramen, Japanese-style noodles, or brown rice noodles. Swap or add vegetables to your preference.
Recipe by Faigy Murray