Hen lo mein is a scrumptious Chinese language stir fry with chewy lo mein noodles, rooster bites, and tender veggies cooked in a candy and savory sauce. Make this flavorful takeout recipe at residence in half-hour!
I like recreating genuine takeout dishes in my kitchen! From Chinese language rooster and broccoli to do-it-yourself Common Tso’s rooster, a fast stir-fry is the proper weeknight dinner.
This rooster lo mein makes use of straightforward substances and it’s full of all of the wealthy and saucy umami flavors that I crave from our native Chinese language takeout joint. All it takes is a couple of 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 rooster, chewy egg noodles, and tender veggies make this rooster lo mein an all-in-one meal that the entire household obsesses over. It’s a type of dinners that by no means fails to make everybody glad, and it’s usually requested for fast weeknight dinners.
Why I Love Do-it-yourself Hen Lo Mein
- Identical to the actual deal. Do-it-yourself Chinese language takeout has turn out to be a little bit of a passion. My objective is at all times to get as near the actual dish as doable. I gained’t lie, with its savory sauce, this rooster lo mein turned out fairly darn shut and perhaps even higher than what I order from eating places!
- It’s fast. As soon as I spotted how easy and fast it’s to remake a few of my favourite takeout noodle dishes at residence, there was no going again. I like recipes like rooster lo mein and rooster ramen noodles, that I can have on the desk in about half-hour on weeknights.
- Adaptable. Making do-it-yourself rooster lo mein implies that I can adapt the recipe precisely how I prefer it, with roughly sauce, further veggies, totally different protein, and so forth. I embrace straightforward variations and ingredient swaps additional down within the put up.
What’s the Distinction Between Lo Mein and Chow Mein?
If you happen to’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 substances. Consequently, lo mein recipes are a bit saucier, whereas chow mein tends to be drier.
What You’ll Want
This rooster lo mein recipe makes use of a couple of important Asian pantry staples. Beneath are some fast notes on the stir fry substances, however for the total recipe particulars, please scroll to the recipe card after the put up for a printable listing.
- Hen – I like to make use of boneless skinless rooster thighs. You need to use rooster breasts, although they’re simpler to overcook. Chop the rooster into 1” items.
- Soy Sauce – You may also 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 fingers on some! It may be refined or toasted sesame oil.
- Greens – I take advantage of a mix of shredded carrots and cabbage. Be happy to swap in different contemporary (or frozen) veggies like broccoli florets, bell peppers, cauliflower, and so forth.
- Inexperienced Onions – Slice them up and divide the whites from the greens. The greens make a fairly garnish together with sesame seeds.
Lo Mein Sauce Elements
- Oyster Sauce and Hoisin Sauce – Together with further 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 could possibly additionally use maple syrup or brown sugar.
- Sesame Oil – I take advantage of a mix of refined and toasted sesame oil within the sauce. Use whichever you could have available (it may be the identical oil you used to prepare dinner the rooster).
- Rice Wine Vinegar – Good substitutes are Asian cooking wines like mirin or sake, white wine or crimson 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 could possibly 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 prefer to marinate the rooster in soy sauce first. IMO, it’s price the additional 10 minutes for the additional taste it brings to the stir-fry! I’ll often prepare dinner the noodles and whisk up the sauce within the meantime.
After all, be happy to skip the marinading should you’re quick on time. For now, right here’s a visible step-by-step exhibiting easy methods to make the most effective do-it-yourself rooster lo mein:
- Marinate the rooster. Begin by tossing the rooster 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 substances.
- Prepare dinner the noodles. In the meantime, boil the noodles in salted water in response to the bundle instructions.
- Sauté the rooster and veggies. Subsequent, brown the marinated rooster items in a skillet with sesame oil over medium-high warmth. As soon as that’s nearly 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 all the pieces a superb toss to coat, then serve! Garnish your rooster lo mein with sesame seeds and the leftover greens from the onions. See beneath for extra serving concepts.
Suggestions and Variations
- Don’t overcook the noodles. Because you’ll be including the noodles again into the pan to complete off this rooster lo mein, watch out to not overcook them. Identical to when cooking pasta, goal for al dente or just below. This manner, they gained’t turn out to be overcooked and mushy.
- Salt the water. Once more, like whenever you prepare 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 mild. When you’ve added the noodles to the pan with the remainder of your rooster lo mein substances, stir gently when you coat them within the sauce so the noodles don’t break.
- Attempt a distinct protein. It’s doable to swap out the rooster items for an additional protein of your alternative. Attempt beef or shrimp lo mein. You may also substitute the meat for tofu as a vegetarian possibility.
- Extra veggies. I discussed it within the Elements part, however loads of veggies work properly 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 have to prepare dinner zucchini noodles first, you possibly can stir them in proper on the finish and allow them to prepare dinner by within the sauce.
Steadily Requested Questions
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”.
Conventional lo mein recipes use thick, contemporary egg noodles. Chow mein, however, makes use of thinner noodles (good for stir-frying) that may be contemporary or dry.
Serving Options
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 facet. Different good veggie decisions are garlicky sautéed broccolini and pan-fried oyster mushrooms.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Retailer cooled leftover rooster lo mein hermetic within the fridge for as much as 3 days. If you happen to preserve the stir-fried rooster and veggies separate, the noodles will final hermetic for as much as 5 days.
- Reheat. I prefer to heat my rooster 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.
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Marinade the rooster. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, toss the rooster with soy sauce. Let the rooster marinade for ~quarter-hour. Make the sauce within the meantime.
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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, rooster inventory, and cornstarch. Whisk till easy and put aside.
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Make the noodles. Carry a big pot of water to a boil and add the salt. Add the noodles and prepare dinner per the bundle’s directions. Drain and put aside.
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Brown the rooster. 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 rooster (discard the soy sauce it was marinating in) and saute till golden brown and nearly cooked by.
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Saute the veggies. Add the cabbage, carrots, and the whites of the inexperienced onions to the wok. Saute till barely wilted. The rooster ought to be cooked by at this level.
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Put all of it collectively. Stir the cooked noodles into the rooster combination together with the oyster-sauce combination. Saute till the sauce has thickened and the noodles are completely coated in it.
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Serve. Serve heat, garnished with sesame seeds and the greens of the inexperienced onions.
Energy: 596kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 32g | Fats: 22g | Saturated Fats: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 7g | Monounsaturated Fats: 8g | Trans Fats: 0.02g | Ldl cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 2125mg | Potassium: 434mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1610IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 2mg
Dietary data is an estimate and supplied as courtesy. Values might fluctuate in response to the substances and instruments used. Please use your most well-liked dietary calculator for extra detailed data.
