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With a simple, flavorful 3-ingredient sauce, tender stir-fried chicken, and plenty of colorful vegetables, this easy lo mein with chicken and broccoli is a perfect 30-minute meal! Kids love the homemade Chinese noodles served alongside egg rolls, dumplings, or extra steamed broccoli.
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If you love Chinese-inspired dinner recipes as much as we do, be sure to try this healthy chicken chow mein, our dump-and-bake General Tso chicken, pepper steak with onion, this dump-and-bake sweet and sour chicken, and an easy chicken and bell pepper stir-fry, too!
How to Make this Easy Chicken Lo Mein Recipe | 1-Minute Video
Planned for it to be yummy, and it was even better than I hoped!
– Rach
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Quick and Easy. The best chicken lo mein recipe is also the easiest! You don’t need to spend hours prepping in the kitchen, and you don’t even have to drive to the nearest Chinese restaurant for takeout. Instead, you can whip up this mouthwatering dinner from start to finish in about 30 minutes!
- Simple Ingredients. This homemade recipe only requires a handful of basic ingredients that you can find in just about any grocery store. No fancy markets required.
- Kid-Friendly. Thanks to simple flavors and familiar ingredients, this lo mein with chicken and broccoli is a family-friendly meal that will keep everyone at the table happy.
What is Chicken Lo Mein?
Lo mein, lāo miàn, means “stirred noodles.” This Chinese-American dish is made with egg noodles and a combination of vegetables, meat, or seafood. The noodles are usually about an eighth of an inch thick (slightly thicker than spaghetti), so they’re much different than the wide American egg noodles that you might otherwise know.
Lo mein noodles are cooked separately in boiling water, then tossed with the rest of the ingredients in a sesame oil and soy sauce-based sauce. By contrast, chow mein, which translates to “stir-fried noodles,” is another Chinese-American dish. For chow mein, the noodles are par-boiled first, and then stir-fried in a wok to crisp up and finish cooking.
Ingredients
This is an overview of the simple ingredients that you’ll need for a pan of homemade lo mein with chicken and broccoli. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Less-sodium soy sauce: the base of the sauce, which gives the dish a rich, salty, umami flavor. We like the low sodium soy sauce, but any variety will work.
- Sesame oil: adds a rich, toasted, unique flavor to the dish. This is a key ingredient in lo mein, so do not substitute with other types of oil.
- Brown sugar: to sweeten the sauce.
- Lo mein noodles: I use these lo mein noodles, which I can find in my local grocery store, in Walmart, or online on Amazon. If you can’t find lo mein noodles, feel free to substitute with spaghetti or soba noodles.
- Vegetable oil: to stir-fry the chicken and vegetables. You can substitute with other neutral oils that have a high smoke point, such as canola oil.
- Chicken breast: thinly-sliced into bite size pieces, the chicken cooks in a hot skillet in just a few minutes. You can sub with boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you prefer the dark meat.
- Broccoli, red bell pepper, green onions, carrots: veggies add color, flavor, and nutrition. Make separate piles of the white/light green parts of the green onions and the darker top parts of the green onions. The white parts have an oniony punch and a more substantial texture, so they withstand longer cooking times better. Wait to add the dark green tops as a garnish at the end.
- Garlic and ginger: for plenty of savory, zesty flavor. Tip: keep a fresh gingerroot in the freezer so that you always have it on hand for grating into dishes.
How to Make Chicken Lo Mein at Home
This chicken and broccoli lo mein recipe comes together from start to finish in about 30 minutes. Have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go, because the process moves quickly! You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Shake or whisk together the lo mein sauce.
- Boil the noodles, adding the broccoli toward the end. Drain.
- Stir-fry the thin strips of chicken.
- Cook the bell pepper, onion, garlic, and ginger in the skillet.
- Add the carrots.
- Stir in the cooked noodles and broccoli, the cooked chicken, and the sauce. Toss to coat.
- Cook for 1 more minute, just until everything is warmed through.
- Serve immediately and garnish with the tops of the green onions, toasted sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, or lime wedges.
Serving Suggestions
To round out the meal, try pairing the lo mein with steamed broccoli, oven-roasted sesame broccoli, ramen noodle coleslaw, or a sesame ginger snap pea salad. Don’t forget about spring rolls or egg rolls, too (pick up some prepared egg rolls in the frozen section at your grocery store).
Preparation and Storage Tips
Leftover homemade chicken lo mein will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze lo mein for up to 3 months; however, the texture of the noodles and the vegetables will not be quite as good when thawed.
To reheat lo mein, simply transfer the noodles to a warm skillet and cook, stirring regularly, until warmed through. If the mixture seems dry, stir together some additional sauce to add to the pan.
Recipe Variations
- Instead of cooking the chicken in the skillet, add 1-2 cups of cooked, shredded rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken from a previous meal.
- Chicken and Shrimp Lo Mein: use ½ lb. of boneless, skinless chicken breast and ½ lb. of large, peeled and deveined shrimp that are cut into ½-inch pieces. The shrimp will only need about 1 minute in the skillet, so add it to the pan after you’ve added the chicken. You can also use 1 lb. of shrimp and omit the chicken altogether.
- Use any vegetables that your family enjoys. Try water chestnuts, bean sprouts, zucchini, mushrooms, snow peas, sugar snap peas, corn, green peas, or edamame.
- Beef Lo Mein: thinly slice flank steak against the grain and cook for a total of about 1 minute.
- Vegetable Lo Mein: omit the chicken and add an extra 1-2 cups of vegetables.
- Use a cornstarch slurry with water or chicken broth to thicken the sauce if you like, or stir in some hoisin sauce to thicken and add sweetness.
This was amazing! 1/2ed the recipe for the 2 of us and it was plenty. Had hubby grill the chicken and used my Pampered Chef mandolin for the veggies. This will be on our bi-weekly rotation. Thank you for a great meal!
– Carol
More “Better than Takeout” Chinese Recipes to Try at Home
Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
28 minutes mins
Egg Roll in a Bowl
20 minutes mins
Mu Shu Pork
26 minutes mins
Lo Mein with Chicken and Broccoli (“Chinese Noodles”)
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- ¼ cup less-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- Optional: about ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
For the Lo Mein
- 8 ounces lo mein egg noodles or spaghetti
- 2 cups small broccoli florets
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced with the white and green parts placed in separate piles
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons minced or grated fresh ginger
- 1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
- Optional garnish: toasted sesame seeds; chopped peanuts; lime wedges
Instructions
Make the Sauce
- Shake together all of the sauce ingredients in a jar (or whisk in a small bowl); set aside.
Make the Lo Mein
- Cook noodles in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package instructions. During the final 3 minutes of cooking time, add the broccoli florets to the boiling water with the pasta. Drain and toss with sesame oil.
- Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken and cook until no longer pink inside, 3-4 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate.
- Do not clean out the skillet. Add the bell pepper, the white parts of the onions, the garlic and the ginger to the skillet. Cook over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes, until softened. Stir in the carrots; cook for 1-2 more minutes.
- Add the cooked noodles and broccoli, the cooked chicken, and the sauce to the skillet. Toss everything together; cook for another 1-2 more minutes, until the ingredients are heated through.
- Garnish with the green parts of the onions, toasted sesame seeds, and chopped peanuts, if desired.
Video
Notes
- Be careful not to overcook the chicken or it can quickly become tough or dry.
- Prep all of the ingredients in advance, because the cooking process moves very quickly and you want to be able to focus on the skillet.
- Make separate piles of the white/light green parts of the green onions and the darker top parts of the green onions. The white parts have an oniony punch and a more substantial texture, so they withstand longer cooking times better. Wait to add the dark green tops as a garnish at the end.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in November, 2021. It was updated in May, 2024.
Chicken Lo Mein was a big hit with whole family.
Wonderful! Thanks for taking the time to leave a note, Kari! 🙂
Planned for it to be yummy, and it was even better than I hoped!
That’s great, Rach! Thank you!
This was amazing! 1/2ed the recipe for the 2 of us and it was plenty. Had hubby grill the chicken and used my Pampered Chef mandolin for the veggies. This will be on our bi-weekly rotation. Thank you for a great meal!
Wonderful! Thank you, Carol!
The flavor was really good (my kids even ate it) but my noodles were a little mushy. I am a novice and probably took longer to do everything than most people. Was I supposed to rinse my noodles with cold water while waiting on the chicken to cook or should I maybe just cook them a little less next time? Thanks for the recipe!
Hi, Meg! I wouldn’t rinse the noodles. It just sounds like they were cooked a little bit too long. Glad the taste was good!
Absolutely delicious!! A HIT with my picky eater and a definite new staple dinner in this household! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe!!
Wonderful! My younger two boys love this meal as well. It’s definitely one of their favorites. So glad that your little one enjoys it, too!
This was not only delicious, but so easy to put together on a week night!
Thank you, Jo! We’re so glad you enjoyed it.
This is SO TASTY! My 4 year old who’s pretty picky asked for 3 helpings! I did have trouble with the noodles and broccoli coming out a bit too soft so next time I’ll just shorten the cook time by a couple of minutes. This is going in our dinner rotation for sure. Thank you for sharing such a great recipe!
We’re so glad it was such a hit! Thank you for trying it out and taking the time to leave feedback, Carolyn.