Better Than The Buffet Chicken Lo Mein

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Better Than The Buffet Chicken Lo Mein delivers all of the classic flavors of your favorite Chinese noodle dish. Soy sauce, boneless skinless chicken thighs, mixed veggies, ginger and garlic make this a dish that’s big on flavor but comes together in just 30 minutes time. This is a perfect recipe for a side dish or a quick weeknight meal.


large silver skillet with chicken lo mein being tossed with tongs on stovetop. There is a blue bowl beside the skillet filled with Chinese fortune cookies


Chicken Lo Mein is one of those perfect recipes that can fit so many of your different recipe needs. This makes a meal that can be excellent alongside other homemade Chinese food to celebrate New Year’s Eve. That’s what me and my family do. You can read more about that in my post on Crab Rangoons. This recipe can be used for a delicious side dish or something amazing to bring to a cookout or potluck. This can be a whole meal all by itself. It has all of the hearty carb goodness that you want and it’s mixed with veggies and chicken. Chicken Lo Mein is very flavorful and so simple and easy to throw together. There aren’t many ingredients or steps to this one. And most of the ingredients are things that you probably always have on hand in your refrigerator or in your pantry.


This one ranks very high up there on the list of my family’s favorite dinners. My (at times picky) nephew Logan actually says that this is one of his favorite things to eat and he requests it regularly. My grocery store sells packages of Chinese restaurant fortune cookies for super cheap. When we have Logan over for Chicken Lo Mein, we all open a bunch of different fortune cookies together around the table and it’s a lot of fun.


This is definitely one of my oldest recipes too and I still have it on my regular rotation. I’ve made this one for most of my adult life. I stumbled across refrigerated lo mein noodles at the grocery store and thought it would be awesome to make my very own stir-fried noodle dish right at home. They came out delicious and minus the eventual addition of ginger, the rest of the recipe is still the exact same. This dinner is delicious with or without ginger but it definitely gives the dish a little extra freshness and just something extra amazing.


Chicken lo mein is an excellent option for a quick weeknight dinner. Everything comes together in just 30 short minutes. There is very little prep or cutting work involved in this dish. You’ll only have to chop onion and garlic and grate a little bit of ginger. This is one of those great recipes where you’ll pretty much just throw everything together in a pan and stir until delicious and done.


Where do I find lo mein noodles at the grocery store?

Lo mein noodles should be easily accessible to you at your local grocery store. You can find them in the pasta aisle or maybe in the Asian area. For me, the noodles that I buy are from the brand Chinatown. And I find them in the refrigerated area near the deli in my store. Just be sure to follow the preparation instructions on the package whether you get refrigerated or raw noodles.

Typically, I will do my grocery shopping with the family on Sundays for the week. Of course, I always forget something and have to go back… like two or three times *eyeroll*. So on one special occasion, I had actually been spot on with all of my weekly shopping and was set for the week. Logan, my nephew was coming for dinner and was very excited for his favorite Chicken Lo Mein. Fast forward to me beginning the cooking process. I am jumping around the four wild kids in my house and the meowing grumpy old lady cat to get dinner going.


I go to grab the lo mein noodles out of the refrigerator. Now, I KNOW that I did not forget these noodles and I was wondering where the hell they disappeared to. Well, good old reliable Aidan helped putting groceries away that Sunday. He thought it was best to put the refrigerated noodles in the pantry. In summertime. For the week. So I eventually discovered my moldy lo mein noodles and had to pack up the kids and make my way back to the grocery store. The moral of this story is do not forget to refrigerate your refrigerated lo mein noodles. Or if my teenager shows up to help you with your groceries, don’t let him 🙂


I don’t have lo mein noodles. What can I use instead?

I really love the thickness and the great chewiness that you get from lo mein noodles. They have a way of really sucking up all of the sauce and the flavors that go into this recipe. However, maybe you can’t find lo mein noodles or your store is out or Aidan left them in the pantry. In that case, you have some options that you can use in their place.

  • Rice noodles: These are great as a gluten-free alternative. Rice noodles will absorb all of the delicious flavors from the garlic, ginger and soy sauce just as well.
  • Brown rice noodles: This can be a healthier alternative.
  • Linguine: Traditional pasta linguine or spaghetti can be used in a pinch. Texture-wise, they will be very similar to the lo mein noodles.
  • Ramen: This versatile option would taste delicious with the sauce and veggies in this Chicken Lo Mein recipe.


What are different variations that I can use to mix up this recipe?

Better Than The Buffet Chicken Lo Mein is such a versatile base recipe. You can explore and change so many things out in this dish to add variety and it will always turn out phenomenal. Give some of these options a try. You can easily substitute something from the list below in place of boneless skinless chicken thighs or the frozen mixed vegetables.


  • Beef
  • Tofu
  • Pork
  • Turkey
  • Ground chicken
  • Kielbasa
  • Shrimp
  • Zucchini
  • Summer squash
  • Tomato
  • Mushroom
  • Eggplant
  • Cabbage
  • Kale
  • Bok Choy
  • Spinach
  • Red bell pepper


More Asian Recipe Favorites

  • Better Than The Buffet Orange Chicken With Broccoli is a restaurant quality dinner that you can make right at home. The fried chicken paired with the broccoli, garlic, ginger and Orange Sauce make this an easy meal that you will want to add to your dinner rotation.
  • Better Than The Buffet Thai Cashew Chicken is simple, easy and quick. This recipe is garlicky, gingery and has a delicious depth of flavor. The sweet and salty sauce and toasted nuttiness of the cashews will make this meal a family favorite.
  • Thai Peanut Chicken With Broccoli is spicy, salty and sweet. This quick and easy dinner comes together in under 30 minutes. And this gingery, garlicky, creamy dinner will become an instant classic.
  • Better Than The Buffet Chinese Pepper Chicken is a buffet staple. So simple yet so complex, this is an easy recipe that has so much depth of flavor. The pepper sauce is so rich and tasty that you won’t believe it comes together with only five ingredients.
  • Homemade Crab Rangoons are easy to make and packed full of flavor. They are the perfect finger food to make for any party appetizer. This a great starter recipe.
  • Better Than The Buffet Battered Chinese Fried Shrimp is a New England Chinese restaurant favorite. The simple and flavorful batter uses only 6-ingredients and will give you the perfect crunchy yet fluffy bite. The flavorful breading compliments the succulent sweetness of the jumbo shrimp.


Instructions

Heat a large pan sprayed skillet over medium heat. Add boneless skinless chicken thighs and season with salt and black pepper. Cook for about 7 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Once done, chop the chicken into one-inch pieces.

boneless skinless chicken thighs being fried in large silver skillet and being turned with tongs.


In the meantime, prepare lo mein noodles according to package instructions. Add the frozen mixed vegetables during the last 2 minutes of cooking to thaw. Drain the noodles and mixed vegetables and run under cold water until cooled. Set aside.


Chop garlic and onion. Grate ginger. Using the same large skillet that you cooked the chicken in, heat vegetable oil over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and ginger and cook for 1 minute until translucent.


Add chicken thighs, lo mein noodles and mixed vegetables to the skillet. Then, add crushed red pepper flakes, soy sauce and fish sauce. Mix until fully combined. Continue to fry and mix continuously for 5 minutes until done.

large silver skillet with chicken lo mein noodles and veggies being tossed and mixed together


What is your favorite Chinese food to cook at home? Did you make this recipe or did you try out some of the different variations? Let me know in the comments below. As always, I truly appreciate each and every single person that reads my blog and I thank you for your support!


large silver skillet with chicken lo mein being tossed with tongs on stovetop. There is a blue bowl beside the skillet filled with Chinese fortune cookies

Better Than The Buffet Chicken Lo Mein

Dominique Collins-Bloomfield
Better Than The Buffet Chicken Lo Mein delivers all of the classic flavors of your favorite Chinese noodle dish. Soy sauce, boneless skinless chicken thighs, mixed veggies, ginger and garlic make this a dish that's big on flavor but comes together in just 30 minutes time. This is a perfect recipe for a side dish or a quick weeknight meal.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine American, Chinese
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 Pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • ½ Teaspoon salt
  • ½ Teaspoon black pepper
  • 1.5 Pounds lo mein noodles
  • 2 Cups frozen mixed vegetables
  • ¼ Cup vegetable oil
  • 5 Cloves garlic
  • 3 Tablespoons onion
  • 2 Tablespoons ginger (grated)
  • ½ Teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
  • ¼ Cup soy sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons fish sauce

Instructions
 

  • Heat a large pan sprayed skillet over medium heat. Add boneless skinless chicken thighs and season with salt and black pepper. Cook for about 7 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Once done, chop the chicken into one-inch pieces.
  • In the meantime, prepare lo mein noodles according to package instructions. Add the frozen mixed vegetables during the last 2 minutes of cooking to thaw. Drain the noodles and mixed vegetables and run under cold water until cooled. Set aside.
  • Chop garlic and onion. Grate ginger. Using the same large skillet that you cooked the chicken in, heat vegetable oil over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and ginger and cook for 1 minute until translucent.
  • Add chicken thighs, lo mein noodles and mixed vegetables to the skillet. Add crushed red pepper flakes, soy sauce and fish sauce. Mix until fully combined. Continue to fry and mix continuously for 5 minutes until done. Enjoy!

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