A Chicken Lo Mein Recipe that's slightly sweet and makes finding ingredients easy by using linguine noodles and just about any veggies you have in your fridge. A super flexible recipe that is great for a quick dinner! 
This Chicken Lo Mein Recipe is one of my family's favorite quick and easy dinners! I love that I almost always have linguine (or spaghetti) noodles in my pantry and some vegetables in the fridge that need to be used before spoiling. I can throw this easy, homemade recipe together in under 30 minutes and everyone at the table practically licks the pan clean- just like when I make this Teriyaki Beef Stir Fry-- another favorite!
Why This Recipe Works
Chicken Lo Mein is a Chinese dish made with soft egg noodles. My easy Chicken Lo Mein Recipe uses fresh-cooked linguine noodles in place of the egg noodles and ingredients you probably already have in your pantry to make the sauce. There's no need for specialty Chinese ingredients that will sit on your pantry shelf unused. The result is a sweet and savory noodle dish with flavorful chicken and crisp-tender vegetables.
What Is Chicken Lo Mein?
Chicken Lo Mein is a Chinese noodle dish with soft, steamed egg noodles, a rich sauce, lean protein (chicken, shrimp, beef), and vegetables that are typically stir-fried together.
Chicken Chow Mein vs. Lo Mein
"Mein" or "mian" is the Chinese word for "noodles". Lo Mein means "tossed noodles," while "chow mein" or "chao mian" means "fried noodles." Lo Meins generally have soft noodles and more sauce, while chow meins have a lighter sauce and firmer texture because they are fried.
What Noodles Are Used For Lo Mein?
Fresh egg noodles that are about ¼" wide are traditionally used for Chinese Lo Mein dishes. For this recipe, I use dried linguine noodles to make things easy.
How To Make Chicken Lo Mein
- Make the sauce by combining ¼ cup soy sauce, apricot jam, garlic, brown sugar, sesame oil, ½ teaspoon vinegar, and corn starch in a small bowl. Set aside
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Cut chicken breasts into ½ inch strips and toss in 2 tablespoons of soy sauce.
- Cook the linguine by following the directions on the box. Drain off cooking water and set aside.
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Heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the chicken. Cook, stirring frequently until chicken is just cooked through and transfer into a separate bowl.
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Heat an additional tablespoon of oil in the skillet and add vegetables and water chestnuts. Stir-fry by stirring them quickly around the pan until they are tender, but still a little bit crisp.
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When veggies are done, add the chicken and noodles to the pan. Pour the sauce mixture over all ingredients in the pan, stir to combine, and cook for 1 minute more. Remove from heat and serve.
Heather's Tips For Recipe Success:
- Cook your Linguine just until Al Dente. "Al Dente" means "to the tooth" and explains when pasta is cooked until its tender but still gives a bit of resistance when it's bitten into. The pasta will continue cooking all the way when added to the pan with the veggies and sauce.
- Use a Wok if you have one. Woks are the best for cooking quickly over high heat-- the perfect stir fry pan for chicken lo mein!
- Cut your veggies uniformly. Stir-fried veggies are cooked quickly and if they aren't all about the same size, you may be left with veggies that are underdone or overcooked when the rest of the veggies are cooked perfectly.
If you Make this Chicken Lo Mein Recipe, please let me know!
📖 Recipe
Sweet Chicken Lo Mein
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
- 8 ounces dry linguine cooked and drained
- 5 cups stir fry veggies I used a mix of broccoli, mushrooms, baby carrots, and sugar snap peas
- 6 ounces water chestnuts drained
For The Sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ⅓ cup apricot jam
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
Instructions
- Make the sauce by combining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, apricot jam, garlic, brown sugar, sesame oil, vinegar, and corn starch in a small bowl. Set aside for later.
- Cut chicken breasts into about ½ inch strips and toss in 2 tablespoons of soy sauce.
- Cook linguine noodles per the package instructions until "Al-dente" or just barely tender.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken to the pan and cook, stirring frequently until chicken is just cooked through and transfer into a separate bowl.
- Heat an additional tablespoon of oil in the skillet and add vegetables and water chestnuts. Stir-fry by moving the vegetables around the pan quickly, until they are just tender.
- When veggies are done, add the chicken and noodles to the pan. Pour the sauce mixture over the entire pan, stir to combine, and cook for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and serve.
Chef's Notes:
- Cook your Linguine just until Al Dente. "Al Dente" means "to the tooth" and explains when pasta is cooked until its tender but still gives a bit of resistance when it's bitten into. The pasta will continue cooking all the way when added to the pan with the veggies and sauce.
- Use a Wok if you have one. Woks are the best for cooking quickly over high heat-- the perfect stir fry pan for chicken lo mein!
- Cut your veggies uniformly. Stir-fried veggies are cooked quickly and if they aren't all about the same size, you may be left with veggies that are underdone or overcooked when the rest of the veggies are cooked perfectly.
Nutrition Facts
Other Chicken Recipes You Might Like
- Barbeque Chicken
- Pesto Parmesan Chicken
- Easy Chicken Cacciatore
- Smothered Chicken Breast
- Honey Dijon Chicken Thighs
- garlic chicken thighs
- Ranch Chicken Marinade
- Simple Grilled Chicken Recipe
- Chicken Keto Soup
- Wingers Sticky Fingers
- Sweet Chili Sauce Chicken
- Oven Fried Chicken Breast
- Chicken Ricotta
- Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo
- Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken
- Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk
muhammad Iltaja mehdi says
This sounds delicious and so practical! I love recipes that let you use what you already have in the fridge. Using linguine is a smart and easy swap—definitely trying this for a quick weeknight dinner!
awv says
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Annie says
So very easy to prepare and tastes delicious. Thanks for the recipe which I’m making tonight for the third time!