Chicken Lo Mein
About this recipe
Chicken Lo Mein is a classic dish that brings the flavors of Chinese takeout right to your kitchen. This recipe focuses on achieving that perfect texture and balance that often eludes home cooks, with techniques that elevate your lo mein game.
In this video, the creator shares five essential steps: velveting the chicken for tenderness, prepping your ingredients for a quick stir-fry, mixing a balanced brown sauce, selecting the right noodles, and cooking everything over high heat to ensure the sauce clings beautifully to the noodles.
Ingredient notes
- For the chicken, use one large chicken breast, which should be cut into strips against the grain for the best texture.
- Shaoxing cooking wine can be substituted with dry sherry if unavailable.
Tips from NOT ANOTHER COOKING SHOW’s video
- Velveting the chicken is key to achieving a tender texture; massage the chicken with baking soda, salt, soy sauce, and cornstarch, and let it marinate for 20-30 minutes.
- Prepare all your ingredients before starting to cook, as stir-frying moves quickly and requires everything to be ready to go.
- Use high heat when cooking in the wok to develop a nice brown on the chicken and ensure the sauce clings to the noodles rather than pooling.
Good to know
- How long does it take to make Chicken Lo Mein?
- The total time to make Chicken Lo Mein is about 60 minutes.
- What type of noodles should I use for this recipe?
- The creator suggests using parboiled noodles, which can be found at Asian grocery stores.
No life story here — the video and the recipe are the whole point. All credit to NOT ANOTHER COOKING SHOW: watch the original on YouTube.
The recipe
Ingredients
Steps
- 1
Velvet the chicken by cutting one large chicken breast into strips against the grain. Sprinkle with salt, baking soda, soy sauce, Shaoxing cooking wine, and cornstarch. Massage the mixture into the chicken and let it marinate for 20-30 minutes.
- 2
Prepare the mise en place by cutting the carrot into matchsticks, the bell pepper into strips, the onion into thin slices, the savoy cabbage into strips, and the green onions into 2-inch pieces. Prepare the snow peas by removing the tips and strings. Smash and chop the garlic and ginger.
- 3
Mix the brown sauce by combining oyster sauce, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, MSG, white pepper, sugar, and chicken broth in a bowl. Adjust the sugar to taste. Prepare a slurry with cornstarch and water, then add the sauce to the slurry.
- 4
Cook the lo mein noodles according to package instructions in boiling water. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop cooking.
- 5
Heat a wok over high heat and add olive oil. Once hot, add the marinated chicken and cook until browned and 85% cooked. Remove the chicken and set aside.
- 6
Add the prepared aromatics (garlic and ginger) to the wok, followed by the vegetables in the order of their cooking time. Stir-fry until just tender, then add the chicken back in along with the noodles and sauce. Toss everything together until well combined.
Heads up — we had to guess a little:
- The quantity of chicken breast is inferred as '1 large' based on typical serving sizes for a platter.
- The quantity of sugar is inferred as '1 tablespoon or two' based on common practices in sauce preparation.
Credit where it’s due: this recipe was transcribed from NOT ANOTHER COOKING SHOW’s original video on YouTube. Follow them there — it’s their dish.
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