Rooster lo mein is a scrumptious Chinese language stir fry with chewy lo mein noodles, hen bites, and tender veggies cooked in a candy and savory sauce. Make this flavorful takeout recipe at dwelling in half-hour!
I like recreating genuine takeout dishes in my kitchen! From Chinese language hen and broccoli to selfmade Basic Tso’s hen, a fast stir-fry is the proper weeknight dinner.
This hen lo mein makes use of simple elements and it’s filled with all of the wealthy and saucy umami flavors that I crave from our native Chinese language takeout joint. All it takes is a number of Asian pantry staples like soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil to provide my selfmade lo mein its genuine taste! In the meantime, juicy marinated hen, chewy egg noodles, and tender veggies make this hen lo mein an all-in-one meal that the entire household obsesses over. It’s a kind of dinners that by no means fails to make everybody joyful, and it’s typically requested for fast weeknight dinners.
Why I Love Selfmade Rooster Lo Mein
- Similar to the actual deal. Selfmade Chinese language takeout has turn into a little bit of a passion. My purpose is all the time to get as near the actual dish as doable. I received’t lie, with its savory sauce, this hen lo mein turned out fairly darn shut and possibly 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 dwelling, there was no going again. I like recipes like hen lo mein and hen ramen noodles, that I can have on the desk in about half-hour on weeknights.
- Adaptable. Making selfmade hen lo mein signifies that I can adapt the recipe precisely how I prefer it, with roughly sauce, additional veggies, completely different protein, and many others. I embrace simple variations and ingredient swaps additional down within the put up.
What’s the Distinction Between Lo Mein and Chow Mein?
In case you’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 elements. Consequently, lo mein recipes are a bit saucier, whereas chow mein tends to be drier.
What You’ll Want
This hen lo mein recipe makes use of a number of important Asian pantry staples. Under are some fast notes on the stir fry elements, however for the complete recipe particulars, please scroll to the recipe card after the put up for a printable record.
- Rooster – I like to make use of boneless skinless hen thighs. You should utilize hen breasts, although they’re simpler to overcook. Chop the hen into 1” items.
- Soy Sauce – You can too 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 substitute for lo mein noodles.
- Sesame Oil – There’s actually no substitute for sesame oil in Asian-style cooking. Do your finest to get your palms on some! It may be refined or toasted sesame oil.
- Greens – I exploit a mixture of shredded carrots and cabbage. Be happy to swap in different contemporary (or frozen) veggies like broccoli florets, bell peppers, cauliflower, and many others.
- 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 may substitute darkish soy sauce for hoisin sauce.
- Honey – You might additionally use maple syrup or brown sugar.
- Sesame Oil – I exploit a mixture of refined and toasted sesame oil within the sauce. Use whichever you’ve gotten readily available (it may be the identical oil you used to prepare dinner the hen).
- Rice Wine Vinegar – Good substitutes are Asian cooking wines like mirin or sake, white wine or pink wine vinegar, dry sherry, or dry white wine.
- Garlic – Freshly minced. In a pinch, swap ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder for each contemporary clove.
- Rooster Inventory – You might additionally use vegetable inventory.
- Cornstarch – Cornstarch thickens the lo mein sauce and makes it silky. Tapioca starch or arrowroot powder will work, too.
The way to Make Rooster Lo Mein
I prefer to marinate the hen 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 find out how to make one of the best selfmade hen lo mein:
- Marinate the hen. Begin by tossing the hen 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 elements.
- Prepare dinner the noodles. In the meantime, boil the noodles in salted water in line with the package deal instructions.
- Sauté the hen and veggies. Subsequent, brown the marinated hen items in a skillet with sesame oil over medium-high warmth. As soon as that’s virtually 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 every part toss to coat, then serve! Garnish your hen lo mein with sesame seeds and the leftover greens from the onions. See beneath for extra serving concepts.
Ideas and Variations
- Don’t overcook the noodles. Because you’ll be including the noodles again into the pan to complete off this hen lo mein, watch out to not overcook them. Similar to when cooking pasta, goal for al dente or just below. This manner, they received’t turn into overcooked and mushy.
- Salt the water. Once more, like whenever you prepare dinner pasta, bear in mind so as to add a spoonful of salt to the water you’ll use to boil your egg noodles. This helpful trick seasons the noodles, even earlier than they’re mixed with the lo mein sauce.
- Be light. When you’ve added the noodles to the pan with the remainder of your hen lo mein elements, stir gently when you coat them within the sauce so the noodles don’t break.
- Strive a distinct protein. It’s doable to swap out the hen items for one more protein of your selection. Strive beef or shrimp lo mein. You can too substitute the meat for tofu as a vegetarian choice.
- Extra veggies. I discussed it within the Elements part, however loads of veggies work effectively 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 a good 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 may stir them in proper on the finish and allow them to prepare dinner by within the sauce.
Incessantly 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, alternatively, makes use of thinner noodles (excellent for stir-frying) that may be contemporary or dry.
Serving Recommendations
Rooster 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 aspect. Different good veggie decisions are garlicky sautéed broccolini and pan-fried oyster mushrooms.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Retailer cooled leftover hen lo mein hermetic within the fridge for as much as 3 days. In case you maintain the stir-fried hen and veggies separate, the noodles will final hermetic for as much as 5 days.
- Reheat. I prefer to heat my hen 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 hen. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, toss the hen with soy sauce. Let the hen 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, hen inventory, and cornstarch. Whisk till clean 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 package deal’s directions. Drain and put aside.
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Brown the hen. 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 hen (discard the soy sauce it was marinating in) and saute till golden brown and virtually 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 hen needs to be cooked by at this level.
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Put all of it collectively. Stir the cooked noodles into the hen 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 offered as courtesy. Values might range in line with the elements and instruments used. Please use your most well-liked dietary calculator for extra detailed data.
