Easy Chicken Lo Mein is a budget-friendly, customizable Chinese-American style chicken noodle dinner that’s made without pork, dairy, or any shellfish ingredients.
About this dish…
Easy Chicken Lo Mein is a budget-friendly noodle recipe that is quick to prepare—typically taking less time than waiting for takeout delivery.
It is made without pork, dairy, red meat, or shellfish, making it an excellent choice for people avoiding those ingredients and for those who keep kosher.
And it’s customizable, so you can add your own stir-fry. It’s the perfect way to use up vegetables from your fridge that are beginning to go soft.
Also, chicken has health benefits!
What do you need to make this chicken lo mein recipe?
I hardly ever meal plan, so I like to keep a cupboard full of seasonings, spices, veggies, and canned goods in my kitchen to use whenever the mood strikes.
And this is certainly true for Chinese-American homemade takeout recipes, and these are the ingredients you need to have on hand to make this recipe even last-minute!
lo mein noodles or spaghetti
chicken breast
soy sauce
brown sugar
chicken or beef bullion powder*
sesame or vegetable oil
bean sprouts (optional)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Is this chicken lo mein a stir-fry dish?
This dish uses an easy, one-pan method designed for convenience rather than traditional stir-frying, ensuring you get that classic, savory Chinese-American lo mein experience at home with minimal effort.
2. Can I use spaghetti if I don’t have lo mein noodles?
Yes. Spaghetti is an excellent, accessible substitute that works perfectly with this sauce.
3. What is the best chicken to use?
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs are ideal. Slicing them into thin, uniform strips ensures they cook quickly and remain tender throughout the process.
4. Can I add other vegetables to this?
Absolutely. While bean sprouts are a classic addition, you can easily incorporate sliced bell peppers, carrots, or snap peas to add color and extra crunch to your lo mein.
5. Is this recipe dairy-free and pork-free?
Yes. This recipe is strictly dairy-free, fish-free, and pork-free, making it perfectly suited for those who avoid those foods or for people who follow kosher dietary laws.
6. What makes the sauce so flavorful?
The combination of soy sauce, brown sugar, and savory chicken consommé creates a deeply umami-rich base that coats the noodles and chicken, delivering that authentic takeout flavor.
7. Can I freeze leftovers?
Yes, you can freeze chicken lo mein in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Be aware that the noodles may soften during the freezing and reheating process.
While you can reheat it in an oven at 350°F (175°C) until heated through—covering it with foil to prevent the noodles from drying out—reheating in a wok or frying pan with a splash of water or oil may work better.
A little about Chinese-American Food
Chinese-American cuisine is a style of Chinese cuisine that was developed by Chinese immigrants.
These dishes significantly differ from traditional Chinese dishes because Chinese-American dishes were adapted to suit American tastes.
Chinese immigrants arrived in the United States in large numbers in the mid-19th century in order to escape the economic difficulties in China, hoping to find work during the California Gold Rush and on the Central Pacific Railroad.
They mostly settled together in ghettos, individually known as Chinatowns, and—since there were laws preventing them from owning their own land—they opened their own businesses, such as laundry services and restaurants.
Initially, the family-owned businesses catered to miners and railroad workers, and restaurants were set up in places where Chinese food was unknown. Food was based on the requests of the customers, and recipes were created to suit American tastes using whatever ingredients were available.
One major difference between traditional Chinese cuisine and Chinese-American cuisine is in the use of vegetables. Chinese-American recipes will use raw or uncooked ingredients and those not native to China. Traditional Chinese cuisine, on the other hand, rarely contains raw or uncooked ingredients and often uses Asian leaf vegetables.
While the new dishes were not traditional Chinese, these restaurants were responsible for the development of the ever-popular Chinese-American cuisine.
The little history of kosher Chinese-American Food
It is well known that Jews (especially those with ties to New York) love Chinese food. You can find at least one and, more often than not, several kosher Chinese restaurants in predominantly Jewish neighborhoods.
Jews as a group were probably first introduced to Chinese food in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where immigrants of various cultures settled in their own neighborhoods in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
By the early 1900s, approximately one million Jews from Eastern Europe and half a million Italians from Southern Italy shared the Lower East Side of Manhattan with only approximately 7,000 Cantonese Chinese, most of whom had moved from California.
Due to anti-Chinese laws and acts, which prevented them from competing with whites, many Chinese opened restaurants.
The majority of Jewish immigrants at that time were observant in their religion and ate only kosher food when they arrived in New York. But, over time, many assimilated, and their children, who were less interested in keeping “the old ways” and more interested in other cultural experiences, assimilated even more so.
Some continued keeping kosher at home while allowing themselves to stray while out, and many of these would frequent the Chinese restaurants on Sundays.
But what about Jews who did keep kosher? It took decades, but finally one Jewish, kosher deli owner—Sol Bernstein, who owned Schmulka Bernstein’s, a deli he named after his father—found a solution.
Sol used Cantonese Chinese recipes and substituted kosher veal, beef, and chicken livers for the pork in the recipes and became the first person to create and sell kosher Chinese food. Since it was sold from a deli, it’s also sometimes called deli-Chinese.
Sol continued to sell deli while he incorporated Chinese foods into the menu and did very well. He changed the name to Bernstein’s on Essex to make the establishment sound more high-class, but everyone still called it Schmulka Bernstein’s.
The restaurant continued to prosper until he died in 1992, when it was sold.
Later, a similar deli opened in Brooklyn on Coney Avenue called Essex on Coney. From experience, I can tell you that the food was terrific.
Unfortunately, it closed as well.
Chinese-American style homemade takeout!
While there are non-kosher Chinese-American restaurants and takeout places all over, kosher Chinese is is harder to find, especially if you don’t live in a Jewish area, and they are mostly fairly expensive.
So making the food at home is a terrific alternative.
Try these!
- Mongolian Chicken
- Corned Beef & Cabbage Egg Rolls
- Chicken Lo Mein
- General Tso’s Chicken
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Vegetarian Egg Drop Soup
- Chicken and Broccoli
- Honey Garlic Chicken and Broccoli
Easy Chicken Lo Mein Recipe
Easy and delicious homemade Chinese-American chicken and noodle dish made without pork, dairy, red meat, or shellsfish.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces lo mein noodles or spaghetti
- 1 - 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast sliced into thin strips
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 teaspoons chicken or beef bullion powder*
- 2 tablespoons sesame or vegetable oil
- bean sprouts (optional)
- water
Instructions
- Cook lo mein or spaghetti according to instructions on package and rinse well to remove starches.
- In a pan (large enough to hold all of the noodles) on medium heat, mix water, bullion powder, 1/2 cup soy sauce, and brown sugar.
- Add chicken strips and mix occasionally until strips are cooked through.
- Add in noodles and bean sprouts if desired and mix well.
- Cook on medium heat until the noodles have had a chance to absorb mixture (approximately 10 minutes).
- Add oil and mix well.
Notes
* or 1/2 cup beef bullion instead of water and powder.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 274Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 2085mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 17g