This recipe was updated on September 24, 2020 to include new photos and improved directions!
This Chicken and Mushroom Lo Mein is a recipe I’ve been making ever since my bachelor days over a decade ago! These days I’ve updated it and make it frequently for my family. The kiddos love it even!
I like this recipe so much it because it’s pretty straightforward to make so maybe I can sway a bachelor to put down the phone and pick up the skillet! Plus it’s a ton of food. Even if I feed it to my family, there are leftovers so it makes plenty for multiple meals and keeps well in the fridge for 5 days or so!
Making The Sauce
This sauce is a pretty basic one that’s also good for stir-fries. You can adjust the flavors to your tastes.
Just mince or press or grate your garlic and ginger and whisk everything together! Give it a taste. It’ll be pretty strong, but adjust the flavors if you want. You could add a bit of chili sauce directly to this if you wanted the lo mein to be spicy.
The Lo Mein Noodles
Lo Mein noodles are pretty common at specialty stores like Whole Foods or at any Asian market. These days though you might be able to find that literally any grocery store in the Asian section. I think they cook up perfectly and they’re good cold also which is nice.
In a pinch though, you can use spaghetti honestly. That would be a totally bachelor thing I would’ve done 10 years ago and been pretty happy with!
Cook the noodles (spaghetti or lo mein) according to the package. It should only take a few minutes. Then drain the noodles and rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking. You definitely don’t want to overcook these guys because you need to simmer them in the sauce later.
Cooking the Chicken and Shrooms
You need to pre-cook the chicken and mushrooms quickly. Then you can easily combine everything all at once with the sauce. Add your canola oil to a large wok or skillet over very high heat. Once the oil is hot add the diced chicken and stir. Cook it until it’s done, probably about 5 minutes.
Set your chicken aside and add your mushrooms to the hot pan. If your pan is dry, add another tablespoon of oil. Cook these for a minute or two until they’re starting to wilt, but not soggy at all.
Then you can toss the chicken back in to combine everything!
Everything Together
So the noodles are done, the chicken and mushrooms are cooked, and the sauce is, well, sitting there. So let’s put it all together.
In the same pan you’ve been using to cook the chicken and mushrooms, add the sauce over high heat. It’ll simmer almost immediately. Let the sauce reduce down for about a minute and then add all the noodles. Stir everything together.
Finally, add the chopped scallions and give everything a final stir. The sauce should be pretty thick at this point and coating everything evenly.
You’re done! You can eat now.
Of course, the real bachelor thing to do would be to eat this out of the pan, but I decided to plate it up all pretty. Just for you guys.
To be quite honest, this was delicious. I’d put it up against any random chinese take-out place any day of the week. That doesn’t mean that’s it’s the best lo mein I’ve ever had, but it was top five probably and it’s SO easy to throw together.
Start to finish this was probably a 30 minute meal and it can feed you for multiple meals!
This chicken and mushroom lo mein is worth a shot for sure whether you are making it for a family or just solo!
Chicken and Mushroom Lo Mein
Equipment
- 1 Wok
Ingredients
- 13 ounces lo mein noodles
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken, diced
- ½ pound cremini mushrooms, sliced thin
- 6 scallions, diced (mince the greens for a garnish)
- 2 Tablespoons canola or other neutral oil
Sauce:
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and grated or minced
- 4 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- ¼ cup hot water
Garnishes: (Optional)
- Soy sauce
- Scallion greens
- Chopped peanuts
- Chili sauce
Instructions
- Mince the garlic and gingers and whisk with all the other sauce ingredients.
- Slice the mushrooms and scallions thinly. Dice the chicken into small pieces.
- Cook the noodles (lo mein) according to instructions on package and then drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
- Add Canola oil to a hot pan (wok or large skillet). Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and cook until done (about 5 minutes). Remove the chicken and add the sliced mushrooms to the pan. Add another tablespoon of oil if the pan is dry. Cook the mushrooms for a minute or two until they are slightly soft, but not soggy.
- Toss chicken and mushrooms together in the skillet and add all the sauce. It should come to a simmer almost immediately. Reduce for a minute or two.
- Add noodles to the mix and toss everything together. Cook for another 30 seconds. Add diced scallions and toss to coat.
- Serve immediately with chili sauce, diced scallion greens, chopped peanuts and extra soy sauce.
Melissa
This recipe really appeals to me for its kid-friendliness. I'm going to try it on my three hungry kids tonight. Thanks!
Niki
This looks amazing! Definitely will be making soon!!
kitty
used "print this" for the first time and am LOVING that feature. Thanks!
Nick
YES! Glad you like it :)
vanillasugar
where you found the energy to make this in this heat is beyond me, but it looks amazing nonetheless.
Nick
Lots of cold beer. :)
Erin
It's probably not every day that a girl comments on your blog to tell you that she dreamed of you the previous night. Awkward? Yeah, me too. Technically, I dreamed of a blog post. As part of the changes you're making to your site, you had a new post to announce that you were doing away with pictures of your food. Forever. I was devastated. Hopefully I'm not psychic. Besides the awesome recipes you provide, the pictures are really the deciding factor for recipes I choose to cook. I mean, if it looks that amazing, it most certainly is amazing. :)
Melly
I made this last night — so good!
Julie
I FINALLY got a free night to make this and it was great! Thanks for the recipe.
Rabbittrick
The light soy sauce you used in this dish works wonders, but for a meatier, headier flavour, try with dark soy sauce! Chinese supermarkets should have both. The light one is ultra salty whilst the dark has a hint of sweetness to it. Packs quite a punch with a simple meal such as this.
Mrs. C
I made this yesterday and since I haven’t found the right noodles yet I totally went with spaghetti. Husband said it was a keeper. I think this recipe will stick around with us. Thank you. Love the blog.
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Elastic man
I love Nick’s recipe