Skip takeout and make a delicious version of chicken lo mein at home! Let the chicken simmer away in the crockpot, then just add veggies and pasta!
While not quite “takeout-style”, this chicken lo mein is delicious and SO easy!
I’ve been dying to share this recipe with you all for a while now… but with my time off through the holidays, it’s been sitting in my drafts folder… until today! We’re big Chinese takeout fans here in The Chunky Chef house, and lo mein is always a favorite. I’ve been on the hunt for a perfect copycat of that classic takeout flavor, and I’m still working on that one, but this version is amazing in it’s own way.
Beautifully savory and sweet with a little kick from the sambal oelek and sriracha, this chicken lo mein is every bit as tasty as it is easy to make.
WHAT KIND OF SAUCE IS USED IN LO MEIN?
Traditionally lo mein sauce is made of soy sauce and sesame oil with some other seasonings (like garlic, ginger, and oyster sauce). For my version I use a combination of light and dark soy sauces to deepen the umami flavor, and some chile paste and sriracha to spice things up a bit.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LO MEIN AND CHOW MEIN?
Lo mein is made using soft and slightly chewy noodles, which are tossed in a sauce, whereas chow mein is made using slightly thinner noodles that are stir fried until slightly crispy. Both are delicious, it comes down to which texture of noodle you’d prefer!
WHAT NOODLES ARE USED IN LO MEIN?
Chinese egg noodles are the traditional variety used, and what I used here. Ideally, fresh noodles are used, but I found those to be hard to find here, so I used a dried variety. In a pinch, spaghetti or other long cuts of pasta can be used, as can dried ramen noodles. Not authentic, but still tasty!
WHAT OTHER PROTEINS CAN YOU ADD TO LO MEIN?
- Pork – thinly slice pork tenderloin or pork chops and cook 1-2 minutes per side.
- Beef – thinly slice flank steak (against the grain, click here for a description of how), and cook 1 minute per side.
- Shrimp – cook shrimp until almost done (as they’ll keep cooking after you add them back to the dish).
WHY COOK LO MEIN IN THE CROCKPOT?
I know, I know… chicken lo mein is basically a stir fry, which comes together super quickly right? There are two main reasons I love using the slow cooker for this meal. The chicken cooks IN the sauce, which makes it SUPER flavorful, and it’s perfect for those who are coming home after working a hard day and even the thought of a stir fry is too much. All you have to do is boil the noodles (which can be done ahead of time), and add the veggies to the crockpot for 15 minutes.
PRO TIPS FOR MAKING CHICKEN LO MEIN IN THE CROCKPOT:
- Use chicken thighs if possible. Chicken thighs are notoriously juicier than chicken breasts and are much harder to overcook.
- Add any vegetables you like. I chose to go with broccoli, carrots, water chestnuts, bell pepper, and snow peas, but sliced cabbage, bean sprouts, zucchini and sliced onions are also great addition.
OTHER GREAT ASIAN-INSPIRED RECIPES:
- Takeout Style Beef and Broccoli
- Sesame Garlic Beef Stir Fry
- Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef
- Spicy Thai Noodles
- Spicy Peanut Tofu Stir Fry
- Copycat Cashew Chicken
- Homemade Crab Rangoons
SHOP THE RECIPE:
- Crockpot – I use this slow cooker all the time and it always performs beautifully!
- Lo Mein Noodles – this is the dried variety I used.
- Light Soy Sauce – the flavor of this soy sauce is SO much better than soy sauces from large grocery stores.
- Dark Soy Sauce – amazingly rich and powerful, this dark soy sauce brings recipes one step closer to being authentic.
- Sesame Oil – my favorite sesame oil!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
SAUCE
- 1/3 cup light soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste)
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- drizzle of sriracha sauce
LO MEIN
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 cup snow peas
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 5 oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained
- 1 lb. dried lo mein noodles
- sesame seeds, for garnish
- sliced green onions, for garnish
Instructions
- Add chicken thighs to bottom of slow cooker insert. Whisk together sauce ingredients and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours, or HIGH for 3-4 hours.
- Remove chicken from slow cooker, shred, then add back to slow cooker with juice and sauce.
- Add broccoli, snow peas, carrots, bell pepper and water chestnuts, and stir. Cover and cook on HIGH for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
- While vegetables are cooking, boil and drain pasta per package directions, then add to crockpot with chicken and vegetables. Stir well, then serve with garnishes, if desired.
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Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Michelle says
Hi! I made this for dinner and the flavor was DELISH! It was more soupy than saucy, though. I went back and double checked the recipe and I didn’t miss an ingredient or add too much of any of the liquids… any idea how to avoid this in the future? I could always just add a cornstarch slurry while I shred the chicken. Either way flavor was excellent and I will be making it again, just need to thicken the sauce.
The Chunky Chef says
That’s the unfortunate by-product of cooking things in the slow cooker, they tend to be more liquid-y than usual. I would do the slurry, and it should thicken up nicely. You could also transfer the slow cooker contents to a skillet and cook to thicken it.
Dorothy says
Hi Amanda, I made this for dinner tonight. I tasted it before dinner and thought it was great. My husband thought it was a little dry. Any suggestions there? Anyway, we’ll be eating dinner in about an hour. I thought it was perfect the way it was but you gotta please hubby too.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Dorothy 🙂 You can always make a little extra of the sauce and stir it into his portion.
Becky says
We love Lo Mein I cook for my mother and sister also. We don’t do spicy. What else can I add instead of chili and hot sauce.
The Chunky Chef says
I would just omit them 🙂
MeliB says
Very delicious. I love a stir-fry but this was so much easier. I only had dark soy so I used that and it was a little too salty so I added some water and thickened up the sauce. Used this exact combo of veggies because I had them all. Will make again for sure but will get low sodium soy
patty says
dishes look delicious. this may be my favorite website. thank you
patty says
if using pork cook the same way as the chicken
Barb says
Quite good. I doubled the sauce is the only thing I changed. It was a little spicy.
Hope says
Made this for the family over the weekend. It was soooo good! My husband and I loved it but it was a little too spicy for our kids. Next time I make it I will only put in half the amount of chili paste. It was actually better than takeout and had my husband asked me to make it the next week so he could take for lunches.