Chicken Lo Mein

Chicken Lo Mein

from cooking.nytimes.com
60 min
4 servings

Chinese lo mein (“stirred noodles”) is beloved for its fun combination of egg noodles, veggies and protein tossed in a sweet and savory sauce. Making this popular takeout dish at home is a fantastic way to use up leftovers, as this dish is completely customizable depending on what’s available in the fridge. (No napa cabbage? Use green or purple!) Here, skinless boneless chicken thighs are thinly sliced for quick-cooking meat that remains juicy and tender. The rich sauce comes together in a flash and can easily be doubled for another stir-fry later on in the week. Go light on seasoning the veggies, since the sauce does bring a good amount of salt to the final dish.

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces fresh (refrigerated) or frozen lo mein noodles
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil or vegetable oil, plus extra for drizzling noodles
  • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon turbinado or granulated sugar
  • 3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, thinly sliced (about ¼-inch thick) into bite-size pieces
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • ½ small head napa cabbage, cored and shredded (about 3½ cups)
  • 1 small carrot, cut into matchsticks
  • 1 cup thinly sliced snow peas
  • 1 1/2 cups mung bean sprouts
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions, plus more for garnish

Directions

  1. 1

    In a large pot of boiling water, cook noodles according to package instructions until al dente. Transfer to a colander and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well. If noodles are sticky, drizzle them with a little neutral oil and toss to prevent sticking.

  2. 2

    While the water comes to a boil, prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk to combine the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar, wine, sesame oil and sugar.

  3. 3

    In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil over medium-high. Add chicken, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is just cooked through, 5 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of the garlic and 1 teaspoon of the ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate. 

  4. 4

    Add the remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil to the skillet, plus the cabbage, carrots and snow peas; lightly season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 minutes. Add the remaining garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds. 

  5. 5

    Add chicken, bean sprouts, cooked noodles and sauce, and cook, tossing with tongs, until mixture is well combined and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add scallions and toss to combine.

  6. 6

    Serve warm and top with more scallions.