Chicken Lo Mein on a Rainy Night
My son goes through phases. Well, we all do, I guess. Currently he is going through a Lo Mein phase. His favorite being chicken Lo Mein. A few take out versions later, I have come up with my own version. This is a great balanced one skillet meal. In addition to deeper flavor, it is veggie loaded. I am so thrilled with this version that despite the late hour I am writing it out.
The Story Behind the Lo Mein
The last couple of weeks, I have been making loads of chickpeas. The result is this recipe. I needed to refine this a few times for a class. The need to refine and retest never leaves me. This is what results in my well-tested go to recipes. The week had been busy as usual. Work (the day job) has had its ups and downs. On days such as this, the kitchen offers me solace. Especially when trying to nail a recipe for one of the kids. And today, it ends up being this chicken Lo Mein.
What Exactly is Lo Mein?
Typically Lo Mein, refers to some kind of tossed noodles. The work Mein is the Chinese word for noodles. Also can be pronounced as Mian. The most common variety of noodles used in this dish are simple egg noodles. I have tried them with healthier soba noodles as well. I also have an Instant Pot Lo Mein Version if you are looking for one. Go a little easy on the amount of noodles.
Why is this recipe so good!
My version of Lo Mein spicy gingery notes. It is a comforting toss of noodles with some chicken and assorted vegetables. Lots of vegetables. So, it is perfect for a fridge clean out operation. Carrots, Mushrooms, snow peas all work well in this recipe. It is brilliant for that weekend kind of clear out meal. And there are really five seasoning ingredients – ginger, garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce and sesame oil.
Now, the chicken has something very different going on. Not something that I have ever tried before. In perusing Bee’s blog, she talks about soaking the chicken in baking soda. This baking soda marinade results in a very silky textured chicken. I tried this and I love this silky textured exfoliated chicken.
How to enjoy your Lo Mein
The best part of Lo Mein is that is it a complete meal. So, enjoy it as it.
A recipe for Chicken Lo Mein with a tip for softening the chicken
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 11/2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ pound of boneless skinless chicken, cubed
- For the noodles
- For the Lo Mein Sauce
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup of mixed vegetables ( I used thinly sliced carrots, peppers and snow peas)
- 7 to 8 shitake mushrooms, sliced
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sriracha sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 cups cooked noodles (preferably the thick variety, sold as lo Mein noodles)
Instructions
- Soak the chicken in the water and baking soda for about 20 minutes, wash the chicken thoroughly and drain and dry.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil.
- Toss the chicken in 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and add the chicken to the oil and cook stirring the chicken until it is well browned and cooked through.
- Heat the remaining oil and add in the ginger and garlic. Add in the vegetables and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add to the soy sauce, hoisin sauce and the sesame oil.
- Stir in the noodles and toss well to coat and cook through.
- Serve immediately.