As fate would have it, lo mein is actually one of the first non-dessert recipes I made for the blog, and it all began with a recipe on the back of a box of noodles. I'm most certain there are plenty of other varieties, but I've grown rather fond of this recipe so I'm sharing it again, slightly revamped from my post over 6 years ago (Have I really been doing this that long?!). Hopefully my photo skills have had some improvement since then, too.
There isn't much I can call this dish other than easy. It is a simple, anybody-can-do-it and have dinner at home kind of thing. I know some folks that love eating out, but though I like it on occasion, I did enough traveling the past few years to appreciate two things: (1) a nice home-cooked meal and (2) knowing exactly what went into my meal. Do you know many incredibly bland dishes are being served every day? And sometimes, when I learn the quantities of butter, salt, or sometimes just plain odd ingredients went into a dish, I feel my taste buds shriveling up.
And on the simplistic point, this dish is just that. While it does contain store-bought teriyaki sauce, beyond that it is mostly noodles, chicken, veggies, and broth. The sauce can be customized as desired, with rice wine vinegar and ginger adding some tasty touches.
I started out by cooking some sliced chicken that was seasoned with salt and pepper in a pan for 5-7 minutes. Once that was done, I removed it from the pan and set it aside. Then, I took spaghetti to a whole new level, breaking it into pieces and lightly pan frying it in some oil until it browned slightly. For the processed food cooks, this is the equivalent of browning the vermicelli for a box of rice.
I only cooked the pasta for a few minutes, as it browned quickly, then added in some bouillon and water (broth can be used), soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, crushed red pepper, sriracha, garlic, and some chopped onion and sweet pepper. The veggies can be modified to include many different things, from bok choy to mushrooms. As long as it isn't a super flavorful veggie, it should fit in fine.
I heat it to a simmer, then lowered the heat and let it cook for about 15 minutes, stirring every now and again.
And that's it.
You read that right folks, that's all she wrote.
So just like that, I had dinner ready to go. And to think, I was almost too tired to cook. I'm not kidding, either; my alternative was a frozen burrito (Don't judge me; those Red's Burritos are next level good). But thanks to perseverance and food cravings, I realized I was lacking some homemade goodness and it was about time to remake this recipe. I will say, my drive to innovate in the kitchen can occasionally lead to overlooking some of the gems. I''m glad I looked back this time, because a good dinner was had.
Chicken Lo Mein Recipe
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 box thin spaghetti, uncooked
2 tablespoons avocado oil
1 sweet pepper, chopped into strips
1/2 onion, sliced thin
2 chicken bouillon cubes
4 cups water
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon sriracha
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons minced garlic (1-2 garlic cloves)
Instructions:
Slice chicken into thin strips and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat until fully cooked then remove from pan. Break spaghetti into pieces about 2 inches long, then place in skillet with remaining oil and cook for 2-3 minutes, gently tossing frequently until pasta is browned. Add sweet pepper, onion, chicken bouillon, water, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, garlic, sriracha, and crushed red pepper and stir. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium low and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Return chicken to pan for the last 3 minutes.
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