One Pot Chicken Lo Mein Recipe – Uncooked pasta, chicken, veggies, broth, and Asian seasonings are simmered together in a pot for an easy dinner recipe.
One pot meals are so cool! You can simmer uncooked pasta, with some broth and veggies, and it will create an almost creamy sauce. This is my one pot version of chicken lo mein.
I guess it isn’t technically lo mein since I used linguini instead of traditional lo mein noodles, which contain egg. But, it’s close. Pasta tends to cook up better in one pot recipes than traditional lo mein noodles.
Using pasta also means that all of the ingredients in this dish are things that many people keep on hand in their pantry or refrigerator.
How to make Chicken Lo Mein
*Note: The full printable recipe card is at the bottom of this post.
- Add uncooked chunks of chicken breast to a large pot.
- Top with uncooked linguini or fettuccini pasta.
- Then, top with carrots, bell pepper, green onions, garlic, soy sauce, garlic powder, corn starch, sugar, red pepper flakes, chicken broth, and olive oil.
- Cover it and bring the liquid to a boil.
- Then, stir and reduce to a simmer.
- Cook covered for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Cook until most of the liquid is gone and the chicken is cooked through.
You could change this up by adding just about any vegetables that you like. Also, this could easily be made into a vegetarian dish by using vegetable broth and leaving out the chicken.
Check out these other great One Pot Pasta Recipes.
- One Pot Cajun Chicken Alfredo
- One Pot Southwest Pasta
- One Pot Pasta Con Broccoli
- One Pot Pasta from Southern Living
Watch the step by step recipe video for One Pot Chicken Lo Mein below.
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One Pot Chicken Lo Mein Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast -cut into small chunks
- 1 lb. box linguini or fettuccini pasta -broken in half (I used whole wheat)
- 4 medium carrots -peeled and cut in thin 3 inch long strips
- 1 medium red bell pepper -cut in thin 3 inch long strips
- 1 bunch green onions -white part sliced and green part cut in 3 inch long strips
- 4 cloves garlic -minced
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Add the chicken, then the pasta, then the remaining ingredients to a large stockpot and cover. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Stir and reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Cook covered for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook until most of the liquid is gone and the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove the lid and let the dish rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Check out all of my great chicken recipes.
THANK YOU! I found your recipe on Pinterest and have made it several times. I have a 3 year old and 5 year old and they gobble it up. I leave out the red pepper flakes because of the kids and my husband and I use siracha to spice up our own bowls. I added 1 cup of torn kale pieces (stems removed) and it was so good that I’d probably add 2 cups next time. To save chopping time, I also like to use pre-shredded carrots. I add them the last 5 minutes of cooking time so they don’t get too soft. Thank you for a great recipe that is in our regular dinner rotation!
Claire,
I would have never thought to add kale. That sounds wonderful! I’m so happy to hear that you and your family enjoy this recipe. Thank you!
Hi, Amanda. As of March 21, I had not chosen a menu for March 23, a day that I am hosting dinner for 20. I was drawn to your one pot wonder at first glance. Although I very much enjoy entertaining, I am not a “cook.” I hope you can reply before I grocery shop for this recipe. The only hesitation I have is that it does not seem to be a make-ahead dish and should be served soon after cooking. I believe I would be too nervous preparing it while my guests are present. Put pot in oven on low heat after cooking? Please help. Thank you
Paulette,
Sorry I didn’t see this yesterday. I often take Saturdays off and avoid my inbox for one day.
This dish is definitely best as soon as it is made. But, I think it would still be good if you kept it warm in a low oven for a little while. I think the veggies and pasta would probably continue to cook a little bit making them a little softer. But the flavor should still be good.
Cooking for a crowd is always a challenge, even for an experienced cook. Good luck with whatever you decide to make. Have fun at your party!
I made this tonight and loved it! I accidentally thawed dark meat chicken instead of the chicken breast but it still turned out really good! My husband suggested maybe adding sprouts but otherwise my family enjoyed it. It really is super easy and tastes good. Thanks for the recipe!
Yum, sprouts would be a nice addition. I would probably add them at the end so they keep their crunch and give the dish a nice texture. I’m glad you liked the recipe. Thank you!
So good! Made this tonight according to directions but doubled the chicken, added half a head of shredded cabbage and one sweet onion cut into strips. I also used stir fry sauce in lieu of soy sauce. Left out the 1/4 cup of water after reading reviews. My husband loved it, great way to get in a lot of veggies!
Suzanne,
I love the idea of adding shredded cabbage. I’m so glad you and your husband liked it! Thank you!
I’ve been trying to cut back on using oil. Can oil be omitted or replaced with something healthier?
Jen,
Personally, I would not cut the extra virgin olive oil out of this dish for three reasons.
1. There are only 2 tsp. of oil being divided among 6 servings. So, the amount of fat in each serving is already pretty low.
2. There are lots of healthy vitamins and minerals in this dish. Some of the vitamins (A, D, E, and K) are fat-soluble. This means that they require some fat to be properly absorbed into the body.
3. Extra virgin olive oil is primarily monounsaturated fat, which is considered a “healthy fat”.
Having said that, if you still feel like you want to cut the oil out of this recipe, I think it would turn out the same. The oil helps keep the pasta from sticking together. So, if you cut the oil, you will want to stir it more often to try to keep the pasta from sticking. I would try stirring it every 2 minutes or so. Hope this helps.
I made this tonight and we LOVED it (and we are extremely picky eaters). I was worried there wouldn’t be much flavor because of some posts, but it was packed with flavor and we loved the heat of the red pepper flakes. We added broccoli & mushrooms and left out the fresh red pepper. I increased the chicken and decreased the noodles. I was left with about 1.5 too many cups of broth, so I drained most of it and turned up the heat to get rid of the the rest. No problem. Next time I will probably add the chicken later in the cooking time or maybe not put it on the bottom as it cooked too much for me and was a little dry. Thanks for a great recipe I will use for years to come!
Hilde,
I agree. If you cut back on the noodles, you would also want to cut back on the broth. I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you!
I always try to comment when I make a recipe from a blog. My husband made this a while back and we loved it! Everything was cooked perfectly. It was our first experience with a one pot wonder and we were really amazed. Tonight I made the italian one pot wonder that’s all over Pinterest and it was really good but I still love this one best and will make many more times!
Torrey,
Thanks! I’m so glad you’re having a good experience with one pot wonder cooking. You might want to try my two other one pot wonders, pasta con broccoli and southwest pasta.
This recipe was terrible!!! Sorry to say cuz we were really looking forward to it being easy and delicious!! I doubled the recipe, omitted the water like everyone suggested and it was a soupy, sticky, gooey mess!! I threw the entire pot out. The veggies were so mushy they fell apart. It looked absolutely nothing like the pics shown.
Amy,
I’m sorry that you had a bad experience. I’m not sure why your lo mein looked nothing like the pictures shown in this blog post. You may be interested in seeing the new YouTube video that I just posted to this page. The video shows exactly what the lo mein should look like through the entire cooking process.
I found this recipe after my daughter requested chicken lo mein. She loved it and requested it again. My whole family said that it is one of their favorites! I considered reducing the liquid, but my husband and daughter said they like it just the way it is. Thanks for sharing!
That’s great Shannon. I’m so happy your family likes this easy dish. Thank you!
I’ve made this twice, it’s great. If you take the lid of the pot at the end and bring it to a roaring boil the liquid quickly evaporates and soaks in to the chicken and pasta. I leave the red pepper and red pepper flakes out and let everyone add the spice to their preference. I made it the first time with chicken broth and the second with vegetable broth. I preferred the chicken broth it gave it a richer flavor.
Franki,
I’m so glad you enjoy this recipe. Thanks!
I was wondering if you could use beef with this? And beef broth? Also for a cornstarch substitute could you use tapioca? Wanting to try it tonight but realizing I’m missing a few ingredients!
Went ahead with my plan and it was AMAZING! I didn’t have a lot of fresh veggies other than squash and celery, so I diced that up and threw in the pot with whole wheat pasta, beef, a frozen bag of stir fry veggies and the other ingredients substituting one tablespoon of EVOO for sesame oil and it was delicious! Can’t wait to make again along with trying your other one pot wonders! Thank you for sharing!
Kendra,
I’m so glad the beef and tapioca worked out. You just gave me an idea for another one pot wonder 🙂 Thanks! What cut of beef did you use?
Also, I love the idea of using frozen stir fry veggies. That would really make this dish come together quickly.
If i dont have corn starch what can i substitute?
Victoria,
You could substitute some all-purpose flour for the cornstarch with a couple of other alterations. Flour doesn’t have exactly the same thickening capabilities as cornstarch. So, you will need to use a little more flour. Also, flour is more likely to become lumpy in a sauce if not well combined before the sauce is heated.
Here is what I would do. Use 1 tablespoon of flour (compared to the 1 tsp. in the recipe). In a small bowl, whisk the flour with 1 cup of the chicken broth until dissolved. Then add this mixture to the pot with the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil as the recipe states.
Hope this works out for you.
Made this last night. Didn’t read comments first and would have benefitted from leaving out the water. I doubled the chicken to a pound and will use even more chicken next time. My family loved it. I loved the one pot clean up.
Karen,
I’m so glad that your family liked it!
Yes, there have been a few comments about leaving out the water due to the consistency of the final dish being a little soupy. Due to these comments, I will be updating the recipe and providing an instructional youtube video within the next couple of days. Thanks for your feedback.
I have to say I tried this and it turned out terrible! The only change I made to the recipe was to use a Shandong style noodle, which I thought would be a little more authentic and I had it on hand. They are made of wheat as well. The end result was a dish SMOTHERED in a gravy like sauce, noodles that were stuck in clumps, and the flavor was pretty terrible as well, salty and nothing Asian about it. Sorry, but not impressed.
Jacqui,
I often get questions about making substitutions in this recipe. You know, would it work if I change this or that. I will keep Shandong noodles on the list of things that do not work. Good to know.
Wow, you sound a little bitter and angry. It’s a recipe, not a blueprint for life. : )
I am trying this tonight (inspite of your 5 or 6 derailing words when just 1 would suffice, lol). I AM using dried authentic Udon noodles, bok choy, leek, baby Asian corn, water chestnuts, red bell pepper, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, Chinese 5 spice, sesame oil, bean sprouts and shrimp with BBQ pork. I’ll report back, but sometimes you can just see and taste it all coming together.
Thanks for suggesting a very cool recipe. : ) found it on Pinterst!
This is very tasty although it could use a bit more seasoning for my taste. I would also reduce the liquid a LOT next time, as it came out more like a soup. But it was quick and easy and used things I have in my pantry already. Thanks!
I was wondering about the calories. Is it for the whole dish or per serving?
Hi Summer. The calories/nutrition info is for one serving (1/6 of the whole dish). Hope you enjoy it!
I made this for my two daughters and I tonight. I called it “fancy Chinese noodles” for them. Such a GREAT dish! My 8-year-old (who never raves about the food I make) said “mom, this is definitely your best homemade meal ever.” Music to a mommy’s ears :-). Thank you so much for the delicious and EASY recipe.
Came across your recipe on Pinterest!! I am cooking this as I type!!
Mine is on the stove right now. I added the sesame oil like someone suggested, some broccoli, and mushrooms. It smells soooooo good! Thanks again!
Keep the One Pot Wonder recipes coming! I, too, tried the tomato basil one and we loved it! I was psyched when I saw this one, and have now marked all of your OPW’s to try in the very near future. (Tonight we will have this one!)
Thanks so much!
This was pretty good- it was watery even without adding the water to the recipe. I drained off some of the liquid. I also added fresh cilantro to each dish as served!!