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20-Min Chicken Teriyaki Lo Mein Recipe
Teriyaki Chicken Lo Mein brings together two flavors I’ve always loved: classic Chinese lo mein noodles and the sweet, glossy richness of Japanese-style teriyaki.
Lo mein has always been one of my favorite comfort dishes — soft, chewy egg noodles tossed with stir-fried ingredients and sauce. And teriyaki? I love that balance of sweet and savory with that beautiful shine.
So I thought — why not combine them?
This dish keeps the traditional Chinese stir-fry technique but uses a teriyaki-style sauce to coat the noodles. The result is tender, velvety chicken, crisp vegetables, and glossy noodles ready in just 20 minutes.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
What Is Lo Mein?
Lo mein (撈麵) means “tossed noodles” in Cantonese. The noodles are boiled first, then stir-fried with sauce and other ingredients. Unlike chow mein, lo mein noodles stay soft and absorb the sauce instead of becoming crispy.
Traditional lo mein uses Chinese egg noodles, which are slightly chewy and perfect for soaking up flavor.
What Is Teriyaki?
Teriyaki is a Japanese cooking technique, not just a bottled sauce.
The word comes from:
• Teri (照り) meaning shine or glaze
• Yaki (焼き) meaning grilled or cooked
Classic teriyaki sauce is made with soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar. When cooked, it reduces into a glossy glaze that coats the protein.
In this recipe, we use that same sweet-savory balance, but instead of glazing grilled meat, we toss it with noodles in a stir-fry.
That’s the fun fusion part.
Ingredient Highlights
Lo mein noodles
Traditional Chinese egg noodles are ideal. Cook them just until al dente so they finish cooking in the wok without becoming soft.
The velveting marinade
Salt, soy sauce, starch, and oil create that classic silky texture for the chicken.
Mirin and sake
These give the sauce its subtle sweetness and depth. If needed, you can substitute water, but the flavor will be slightly lighter.
Dark soy sauce
Adds color and richness without making the dish overly salty.
Step-by-Step: Let’s Cook
Step 1: Marinate the Chicken
In a bowl, add the chicken and sprinkle with salt first. Mix until the chicken absorbs the salt and becomes slightly tacky.
Why this matters: Salt improves moisture retention and helps the chicken stay juicy.
Add white pepper, soy sauce, and dark soy sauce and mix well.
In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water to form a slurry, then mix it into the chicken.
Why this matters: The starch helps “velvet” the chicken so it stays tender during high-heat cooking.
Add cooking oil and mix again to seal in moisture. Let the chicken marinate while you prepare the other ingredients.
Step 2: Prepare the Vegetables and Sauce
Slice the onion, shred the carrot, slice the cabbage, cut the scallions, and mince the garlic.
In a bowl, whisk together soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sake, mirin, brown sugar, and chicken stock until combined.
Step 3: Cook the Noodles
In a pot over high heat, bring water to a boil. Add the lo mein noodles and cook for about 3 minutes until just al dente.
Transfer to cold water to stop the cooking, then drain well.
Why this matters: Slightly undercooking the noodles prevents them from turning mushy when stir-fried.
Step 4: Stir-Fry the Chicken
In a wok over high heat, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil.
Add the marinated chicken and spread it out. Stir-fry for about 3 minutes until fully cooked.
Add the garlic and stir-fry for about 10 seconds until fragrant. Remove and set aside.
Step 5: Stir-Fry the Vegetables
In the same wok over high heat, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil.
Add the onion, carrot, and cabbage, and stir-fry for about 1 minute until slightly softened but still crisp. Remove and set aside.
Step 6: Bring Everything Together
In the wok over high heat, add the remaining tablespoon of cooking oil.
Add the noodles and stir-fry until heated through.
Return the chicken and vegetables to the wok and pour in the teriyaki sauce.
Stir-fry for about 1 minute, allowing the noodles to absorb the sauce and turn glossy.
Add the scallions and give everything a final toss.
Serve immediately.
Savory, slightly sweet, glossy noodles with tender chicken in every bite.
20-Min Chicken Teriyaki Lo Mein Recipe
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 1 pound chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of white pepper
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
For the teriyaki sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons sake, or water
- 3 tablespoons mirin, or water
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
For the stir-fry
- 16 ounces lo mein noodles
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil, separated, high-smoking-point
- 1/2 medium onion, sliced
- 1/2 medium carrot, shredded
- 1 cup cabbage, sliced
- 3 stalks scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces
Instructions
- To marinate the chicken, in a bowl, add the chicken and sprinkle with salt. Mix until the chicken absorbs the salt and becomes slightly tacky. Add the white pepper, soy sauce, and dark soy sauce and mix well. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water to form a slurry, then mix it into the chicken. Add the cooking oil and mix again to seal in moisture. Let the chicken marinate while preparing the other ingredients.
- To prepare the vegetables and sauce, slice the onion, shred the carrot, slice the cabbage, cut the scallions, and mince the garlic. In a bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sake, mirin, brown sugar, and chicken stock until combined.
- To cook the noodles, in a pot over high heat, bring water to a boil. Add the lo mein noodles and cook for about 3 minutes until just al dente. Transfer to cold water to stop the cooking, then drain well.
- To stir-fry the chicken, in a wok over high heat, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Add the marinated chicken and stir-fry for about 3 minutes until fully cooked. Add the garlic and stir-fry for about 10 seconds until fragrant. Remove and set aside.
- To stir-fry the vegetables, in the same wok over high heat, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Add the onion, carrot, and cabbage and stir-fry for about 1 minute until slightly softened. Remove and set aside.
- To make the teriyaki chicken lo mein, in the wok over high heat, add the remaining tablespoon of cooking oil. Add the noodles and stir-fry until heated through. Return the chicken and vegetables to the wok and pour in the teriyaki sauce. Stir-fry for about 1 minute, allowing the noodles to absorb the sauce. Lastly, add the scallions and give everything a final toss before serving immediately.
Video
Notes
- Add salt first when marinating: This helps the chicken retain moisture and stay tender during stir-frying.
- Time-saving tip: Pre-shredded cabbage and carrots are a great shortcut when you need dinner on the table fast.
- Make ahead: Mix the sauce in advance and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Don’t overcook the noodles: Cooking them just until al dente prevents mushy lo mein after stir-frying.
- High heat is key: Keep the wok over high heat to avoid steaming and to get that classic lo mein texture.
Easy and yummy
Hi Jim, thank you so much for the 5-star rating! I truly appreciate your support.