15 Minute Sesame Garlic Chicken Lo Mein. Saucy, Chinese-inspired lo mein noodles stir-fried with end-of-summer vegetables, chicken, and a spicy-sweet garlic hoisin sauce. Mix up the sauce, cook the chicken and veggies, toss in the noodles, and pour everything together — dinner done! Quick, flavorful, and an easy one-pan meal everyone will love.

I know I talk a lot about childhood food memories, but honestly, those simple dishes are still some of my favorites. My dad was (and still is) a very uncomplicated cook. He’s not the type to run out to the store for one missing ingredient — no way. Instead, he just works with whatever’s in the fridge.

One thing he’s mastered is a good family chicken stir fry. This time of year, he’d make it at least once a week with whatever was flourishing in his garden — bell peppers, broccoli, fresh basil. It was simple, colorful, and always so delicious. Dad always served his stir fry over rice, but I’ve swapped in lo mein noodles here…and honestly, I think they’re even better. My mom agrees — she loves a good noodle!

Here are the details (you’ll love how fast this is!)

Ingredients

• Lo Mein or spaghetti noodles
• tamari – or use soy sauce
• hoisin sauce
• toasted sesame oil
• ground chicken
• garlic
• chili flakes
• a big bowl of stir-fry vegetables – zucchini/bell peppers/broccoli/carrot
• toasted sesame seeds
• fresh basil and sliced green onions

Special Tools

You need a big skillet for these noodles.

Steps

Step 1: Cook the noodles

Cook the noodles according to the package directions, as each brand will vary a little. I usually boil mine just like spaghetti — and honestly, spaghetti works here too if that’s what you have!

Step 2: Make the sauce

While the noodles are cooking, mix together the tamari, hoisin sauce, and toasted sesame oil. Add a splash of water to thin it out. That’s it — nothing fancy!

Sometimes I like to mix up my own hoisin sauce using tamari, honey, garlic, rice vinegar, sesame oil, white miso paste, Chinese five-spice, and black pepper. If you feel like going the extra step, it’s so flavorful.

Step 3: Cook the chicken and vegetables

In a large skillet, cook the chicken with garlic, chili flakes, and butter until browned. Add in your veggies — use whatever you love most. I went with shaved zucchini and red bell peppers. Cook until the chicken is fully done and the vegetables have softened.

Step 4: Toss it all together

Pour the sauce over the chicken and veggies, then add the noodles. Toss everything together and cook for just a couple of minutes until the sauce coats the noodles, chicken, and vegetables. Be careful not to overcook — this part happens fast!

Serve the lo mein in bowls topped with lots of toasted sesame seeds, fresh basil, and green onions.

This whole dish comes together in about 15–20 minutes, depending on how much chopping you need to do. Using ground chicken makes it even quicker, and, in my opinion, yummier too since the sauce coats every bite. So simple, so delicious. A great weeknight dinner for back-to-school season!

Looking for other quick noodle recipes? Try these:

30 Minute Creamy Turmeric Chicken and Noodles

Saucy Garlic Butter Shrimp with Coconut Milk and Rice Noodles

Dan Dan Noodles

20 Minute Red Curry Basil Garlic Oil Noodles

20 Minute Korean Beef Sesame Noodles

Lastly, if you make these 15 Minute Sesame Garlic Chicken Lo Mein, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Our 45 Most Popular Back-to-School Recipes and Bake Sale Treats that will win everyone over No matter what you’re up to this month or next, everyone is heading back to school and back to work. Today I’m sharing some of our most loved easy dinners and effortless desserts perfect for this busy, exciting time of year. Below you’ll find everything from effortless muffins to bake for an on-the-go breakfast, 30-minute meals, crockpot dinners the whole family loves, and some of our most baked-up, bake-sale treats (peanut bars and homemade rice krispie treats!). They’re all so good!

It’s so odd to me how much I love this time of year. Growing up, I was the girl who really disliked school more than anyone. I had so much anxiety around being in a classroom all day long. It made my childhood and teenage years so hard.

But yet, I always found so much comfort and joy in the early back-to-school season. This time of year means that cozy fall days are coming, Sunday night football is back, and all our favorite TV shows will soon be returning for their fall season. Families are settling back into everyday back-to-school routines after a summer of fun, while the rest of us are diving back into work and fall projects.

In the last month+, I’ve been getting many requests for easy back-to-school recipes. After doing a lot of digging through our recipe archive, I realized that we have so many yummy recipes that are perfect for back to school!

You can refer back to this post all year long. It’s full of past HBH gem recipes!!

Enjoy these recipes and happy back-to-school, back-to-work season!

Easy Dinners

Crockpot Creamy Chicken and Dumplings

Cider Braised Pot Roast with Crispy Sage Butter Potatoes

One Pot Cajun Ranch Chicken Pasta

30 Minute Thai Peanut Chicken Ramen

Cheesy Zucchini Chicken and Rice Bake

Healthier Homemade One Pot Hamburger Helper

Crispy Chipotle Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Lime Ranch

Better Than Takeout Dan Dan Noodles

One Pan Lemon Pepper Yogurt Chicken and Rice

Sheet Pan Honey Buffalo Chicken with Broccoli

Creamy Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup

Tomato Cheddar Chicken and Rice Bake

Super Easy Homemade Cheesy Spaghetti O’s

Creamy White Chicken Chili

Crockpot Hamburger Helper

One Pan Herb Butter Chicken and Zucchini Rice Pilaf

Zucchini Cheddar Chicken Noodle Casserole

Red Wine Braised Pot Roast

Apple Cider Smothered Chicken

Crockpot Garlic Butter Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Orzo

Crockpot Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tacos with Jalapeño Ranch

Baked Crunchy Hot Honey Chicken

Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Noodle Casserole

Garlic Butter Creamed Corn Chicken

Bake Sale Treats – that will win everyone over!

Frosted Soft Strawberry Brown Sugar Bars

Homemade Baked Frosted Chocolate Donuts

Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

Any Fruit Oat and Pretzel Bars

Easy Apple Butter Zucchini Bread

5 Ingredient Magic Cookies

Lunchroom Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Spooky Homemade Twix Bar

Toasted Marshmallow K-Bars

Chocolate Chunk Coconut Banana Bread

Soft and Crinkly Brown Sugar Peanut Butter Cookies

Healthier Homemade Nutter Butter Cookies

Mini Blueberry Muffins

Nutter Butter Cookie Bars

Homemade Vegan Peanut Butter Twix Bars

No-Bake Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie Bars

Cinnamon Sugar Swirled Apple Butter Brea

Blender Zucchini Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins

Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tart Bars

Cinnamon Crunch Swirled Banana Bread

Toasted Marshmallow Caramel Rice Krispie Treats

Blender Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

As a recipe developer, I spend my days cooking, baking, and tasting. As much as I love my job, I’m ready to get out of the kitchen by six o’clock each day. This means I often rely on quick, simple, and, most importantly, dependable recipes for weeknight dinners. Sheet pan meals are a favorite, as they let the oven do most of the work and require just a few minutes of prep.

Recently, this easy chicken dinner has been a lifesaver: Juicy chicken thighs, crispy croutons, and tender, broiled asparagus are all cooked on a single baking sheet, then served over a bed of hearty frisée. A sweet, tangy salad dressing made with mustard, honey, vinegar, garlic, and oil serves double duty as a flavorful marinade, brushed on the chicken partway through cooking for extra flavor and a shiny finish.

Get More From Your Sheet Pan

While it’s tempting to throw everything on a sheet pan and hope for the best, there’s a more thoughtful approach to take. As Serious Eats editorial director, Daniel, wrote in his 10 Essential Rules for the Best Sheet Pan Dinners, “the act of orchestrating a more complex recipe on a single sheet pan requires a good deal of cooking intuition and technique.” Because different foods cook at different rates, preparing and assembling a delicious meal on a single sheet pan benefits from “a much greater degree of coordination, space management, and understanding of how different ingredients cook.”

With a bit of planning, you can have chicken that’s well-browned and juicy, croutons that are toasted but not burned, and tender asparagus that’s tender but not mushy. The key is to cook the meal in two different phases: I bake the chicken and croutons in a 450°F (230°C) oven until the bread is crisp and the chicken is cooked, then I swap the croutons out for fresh stalks of asparagus. The pan goes under the broiler, which provides just enough heat to brown the chicken and cook the asparagus until it’s sweet and tender.

Because the hottest areas of a sheet pan are around the edges, I arrange the chicken around the perimeter of the pan. Likewise, placing the cubed bread in the center prevents it from browning too quickly, though you’ll still need to flip the bread once to encourage even cooking. The same goes for the asparagus: Placing it in the center of the pan means it won’t overcook or burn before the chicken is done.

Getting the Chicken Right

In the first phase of cooking, the chicken is cooked to a safe internal temperature (165°F/74°C), and the croutons become golden and toasty, a process that takes approximately 15 minutes. The chicken is technically cooked at this stage, but for maximum flavor and browning, I flip the chicken thighs, glaze them, then place them under the broiler to continue cooking. As Serious Eats senior culinary editor Leah has noted, cooking your chicken thighs to 185 to 195°F (85 to 90°C) is actually “the key to peak tenderness.” The higher temperature breaks down collagen into gelatin, resulting in tender, juicy meat.

Reach for Hardy Greens

Frisée is hardy and slightly bitter, which allows it to stand up to the sweet, punchy dressing and won’t easily wilt under the heat of the cooked chicken. If you can’t find frisée, you can substitute other greens; a blend of hearty chicories, such as radicchio or endive, would work well. Though mixed greens are far more delicate than frisée or radicchio, they’ll work in a pinch, but keep in mind they’re far more delicate and likely to wilt. To avoid this, you can always place your chicken to the side of the salad, rather than on top.

Schmaltzy Croutons, Please

After the chicken and asparagus have been removed from the sheet pan, I like to briefly return the croutons to the pan and stir them around in the chicken juices—which gives them a nice savory flavor—before putting them on top of the salad.

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For the Dressing:

• 1/4 cup stoneground mustard, such as Grey Poupon (2 ounces; 57 g)

• 3 tablespoons honey (1 1/2 ounces; 65 g)

• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) red wine vinegar

• 2 medium cloves garlic (10 g), minced

• 3/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume

• 1/4 cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

For the Salad:

• 1 1/2 pounds (680 g) boneless skinless chicken thighs, 4 to 6 thighs

• 3 cups crusty bread (6 ounces; 170 g), such as sourdough, cut into 1-inch cubes

• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided

• 1 pound (454 g) asparagus, ends trimmed

• 1 medium head frisée or mixed greens, washed and spun dry, cut or torn into large bite-sized pieces

1. For the Dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk mustard, honey, red wine vinegar, garlic, and salt to combine. Slowly stream in olive oil, whisking vigorously and constantly, until emulsified and creamy.

2. In a large bowl, combine chicken thighs with 1/3 cup of dressing, tossing to evenly coat. (See notes.) Refrigerate and marinate for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours. Refrigerate the remaining dressing separately until ready to use.

3. When ready to cook, adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). On a 13- by 18-inch rimmed baking sheet, arrange cubed bread in the center center. Drizzle bread with 2 tablespoons olive oil, tossing to evenly coat. Remove chicken thighs from marinade and arrange chicken thighs upside down around bread; reserve marinade for brushing. Lightly season bread and chicken with salt.

4. Bake, flipping bread once halfway through, until bread is crisp and chicken is cooked, brushing with reserved marinade halfway through, 15 to 17 minutes. (An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat should register at least 165°F/74°C.)

5. Using a kitchen towel or oven mitts, carefully remove baking sheet from oven. Adjust oven rack to upper third position, about 6 inches from the broiler. Heat broiler to high.

6. Using tongs, flip chicken and, using a pastry brush, brush top of chicken lightly with reserved dressing. Transfer croutons to a plate and arrange asparagus in a single layer in the center of the baking sheet. Drizzle remaining olive oil over asparagus, season with salt, and return baking sheet to oven. Broil, turning asparagus once halfway through, until chicken is well-browned and asparagus is tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Once cooked, transfer the chicken to a plate and cover loosely with foil while you dress the salad.

7. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss frisée with enough reserved dressing to evenly coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

8. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and slice into 1-inch thick pieces. Arrange on serving plates with salad and asparagus on the side. Return croutons to baking sheet and toss in pan juices, then garnish chicken, salad, and asparagus with croutons. Serve.

Special Equipment

13- by 18-inch rimmed baking sheet, instant-read thermometer, pastry brush

Notes

Alternatively, chicken can be marinated in a zip-top bag. Place chicken and 1/3 cup dressing in a zip-top bag, seal, and massage chicken through plastic until evenly coated with dressing. 

Make-Ahead and Storage

The dressing can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.