Healthier Chicken Lo Mein

Plus an easy mini protein cheesecake to fight after-dinner sugar cravings

Dec 08, 2023

I don’t know about you, but life feels busier than ever for me these days.

If I’m not stuck spending sun up to sun down working at my job, I’m catching up on errands that have been on the back burner for weeks. All this to say, that once dinnertime rolls around on some days, getting takeout doesn’t seem like a bad idea.

I typically manage not to do it Monday through Thursday, but by Friday, I often find myself pulling the trigger and getting takeout. The last time I did, I picked up some lo mein from a nearby Chinese restaurant, believing it to be a healthy option considering it’s not deep-fried, and by estimation of PF Chang’s nutrition facts, only has something north of 600 calories.

However, that turned out to not be true. This was, I kid you not, the greasiest looking lo mein I have ever seen.

There was enough oil and sauce on it to probably use in two additional stir-fries alone, which I imagine easily pushed the total calories closer to 1,000 calories.

Needless to say, I was a bit frustrated and ended up eating something else, but it did remind me of one important thing. You can’t control what’s in your food when ordering takeout. The only way to do that is by making it yourself at home.

So I decided to absorb the 15-dollar loss rather than all of that oil and take a stab at making a healthier version at home.

This is a Chicken Lo Mein with better texture, crunchier vegetables, and fewer calories than what you’d probably find at one of your local restaurants. And since we have some extra calories to play around with, I’ve thrown in a bonus mini cheesecake recipe below for you to enjoy after having dinner.

Here are some notes about making this:

Substitute the dark soy sauce with regular soy sauce if you can’t find it.
Dark soy sauce can usually be found at Asian grocery markets.
Use any lo mein noodles you can find. Any egg noodles will also work.
Make sure to prep all of your ingredients before cooking.
Use BAKING SODA, not baking powder on the chicken. :)
The dessert recipe is for one serving, but you can 4x the recipe ingredients if you want more.

Printable PDFs of each recipe are below. Let’s dive into the recipes!

43g Protein Per Serving | 423 Calories | 30 Minutes | 5 Servings

LO MEIN RECIPE

Ingredient List

Lo Mein Chicken

1 1/4 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
3 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cooking sherry
1 tsp zero-calorie sweetener

Lo Mein Sauce

1/2 cup bone broth
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp garlic
1 tbsp ginger
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white or black pepper

Lo Mein

Lo mein chicken
Lo mein sauce
8 oz cooked lo mein noodles
5 oz broccoli florets, halved
4 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
3 oz sugar snap peas
2.5 oz shredded cabbage
2 oz shredded carrots
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 green onion stalks, chopped
Sesame seeds

Cooking Instructions

Prep Ingredients 🍄

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients under the lo mein chicken list and mix well. Set aside to marinate for 10 mins.
Chop the broccoli, mushrooms, onion, and green onions. Set aside.
Cook the noodles according to package directions. Once cooked, drain and set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix all the ingredients under the lo mein sauce list together until well combined.

Cook Lo Mein Ingredients 🍜

Preheat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until fully browned. Remove from the pan.
Start cooking the vegetables in batches, starting with the broccoli and sugar snap peas. Cook for 3 minutes and then remove from the pan.
Spray the pan and add the mushrooms and carrots to cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the pan.
Spray the pan again then add the cabbage and onion to cook for 2 minutes.
Spray the pan one last time, then add the garlic and ginger to cook for 15 seconds.
Mix the sauce again and pour into the pan. Wait for it to bubble and thicken, then add the noodles. Stir until the noodles are well-coated.
Add all other cooked ingredients and toss with the noodles. Turn off the heat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and enjoy!