Best Whole30 Chicken Lo Mein
Healthy Lo Mein made with delicious carrot noodles! An Easy 15 minute whole30 meal the whole family will enjoy! Grain free, paleo, and gluten free.
Lo mein all dayyyy!!! Who knew noodle-free lo mein, with a three ingredient sauce could actually taste kinda amazing. BUT IT DOES!!! In fact, it tastes more than kind of amazing; it’s perfect. Perfectly healthy. Perfect addicting. And perfectly, prep-ahead-for-dinner-tonight-when-I’m-too-lazy-to-cook, kind of perfect.
This traditional Chinese noodle dish has somehow become not so traditional when it reached my hands- we are talking carrot noodles, baby! Carrot noodles all the way! Haven’t you heard? Carrots are the new zucchini. 🙂
Lo Mein breakdown
So, here’s the breakdown. I’m all about carrot noodles. And frankly, I’m quite obsessed. For a few reasons; including, their amazing taste, not to mention, the way they hold together perfectly and don’t fall apart and become mush (all the yasss!!!). And the fact that they are a super healthy and an easy alternative to grain noodles. A big ol’ serving of these lo mein noodles carries all of the delicousness factor with only 343 calories! Win!
You can make carrot noodles at home using this spiralizer. Or, thanks to Trader Joe’s being all trendy and all, you can now walk your white sneakers straight into the frozen food section of TJ‘s and pick yourself up a box or two of carrots noodles that somebody else has already put the labor into to create perfect little’s orange spirals, just for you!
*This is not a sponsored post for Trader Joe’s, I’m just really thankful for clean and convenient eating options straight out of the frozen food section!
I thought I should also mention that you can sub out the carrot noodles for any other type of vegetable noodle (zucchini, sweet potato, squash, etc..) or grain.
Okay, moving on. Have you heard? This delicious, glistening, amber colored, soy sauce flavored, sauce contains only three epic and clean (whole30 compliant) ingredients!!! It’s all the rage. All the cool kids are doing it… coconut amino‘s, it’s the secret (not so secret) ingredient in this Asian inspired dish.
Coconut aminos is my best friend in the kitchen when it comes to creating soy-free Asian cuisine. It’s sweet “soy saucey” flavor is made with 100% pure coconuts and a dash of salt! All you need for this lo mein sauce is, coconut amino‘s (found here), sesame oil (or tahini), and a dash of tapioca flour.
If you’re feeling adventurous, you can top your bowl of noodles off with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar for a little pizzazz. Getting creative now, aren’t we?😉
The servings are big. The food is tasty! I did not want to stop eating this! I wanted to eat all four servings by myself. Except, I didn’t actually, because I really LOVE sharing food with people! I hope you love this simple and yummy family recipe! Cheers to more fresh and healthful recipes this year!
More like this:
- 12 oz carrot noodles or other vegetable noodle
- 1 1/2 cup crimini mushrooms sliced
- 1 medium red bell pepper jullianed
- 1 cup broccoli florets cut into bite size pieces
- 1/2 medium white onion sliced
- 1 cup snap peas
- 1 cup cooked chicken breast cubes
- 1/2 cup coconut aminos
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil or tahini
- 2 tablespoons tapioca flour
| Info |
| Cook Time | 5 minutes |
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
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Rate this recipe!
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Ingredients
Noodles
Sauce
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- Place the carrot noodles on a baking tray and cook in a convection toaster (or oven) on 450F for about 10-15 minutes until soft. Then set aside. *You can also cook them in a skillet on the stovetop instead, but I have found that convection baking the noodles turns out perfect results every time and eliminates excess water!
- In a frying pan, lightly saute the vegetables in 1-2 tablespoons sesame oil or water. Cook for about 5 minutes until soft (but not mushy). Then set aside.
- In a mason jar or hand blender puree ingredients for the sauce. Thicken sauce over medium heat in a sauce pan or skillet, stirring consistently with a whisk, until the sauce thickens and is smooth. Do not over cook the sauce otherwise it will become too thick! If this happens, just add more water.
- In a serving bowl, add the noodles, vegetables, cooked chicken, and pour the sauce over top. Serve with sesame seeds and chopped green onion.
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Nutrition Facts
Best Whole30 Chicken Lo Mein
Amount Per Serving
Calories 343
Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 12g
18%
Saturated Fat 3g
15%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 2g
Cholesterol 49mg
16%
Sodium 925mg
39%
Potassium 554mg
16%
Total Carbohydrates 34g
11%
Dietary Fiber 10g
40%
Sugars 5g
Protein 25g
50%
Vitamin A
175%
Vitamin C
213%
Calcium
9%
Iron
21%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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36Comments
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This looks amazing!! I am following the SCD diet so I cant do tapioca flour, do you think almond flour or coconut flour would work for the sauce? Thanks so much!
Hi Shayna, can you have arrowroot flour? That would work best as a sub. You can also leave the flour out of it or try 1-2 teaspoons coconut flour (though it may be a bit gritty).
Hi cant wait to make this! But quick question – how do you make the cooked chicken cubes – mine keep coming out too dry!
Very yummy! I love using coconut aminos, too.
I just found your post and am excited about making it for dinner. Was looking at the ingredient list and it says sesame oil, according to my Whole30 ‘rules’ book this oil is not allowed, is there a substitute? I was thinking avacado oil since it is good for sauteeing. Thank you!
Hi Julie, as far as I know sesame oil can be used here and there while on whole30. If you would like to sub, avocado oil will work!
I am excited to try this recipe! The instructions on the Trader Joe’s box of carrot noodles says to do them on the stove top but I like your idea of doing them in the oven. Do you cook them from frozen or defrost them before putting in the oven? Thanks!
Hi Meredith, I cook them frozen.
I’m not sure what I did wrong on the sauce, but it ended up with the consistency of peanut butter. I had to sub tahini for sesame oil, and it was not good.
This recipe is so good but the sauce keeps coming out really sticky and looks more like a blob then like sauce. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Jessica, the blob is the result of overcooking the sauce- not to worry, you can just add a bit of water and it will resolve. Cook the sauce just till thick, but not blob like 😉
I made a double batch if this recipe to take for lunch when I’m on campus for classes, and OMG it is so darn good!!! Had it for lunch and dinner today and can’t wait to eat if for the rest of the week!!!
I had very high hopes for this recipe and it did not disappoint! This is delicious! Very easy to follow and a really nice change if you’re trying to eat healthy. It tastes like a cheat meal! Thanks so much for this recipe!
Great to hear, thank you Victoria!
This recipe was absolutely delicious!! Can’t wait to make it again (:
Thank you Susan!
I have toasted sesame oil but have never heard of a recipe calling for 2 tbs! Usually a full family stir fry calls for 1/2 tsp or something. Is there a different type of sesame oil?
Hi Emily, the sesame oil is part of the sauce- If you don’t feel comfortable using that much you can sub for water or another oil. Hope that helps! 🙂
Thanks Kaylie! I used it and it was DELICIOUS. I didn’t have coconut aminos on hand so I used 1/4 c gluten free soy sauce and 1/4 cup chicken bone broth. (We aren’t specifically paleo but have severe dairy and gluten allergies in the family). I used the carrot noodles from a Trader Joe’s and I loved the tip about roasting them! My 8 year old said this was a “make again meal”.
Yay! Love the “make it again meal” 🙂
Just made this! I used the oil at the top of my tahini because I didn’t realize I had run out of sesame oil. I also made extra sauce (because I was serving it with rice for my husband) and added both toasted sesame seeds and red chili flakes. DELICIOUS!
I was wondering about carrot noodles cooking in oven, I got fresh ones at my market. Do you still cook at 450degrees.
Hi Debbie, you can cook them on either 450 or 350 until just soft. 🙂
This is delicious! One of my go-to Whole30 meals. I found that when using tahini in the sauce, there doesn’t seem to be a need to thicken over heat (when I did, it instantly hardened and was unusable-even with added water). When using sesame oil in the sauce, I did need to thicken over slight heat. Love this recipe so much, I added it to my new blog (which curates my favorite recipes and documents my originals). I included credit to you and links back to your recipe and to your site. Love your blog! Cannot wait to try more.
This was my first Whole 30 recipe. it was a recommendation from a friend. It was delicious! My 12 yr old loved it as well. I will definitely make this again. Well done!
Yay! So glad to hear 🙂
Do you put the Trader Joe’s carrot spirals in the oven from their frozen state?? I don’t have convention over just regular one…any tips would be helpful as I’m cooking this tonight! Thanks!
Hi Dabae, yes- I just put them in frozen, there is enough liquid from the frozen noodles, so I just pop them on a pan and bake until soft. You can do it in a regular oven, just cook at 450F until soft.
Hi Kaylie, I don’t have any tapioca flour.. could I use gluten free all purpose flour?
Hi Pearce, that should work! 🙂
I am not the biggest fan of cooked carrots, are there any other type of “noodle” you would suggest? I have never tried carrot noodles so I’m wondering how strong the carrot flavor is in this dish! Im excited to try this!
Hi Patricia, you can use zucchini or sweet potato noodles in the place of carrot noodles. 🙂
Hello, this looks great!! I would want to take it to work, but I am concerned about the consistency of the sauce since it has the tapioca flour in it. How do I thin it out once refrigerated?
Hi there, you just need to reheat it on the stove and it will thin out. 🙂 Enjoy!
I’ve never been one for theatrics, but this recipe changed my life. It is more delicious than one could imagine, and super easy to make. 10/10 adding it to my regular recipe rotation! THANK YOU!
Great to hear, thank you!