Home Blog Dietary Concern Whole30
Cheryl MalikPosted: 01/19/21Updated: 10/26/23
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This Whole30 chicken lo mein looks like the real deal Chinese takeout favorite, but it’s made with palmini or veggie noodles for a healthier, paleo take! Naturally lightly sweetened and loaded with flavor, this one-pan meal satisfies that Asian craving with real, whole foods.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- It’s a one-pan meal that’s so quick and easy to throw together – perfect for busy nights where dinnertime sneaks up on you!
- It’s made with Whole30 staples, so no tracking down hard-to-find ingredients that you may not ever use again.
- You can actually make it ahead of time! Even the palmini can be refrigerated up to 5 days. Just store everything in an airtight container and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Key Ingredient
Palmini – You can’t have lo mein without soft, juicy noodles. Palmini is the perfect option for this recipe because it has more of a pasta texture than most veggie noodles. It’s not exact, but it’s much closer! They’re pretty bland on their own, but the sauce in this recipe helps a lot! You can find Palmini at Walmart, Sprouts, or on Amazon. Thanks to our friend Penny from Penny’s Primal for introducing us to them!
How to Make It
The full recipe & ingredients list are below, but here you’ll find a quick overview for making this recipe perfectly, along with useful tips and info!
Start with the noodles! Cook your palmini noodles according to the instructions on the package, then drain them and set them aside. We’ll come back for those later.
Whisk together all the sauce ingredients, then set that aside, too.
Season the chicken with coconut aminos, ginger, and garlic. In a large wok, heat avocado oil until the wok is hot, then add the chicken and cook until the chicken isn’t pink inside. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set it aside.
Add the rest of the oil to the wok and sauté the carrots and onions until the onions are just translucent, then add in the mushrooms and cabbage. Cook everything together for a minute, tossing constantly.
Put the chicken back in the wok, and add your noodles and prepared sauce. Toss it all together and let it all cook on medium heat until the sauce is thickened. Garnish with green onions, serve, and enjoy!
Chef’s Tips
- Make sure to whisk the sauce until it thickens, otherwise you’ll have liquid left at the bottom.
- Use tongs to plate this Whole30 chicken lo mein. Tongs let you pick up the noodles and drain the excess sauce and water, keeping your lo mein from becoming a puddle.
- Instead of palmini, try zucchini noodles, or zoodles. There’s no initial cooking needed for these, just salt them and let them sit to draw out the moisture, then pat them dry an add them at the very last second. Toss them just enough to coat them in the sauce, then serve. They cook down quickly and become really watery when they do.
More Asian-Inspired Whole30 Recipes
- Breakfast Egg Roll in a Bowl (Whole30, Paleo)
- Egg Roll in a Bowl with Creamy Chili Sauce (Keto, Whole30, Paleo)
- Paleo Chinese Chicken Salad (Whole30)
- Whole30 Hibachi Chicken and Veggies with Cauliflower Fried Rice and Mustard Sauce
5 from 9 votes
Whole30 Chicken Lo Mein
Prep:15 minutes minutes
Cook:15 minutes minutes
Total:30 minutes minutes
This Whole30 chicken lo mein looks like the real deal Chinese takeout favorite, but it's made with palmini or veggie noodles for a healthier, paleo take! Naturally lightly sweetened and loaded with flavor, this one-pan meal satisfies that Asian craving with real, whole foods.
4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 14-ounce cans palmini or other veggie noodle
For the Sauce
- ¼ cup coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
For the Chicken
- 1 pound chicken breasts boneless, skinless, cut into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
For the Veggies
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 2 cups mushrooms sliced
- 2 cups Chinese cabbage shredded
- 1 cup carrots julienned
- 1 onion medium, chopped or sliced
For the Garnish
- 3 green onions chopped
Equipment
whisk
small mixing bowl
medium mixing bowl
Large wok
Instructions
Cook palmini noodles according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
In small bowl, whisk all sauce ingredients together, then set aside.
In medium sized bowl, toss chicken with coconut aminos, ginger, and garlic.
Heat 2 tablespoons avocado oil in a large wok. Wok should be nice and hot before adding chicken.
Add seasoned chicken. Cook for 5 minutes or until chicken starts to brown and is no longer pink inside. Transfer to plate and set aside.
Add remaining avocado oil to wok, then add onions and carrots. Cook until onions are almost translucent, approximately 4 minutes. Add mushrooms and cabbage, and while cook approximately one minute, while tossing ingredients together.
Add chicken back in to wok. Add cooked noodles and prepared sauce, then continue tossing. Cook on medium heat until sauce thickens.
Garnish with green onions and serve.
Notes
- Make it Vegan: Leave out the chicken.
- Make it Keto: Use miracle noodles (shirataki noodles) instead of palmini, and low sodium soy sauce instead of coconut aminos.
Recipe yields approximately 4 servings. Nutritional values shown apply to one serving. Calculations do include palmini noodles. Macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands of ingredients used.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size: 1serving, Calories: 399cal, Protein: 33g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Sodium: 1630mg, Potassium: 836mg, Total Carbs: 28g, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 4g, Net Carbs: 20g, Vitamin A: 5733IU, Vitamin C: 12mg, Calcium: 62mg, Iron: 2mg
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
© Author: Cheryl Malik
Meet Cheryl Malik
In addition to being a certified health coach, certified yoga instructor, and mom of 3, Cheryl is also the recipe developer, editor-in-chief, food photographer, and passionate foodie behind 40 Aprons. Having spent the last 10+ years as a food blogger, she's become known for her flavorful recipes, detailed instructions, gorgeous photography, and down-to-earth approach to food and cooking in general.
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Reader Interactions
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- Jacqueline Tol says
So tasty for so few ingredients! I’m in Australia and couldn’t find palmini noodles so used konjac. Will definitely be making again.
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- Jessica | 40 Aprons Team says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing, Jacqueline! 😊
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- Britany Greeson says
Would Spaghetti squash work or zoodles?
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- Jessica | 40 Aprons Team says
That should be fine! 😊
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- Nancy j Deichman says
great flavor! Husband loved it too.
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- Jessica | 40 Aprons Team says
Yay- so glad you and your husband loved it! Thanks for sharing, Nancy. 😊
Reply
- Jean Terdic says
Any substitute suggestions for someone who doesn’t like mushrooms?
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- Megan | 40 Aprons Team says
I’m not a big mushroom fan myself, and I just leave them out!
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- Sarah says
I sat in my kitchen tonight crying because I’m SICK of whole30. On day 19 and I’m just over it. I have an autoimmune disease and I am chronically in pain every day so cooking is so hard for me. So I’m sitting there crying as my boyfriend gets home from work. He took over, cooked the whole meal and I can say after eating this I feel like I can get through the next 11 days. It was SO freaking good. Looks just like the real thing, tastes so much like the real thing. So I’m sitting here with a happy belly commenting here in hopes others will try it too. I have never commented on something before! So excited for leftovers tomorrow! Thank you so much for this yummy recipe. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes! Thank you ❤️
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- Jessica | 40 Aprons Team says
Hi, Sarah! I am so glad you loved this chicken! Wishing you the best of luck finishing up whole30- you got this!! 💪
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- Ali says
So amazing. Lo Mein was something I really miss though it doesn’t always agree with me. This was perfect. The palmini noodles are the perfect sub to lo mein noodles. Thank you for making such a perfect recipe!
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- Anna Claire | 40 Aprons Team says
So glad you enjoyed it!
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- Karin Marr says
I loved this recipe! I did add more veggies, but the sauce was awesome (I was skeptical about how much pepper the recipe called for, usually always less than salt, but it was amazing). This is a keeper! Thank you!!
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- Anna Claire | 40 Aprons Team says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
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- Esmy Betancourt says
Tons of flavor and easy to put together. Very very good. First time using palmini and they are awesome ! Thank you for the recipe!
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- Abby says
Made this tonight! It’s delicious! First time using palmini noodles…they’re great!
Your recipes have been awesome to follow for my Whole 30. Thanks so much!
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