Chicken egg foo young is a recipe that’s perfect for repurposing leftover chicken. These Chinese omelettes are made with only 5 basic ingredients. But you can also top them off with a simple 4-ingredient keto-friendly egg foo young sauce.
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One of my favorite Chinese takeout dishes is Egg Foo Young. And if it weren’t for the starch filled sauce, I’d probably still order it when the family orders from a local Chinese restaurant. But since moving to low carb, I’ve learned how to make it keto friendly.
You may have seen the name of the dish spelled various ways including egg foo yung, egg fu yung, egg fu young, and egg foo young. The spelling I use in my chicken egg foo young recipe seems to be the most common.
What is egg foo young?
Egg foo young is an Chinese American omelette filled with eggs, meat, and vegetables that’s been deep fried in a layer of hot oil in a wok. They are traditionally served covered in a soy sauce based brown sauce thickened with cornstarch.
What’s the difference between egg foo yung and omelette?
Other than the filling, there’s really not much difference. However, the outside of the Chinese version is usually crisper since it’s deep fried and it’s served smothered in sauce.
How to make chicken egg foo young
When it comes to making egg foo young, the choice for fillings are endless. The dish is a great way to use up leftovers. So if you have some pork or chicken from the night before, just slice it up for the filling.
The same goes for the vegetables. Just use whatever you have on hand. Of course, you’ll want to be sure it’s a veggie that’s low in carbs.
For a keto-friendly version, you’ll want to skip the mung beans sprouts too. But alfalfa sprouts are a great substitute! To make the omelette batter, simply beat the eggs then stir in the filling ingredients.
There’s no need to deep fry the omelettes. Simply cook them in a lightly oiled pan. Just take a ladle or measuring cup to scoop the egg mixture and pour into the hot pan.
Cook each omelette until each side is golden brown, flipping once or twice as needed. It takes about 3-5 minutes to cook each.
An electric skillet is the best way to cook multiple pieces at once. If using a large skillet, it’s difficult to cook more than two or three in the pan at a time.
Making a keto friendly sauce
While the omelettes are cooking, you can go ahead and start the sauce. Simply heat a mixture of chicken broth, stevia, tamari, and xanthan gum to a boil then remove from heat. Xanthan gum is used to thicken the sauce, but it can be replaced with another low carb thickener if desired.
How many carbs are in egg foo young
If you leave off the sauce, the carbs in egg foo young are very low. But adding on about one third cup of sauce can add 5 grams of carbs or more.
However, my low carb brown gravy adds less than a carb so a serving of omelettes with sauce has only 4 grams of carbs.
Serving suggestions
Chinese restaurants serve the dish with white rice or fried rice. But to keep your meal low carb, I suggest adding one of the following as a side dish instead:
And if you want to add in some more meat, try my keto char siu pork recipe that bakes up in the oven. And Simply So Healthy has a fabulous Orange Beef recipe.
Can the recipe be made ahead to freeze?
Both the omelettes and the sauce can be frozen to enjoy later if you want to prepare the meal ahead for an easy meal later. I like to freeze the sauce separately from the omelettes. In an airtight container, both should keep for at least 3 months. But vacuum sealing with keep them fresher longer.
Enjoy the recipe! And don’t forget to leave a comment to let me know how it worked out for you or any modifications made.
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Keto Chicken Egg Foo Young
Recipe Video (Click on Image to Play)
Ingredients
Omelettes
- 8 large eggs
- ¼ cup thinly sliced celery
- 1 cup chopped kale
- 1 cup alfalfa sprouts
- 1 cup chopped cooked chicken
- salt and pepper to taste
Sauce
- 14.5 fl ounces chicken broth
- 5 drops liquid stevia
- 2 tablespoons tamari or coconut aminos
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
Instructions
Omelettes
- Beat eggs in a large bowl and then stir in remaining ingredients for the omelette.
- Heat 1-2 tablespoons oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. When pan is hot, drop about ½ to ⅔ of omelette mixture into pan at a time. Brown each omelette on both sides, about 2-3 minutes each. Remove each cooked omelette to a plate.
Sauce
- Heat chicken broth, stevia, tamari (or coconut aminos), and xanthan gum in a saucepan over medium high heat until boiling, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
Notes
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
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Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Unauthorized use of this material without written permission from Lisa MarcAurele is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes.
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Madison Porter
Do you know the macros for just the gravy in this recipe?
Lisa MarcAurele
It’s 12 calories, 1g carb, 1g fat, 1g protein, and 1g fiber.
Cathy Cameron
I made this for breakfast with a lot of substitutions due to what I had on hand.
In the omelette instead of the chicken, kale and alfalfa sprouts, I added whipping cream, thinly sliced green onion and chopped baby spinach and cooked ground ham. It turned out great! A really nice breakfast for a change. I will definitely make this again. Thank you Lisa for another great recipe!
Megan Stevens
Love this idea and how easy it is. I am always excited for low carb dinners that are healthy and easy. Love the Chinese flavors! And so does my family.
Zuzana
I just so love the name of this recipe. On the list for our Breakfast.
Hope
I love egg foo young and this healthier version was so easy to make! My family loved it!
Joni Gomes
I was looking for a new omelette recipe and I am SO glad I found this! I never thought to pair celery and eggs! And the sprouts were so perfect too! Will make again for weekend breakfast, lunch or dinner!
ChihYu
So good and easy to make!
Don Baiocchi
I haven’t made this in forever and I’m so thankful you came up with a healthier version!
Raia Todd
My family loves omelettes, so this will be a sure win! Thanks!
Heather Harris
I have never heard of these! They look delicious and like something that my whole familiy will gobble up!
Pam
How many omelets are in each serving?
Lisa MarcAurele
It depends on the size of the omelettes, but you should be able to make 8 from the batter providing two per serving. I used a ladle that was about half cup or so.