The Recipe

Chicken with Lobster Sauce

Prep: 20 min (plus 20 min marinating) | Cook: 15 min | Serves: 4

Ingredients

Ingredient	Amount
Boneless skinless chicken thighs	1 pound, cut into chunks
Water (marinade)	1 tablespoon
Cornstarch (marinade)	1 teaspoon
Neutral oil (marinade)	1 teaspoon
Oyster sauce	1 teaspoon
Low sodium chicken stock	1½ cups
Salt	½ teaspoon
Sugar	¼ teaspoon
Sesame oil	½ teaspoon
White pepper	⅛ teaspoon
Ground pork	4 ounces
Neutral oil (for cooking)	2 tablespoons
Garlic, minced	1 clove
Shaoxing wine (or cooking sherry)	1 tablespoon
Frozen peas	½ cup
Cornstarch (slurry)	2 tablespoons
Water (slurry)	3 tablespoons
Egg, lightly beaten	1 whole
Scallion, chopped	1 stalk

Directions

In a medium bowl, mix the chicken pieces with water, cornstarch, neutral oil, and oyster sauce until the chicken has absorbed all the liquid. Set aside for 20 minutes. In a liquid measuring cup, combine the chicken stock, salt, sugar, sesame oil, and white pepper to make the sauce mixture.
Fill your wok one-third full with water and bring it to a boil. Stir in the ground pork. Break up any clumps and cook for about 1 minute, until the pork is no longer pink. Drain the pork in a mesh strainer and give it a quick rinse. This produces a much clearer, cleaner sauce.
Wash your wok and place over medium-high heat until smoking. Add 2 tablespoons of neutral oil and the chicken in one layer. Stir-fry until it's 70% cooked. Stir in the garlic and ground pork, and stir-fry for 15 seconds. Add the wine, and stir-fry for another 10 seconds. Add the sauce mixture and the peas.
Bring the mixture to a simmer, and combine the cornstarch and water into a slurry. Stir it into the sauce a little bit at a time. Let the mixture bubble and thicken. It should coat a spoon but not have a gloopy consistency. If it gets too thick, add more chicken stock. If it's too thin, add more slurry.
Spread the slightly beaten egg and scallion across the mixture and let simmer for 5 seconds. Use your spatula to fold the egg into the sauce with a few strokes. Serve over white rice.

Key tip: Pre-blanching the ground pork in boiling water before stir-frying is the secret to a silky, clear sauce. Skipping this step leaves behind proteins that cloud and muddy the final dish.

Nutrient Card

Chicken with Lobster Sauce (per serving)
Calories: 355
Protein: 31g
Fat: 21g
  Saturated: 5g
Carbs: 9g
  Fiber: 1g
  Sugar: 2g
Sodium: ~493mg
Cholesterol: ~169mg

Full Nutrition Breakdown

Here's every calorie in Chicken with Lobster Sauce accounted for, ingredient by ingredient, based on one of four servings.

Ingredient	Serving (per person)	Calories	Protein	Fat	Carbs	Fiber
Boneless skinless chicken thighs	~4 oz cooked	175	22g	10g	0g	0g
Ground pork	~1 oz	65	5.5g	5g	0g	0g
Neutral oil (cooking)	~½ tbsp	55	0g	6g	0g	0g
Egg (lightly beaten)	¼ whole	18	1.5g	1.3g	0g	0g
Cornstarch (marinade + slurry)	~¾ tbsp total	18	0g	0g	4.5g	0g
Frozen peas	2 tablespoons	14	1g	0g	2.5g	0.9g
Low sodium chicken stock	~⅓ cup	8	1g	0g	1g	0g
Oyster sauce + sesame oil	trace amounts	10	0g	0.9g	1g	0g
Garlic, scallion, Shaoxing wine	trace amounts	5	0g	0g	1g	0.1g
Neutral oil (marinade)	¼ teaspoon	10	0g	1.1g	0g	0g
TOTAL		~378	~31g	~24g	~9.5g	~1g

Note: The recipe source reports 355 kcal per serving. Minor variation is expected depending on exact brand of chicken stock used, how much cooking oil is absorbed during stir-frying, and precise portion size.

Where Your Calories Actually Come From

Component	Calories	% of Total
Chicken thighs	175	49%
Ground pork	65	18%
Cooking oil	55	15%
Egg	18	5%
Cornstarch (thickener)	18	5%
Peas, stock, seasonings	27	8%

The name says "lobster sauce" - but there's no lobster anywhere in this dish. What is surprising is that ground pork quietly accounts for nearly 1 in 5 calories, and the cooking oil is the third-biggest contributor. The chicken - the star of the show - still owns nearly half the plate.

Macro Split

Macro	Grams	Calories from Macro	% of Total Calories
Protein	31g	124 cal	35%
Fat	21g	189 cal	53%
Carbs	9g	36 cal	10%
Fiber	1g	-	-

This is a high-protein, higher-fat meal with very low carbs - closer to a keto-adjacent profile than most Chinese takeout dishes. If you're serving it over white rice (the classic way), add approximately 205 cal and 45g carbs per cup, which flips the macro balance toward a more carb-dominant meal. On its own, the sauce dish is one of the lower-carb options in the Chinese stir-fry category.

Health Benefits at a Glance

This dish earns its keep beyond just flavor. Each of the main ingredients brings something to the table nutritionally.

Ingredient	Key Nutrient/Compound	What Research Says
Chicken thighs	Complete protein + B vitamins (B3, B6)	Thighs deliver all essential amino acids for muscle repair and recovery. The B6 content supports serotonin production - good for mood and sleep quality - and research consistently links adequate protein intake to better weight management through improved satiety.
Ground pork	Zinc + selenium + vitamin B12	Even a small amount of pork adds meaningful zinc (important for immune function and skin healing), selenium (a potent antioxidant), and B12 (critical for energy metabolism and nerve health). Studies link selenium adequacy to reduced oxidative stress and better thyroid function.
Egg	Choline + lutein + zeaxanthin	The single egg adds choline, which NIH research links to liver health, brain function, and fetal development. Lutein and zeaxanthin are associated with reduced risk of age-related macular degeneration and may support skin hydration and UV protection.
Garlic	Allicin + organosulfur compounds	Regular garlic consumption is associated with reduced blood pressure, lower LDL cholesterol, and improved immune response in multiple meta-analyses. It also has anti-inflammatory properties that may support joint health with consistent dietary intake.
Frozen peas	Plant protein + vitamin K + vitamin C	Peas provide fiber, plant-based protein, and vitamin K (essential for bone mineralization). Research links adequate vitamin K intake to improved bone density and reduced fracture risk, while the vitamin C content supports collagen production - directly relevant for skin elasticity and joint cartilage maintenance.

This dish is a strong pick for people tracking protein without loading up on carbs, especially if served without rice. The combination of chicken thighs, pork, and egg gives you a complete amino acid profile that supports both muscle recovery after a workout and long-lasting fullness throughout the day. The garlic and peas add low-calorie nutritional density that most stir-fry dishes don't deliver.

Smarter Swaps (With Real Numbers)

Swap 1: Chicken Thighs to Chicken Breast

	Calories	Protein	Fat
Chicken thighs (4 oz)	175 cal	22g	10g
Chicken breast (4 oz)	124 cal	26g	2.7g
Difference	-51 cal	+4g	-7.3g

You save 51 calories and nearly 7g of fat while gaining 4g of extra protein. The texture changes slightly - breast is leaner and can dry out faster, so reduce stir-fry time accordingly.

Swap 2: Ground Pork to Ground Chicken

	Calories	Protein	Fat
Ground pork (1 oz)	65 cal	5.5g	5g
Ground chicken (1 oz)	45 cal	7g	2.5g
Difference	-20 cal	+1.5g	-2.5g

Ground chicken is noticeably leaner and still brings the savory body the sauce needs. Most people can't taste the difference once it's folded into the gravy.

Swap 3: Reduce Cooking Oil from 2 tbsp to 1 tbsp

	Calories	Fat
2 tbsp oil (split 4 ways)	60 cal	6.8g
1 tbsp oil (split 4 ways)	30 cal	3.4g
Difference	-30 cal	-3.4g

A well-seasoned wok or carbon steel pan holds heat more efficiently, meaning you can often cut oil by half without affecting the char or texture.

Swap 4: Serve over Cauliflower Rice Instead of White Rice

	Calories	Carbs
1 cup cooked white rice	206 cal	45g
1 cup cauliflower rice (steamed)	25 cal	5g
Difference	-181 cal	-40g

The sauce is rich enough to make cauliflower rice genuinely satisfying. This is the single biggest calorie lever in the entire meal.

The Ultra-Lean Stack: All Swaps Combined

	Original	With All Swaps
Calories	355	~224
Protein	31g	~36g
Fat	21g	~9g
Carbs	9g	~7g

Combining swaps 1-3 (without the cauliflower rice swap) gets you to approximately 254 calories with more protein than the original. Add the cauliflower rice swap to drop below 230 calories for the full plate.

Fit It Into Your Day

Daily Target	Recipe % of Day	Remaining Calories	What That Leaves You
1,500 cal	24%	1,145 cal	Breakfast + a solid lunch with room for a snack
2,000 cal	18%	1,645 cal	Plenty of room for two full other meals
2,500 cal	14%	2,145 cal	Very comfortable - leaves room for rice and sides
3,000 cal	12%	2,645 cal	No restrictions needed - add rice and vegetables freely

Common Pairings and What They Add

Side	Calories	Running Total
1 cup cooked white rice	+206 cal	~561 cal
1 cup steamed bok choy	+12 cal	~367 cal
1 cup egg drop soup	+65 cal	~420 cal
2 pieces steamed dim sum (har gow)	+110 cal	~465 cal
Spring roll (1 fried)	+125 cal	~480 cal

Pairing with white rice is the classic move and still lands the full plate under 600 calories - reasonable for a main meal. If you're keeping carbs low, the steamed bok choy is a near-zero calorie side that adds volume, crunch, and a meaningful hit of vitamin C and calcium.

How It Compares

Version	Calories	Protein	Fat	Carbs
This recipe (homemade, no rice)	355 cal	31g	21g	9g
Restaurant Chinese takeout estimate	~450-530 cal	~25g	~28g	~18g
Lighter version (breast + less oil)	~254 cal	~36g	~9g	~8g
Full plate (recipe + 1 cup white rice)	~561 cal	~37g	~21g	~54g
Keto version (cauliflower rice)	~380 cal	~37g	~21g	~14g

The homemade version beats restaurant takeout by roughly 100-175 calories and comes in with significantly more protein per calorie. The key difference is portion control and oil quantity - restaurants often use 3-4 tablespoons of oil per wok per dish for flavor and heat conduction.

Recipe from The Woks of Life by Sarah. Nutrition data sourced from USDA FoodData Central. Individual results vary by brand, cooking method, and portion accuracy. When in doubt, weigh your ingredients.