19 Chinese-Takeout-Inspired Dishes to Celebrate the Year of the Monkey at Home

The Way to His Heart

Celebrate Lunar New Year by eating in! Though Asian takeout has become a beloved staple in many households, it's fun to get the whole family cooking a different cuisine. With Lunar New Year celebrations kicking off this week, we've rounded up some healthy, homemade Asian recipes fit for a year of the monkey fete. Check out 19 options that you can serve up on a plate or in a box, but don't forget the chopsticks!

01
Easy Lo Mein
Damn Delicious

Easy Lo Mein

Lo mein can seem like a daunting task with all of those sliced and diced vegetables, but Damn Delicious swears that this easy lo mein will just take 15 minutes from start to finish.

02
Healthy Chicken Potstickers
Flickr user flippinyank

Healthy Chicken Potstickers

Potstickers are a great way to sneak some vegetables into your tot. Kids love picking up food with their hands and dunking them, making these healthy chicken potstickers the perfect vehicle for filling your child with healthy options.

03
Asian Honey Chicken
Damn Delicious

Asian Honey Chicken

A healthier version of everyone's favorite takeout dish, this Asian honey chicken is bound to become a family favorite.

04
Stir-Fried Beef With Green Beans
Asian in America

Stir-Fried Beef With Green Beans

Even nonveggie-lovers can't resist this healthy combination of beef strips and fresh green beans. This recipe for stir-fried beef with green beans is an easy way to work some greens into their diet.

05
Shrimp and Rice Noodle Stir-Fry
Weelicious

Shrimp and Rice Noodle Stir-Fry

Shrimp and noodles are a welcome change from chicken dishes. According to Catherine McCord of Weelicious, "With a dish like this, I try to precut the vegetables and soak the noodles early in the day so that preparation at dinner time is a cinch."

06
Chinese Chicken Dumplings
Weelicious

Chinese Chicken Dumplings

Wrap pureed ground chicken and veggies into little pockets. Then steam the purses to create Chinese chicken dumplings that don't have the fat of the fried variety.

07
Kid-Friendly Beef Lo Mein
Flickr user Bordecia34

Kid-Friendly Beef Lo Mein

For a fraction of the cost of Chinese takeout, these beef lo mein noodles will be a hit at home. Using thin spaghetti noodles instead of the traditional lo mein noodles, the dish is the perfect way to celebrate the Lunar New Year — long noodles are said to symbolize longevity.

08
Honey Sesame Chicken
Cooking Classy

Honey Sesame Chicken

Chinese food cravings will easily be satiated with this honey sesame chicken that has just the right amount of sweetness in each bite.

09
Long Life Noodles With Chicken
Weelicious

Long Life Noodles With Chicken

These celebratory long life noodles with chicken will be fun for kids to slurp up!

10
Healthy Sesame Chicken
The Way to His Heart

Healthy Sesame Chicken

Sesame chicken is always a Chinese restaurant treat, but this healthy sesame chicken takes all the guilt out of the typically fried dish, reducing it to a mere 250 calories a serving that only take 10 minutes to whip up.

11
Shrimp Toast
The Way to His Heart

Shrimp Toast

Who can resist the combination of shrimp and toast that appears on many menus' appetizer sections? This homemade shrimp toast may be the best re-creation we've ever tasted.

12
Easy Asian Dumplings With Hoisin Dipping Sauce
Cooking for Keeps

Easy Asian Dumplings With Hoisin Dipping Sauce

Here's a recipe that the kids can help you prepare. These easy Asian dumplings with hoisin dipping sauce are a tasty way to kick off any meal.

13
Chinese Chicken Salad
Weelicious

Chinese Chicken Salad

Chop it up! Children love the crunch of the shredded cabbage and carrots and the creamy dressing in this Chinese chicken salad.

14
Mu Shu Chicken
Weelicious

Mu Shu Chicken

A favorite Chinese takeout item, Weelicious's mu shu chicken is perfectly adapted to the home cook. Using tortillas (because what child doesn't like food wrapped up in a tortilla?) and huge spoonfuls of a chicken and vegetable mixture, you've got yourself a new favorite dish.

15
Stir-Fried Shrimp With Spicy Orange Sauce
The Way to His Heart

Stir-Fried Shrimp With Spicy Orange Sauce

A quick, light stir-fry and the combination of sweet citrus from the orange and the spice from the chili paste make this stir-fried shrimp with spicy orange sauce a surefire favorite.

16
Vegetable "Fried" Rice
Weelicious

Vegetable "Fried" Rice

Heat up the wok! It's time to toast up brown rice, peas, carrots, and scrambled eggs to concoct a guilt-free and fiber-filled version of veggie "fried" rice that is seasoned with low-sodium soy sauce!

17
Shrimp Unfried Rice
Weelicious

Shrimp Unfried Rice

One of the biggest problems with Chinese takeout is that so many of the dishes are fried. Weelicious's shrimp unfried rice takes the oil out of the dish and fills it with lean protein for a healthier version.

18
Chinese Orange Chicken
Damn Delicious

Chinese Orange Chicken

One of our all-time favorite takeout dishes, Damn Delicious's Chinese orange chicken is the perfect mix of crisp bites and tangy sauce!

19
Orange Chicken
Weelicious

Orange Chicken

Add citrus flavor to this family favorite by using boneless cubes of chicken breast simmered in an orange juice and ginger sauce to create a crowd-pleasing orange chicken in your own kitchen!