4 High-Protein Chinese Food Dishes to Try

When you're monitoring your nutrition, ordering takeout can seem like a cheat. But if you're careful, you can work it in to fit your nutrition goals. Chinese food is a healthy takeout choice to consider. Chinese food is often high in protein because it typically includes protein-rich foods such as chicken, beef, pork, duck and seafood. Similarly, tofu, which is commonly used in vegetarian Chinese cooking, provides plant-based protein.

Let's dive in and learn more about high-protein Chinese food options you can make (or order from your local Chinese restaurant).

Chinese beef dishes usually include beef that's cut into thin strips or cubes mixed in a sauce, which varies depending on the meal, and combined with different vegetables such as broccoli and sweet or hot peppers. These high-protein Chinese food dishes are usually served over rice or noodles.

Other dishes, such as orange beef, contain breaded pieces of beef, which are tasty, but relatively high in carbohydrates. You should avoid making or ordering breaded beef if you're cutting carbs to lose weight.

Like beef, poultry in Chinese dishes is often cut into thin strips or cubes and is served with vegetables over rice or noodles.

Some Chinese chicken dishes, such as General Tso's chicken and lemon chicken, incorporate battered and fried chicken. Others, such as moo goo gai pan, sesame chicken and kung pao chicken, usually contain un-breaded chicken.

Pork is a mainstay of Chinese cuisine and is high in protein. Spare ribs, pork-fried rice, sweet and sour pork, shredded pork, minced pork meatballs and moo shu pork are common high-protein Chinese dishes.

While you might not think of seafood first when planning to eat Chinese, seafood dishes, especially shrimp, frequently find their way onto Chinese restaurant menus.

Shrimp are often served battered and fried or mixed with vegetables or noodles. Large pieces of fish, such as trout, are often served crispy or fried, while salmon may come steamed. You can also find more exotic seafood sources of protein, such as squid, oysters, turtle and shark, on Chinese menus. All of these are examples of high-protein Chinese food dishes.