Chicken Chow Mein

We have soooo many Chinese noodles in our house right now! I have been looking for recipes to start to use them up. This one jumped out at me because we had a lot of the ingredients already in the house. I only needed to get cabbage and bean sprouts!

Don't be overwhelmed by the steps, just prep all your ingredients before starting to cook. Things move quick when you stir fry!

I used my large dutch oven pot because when you add the cabbage it gets quite tall and it is easier to mix everything with the higher sides. Often I crowd my pan because I'm making a lot... someday I'll do it correctly. When the pan gets crowded things steam more and won't get as crispy/browned. Things will still cook but it changes the texture a little bit. The recipe below is updated to what I used to feed 2 adults and 2 big kids (pre-teen age kids).

There are a lot of different types of Chinese noodles that you can use. I used regular thin wheat noodles that are similar to a linguine. Dried rice noodles and fresh noodles can also be used too.

I was intrigued by coating the chicken in the baking soda. Cooks Illustrated validated this technique so I continued to follow the directions. It really made a big difference in the chicken breast!! According to other websites make sure you rinse it off and don't let it sit for longer then 15 minutes. 

The cabbage seemed like a lot but wilted down to next to nothing!

Recipe Tin Eats: Charlie Sauce - This is the link to make the larger quantity of sauce to keep in your fridge. This has quite a bit of kick to it. I followed the recipe and only used 1 tsp of the white pepper. I would use 1/2 - 3/4 of a tsp next time. It did seem very salty but I used all low-sodium soy sauce. I am going to investigate the all purpose soy sauce for next time. 

Chicken Chow Mein

adapted from Recipe Tin Eats

Serves: 4-5 adult size portions

4 cups chicken thigh breast, cut into bite size pieces
½ tsp baking soda
1½ tbsp olive oil
16 oz noodles
6-8 cups green cabbage (savoy/green/napa), finely shredded

2 carrot, matchsticks
2 cup bean sprouts
6 scallions, sliced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup water
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp Chow Mein Sauce

Chow Mein Sauce: mix all ingredients
4 tsp cornstarch
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp oyster sauce
3 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 White pepper

• Combine chicken and baking soda in a small bowl and toss to combine. Set aside for 10 minutes to marinate, then rinse chicken well and pat dry.
• Pour 2 tbsp of Chow Mein Sauce over the chicken and set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.
• Prepare the noodles according to the package instructions.
• Heat oil in wok or large fry pan over high heat.
• Add garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds until the garlic is golden brown and you can smell the garlic in the oil. 
• Add chicken and stir fry until the skin is white but the inside is still raw - about 45 seconds to 1 minute.
• Add the cabbage, carrot, and the white pieces of scallions. Stir fry for 1 - 1½ minutes until the cabbage is just starting to wilt and the chicken is cooked through.
• Add the cooked & drained noodles, Chow Mein sauce and water. Toss to coat everything in the sauce.
• Add bean sprouts and remaining shallots/scallions. Stir and remove from heat. Serve immediately

Pan Fried Noodles with Chicken (Gai See Chow Mein)

This is delish! My mom makes this with some sliced roast pork and those crunchy skinny yellow noodles... This is a rough adaptation because I have neither the roast pork or the right noodles. 

Don't let the long list of ingredients or steps deter you! This meal is worth it and can actually be prepared in 30 minutes with no additional prep time!! I have adjusted the steps below with the order that I 

Some changes....

I didn't use a wok - I used my largest pot. 

I used noodles from Wegman's (Assi Pasta, Oriental Style Noodle), but egg noodles or even spaghetti would work. 

I used petite baby bok choy but the Shanghai bok choy, American broccoli or Chinese broccoli (gai lan) would be tasty. Just go with whatever veg looks better at the store that day!

I didn't use the oyster sauce because I didn't have any. 

I didn't use the sugar because I didn't think my dinner needed sugar. 

I added carrots and bean sprouts because...why not!?

Now that I've made this meal a couple times I've tried to be more efficient with NOT using all the dishes, pots, and pans in the kitchen. Here are the tips...

Cut the veggies before the chicken (this reduces a cutting board AND a knife!)

Use the same large pot for everything (cooking the noodles, frying the noodles, cooking the chicken, and making the sauce)

Share the serving plate with someone you love and no extra plate dishes!

Measure all the dry things before the wet things (aka corn starch before sesame oil and soy sauce) 

Pan Fried Noodles with Chicken (Gai See Chow Mein)
Adapted from The Woks of Life

serves 2

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts 

2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch

4 bundles of dried Hong Kong style egg noodles or 10 oz. fresh HK Style noodles (OR any noodles)

1 small bunch of choy sum or baby bok choy (about 2-3 cups), washed and cut into strips

1-2 handfuls of baby carrots cut into match sticks
1 cup chicken stock 

1 tablespoon oyster sauce (optional)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Pinch of sugar (optional)
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground white pepper
2 cloves garlic powder

2 tablespoons cornstarch + 2 tablespoons water 

3 tablespoons oil 

2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (any Chinese cooking wine)

1 - 2 handfuls Bean Sprouts

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While you wait...
• Wash and slice your veggies.
• Slice your chicken into thin strips. In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, oil, cornstarch with the sliced chicken. Set aside.
• In a small pot on the stove, combine the oyster sauce, garlic powder, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, salt, white pepper, and chicken stock. Leave it alone while it comes to a simmer.
• In a small bowl, mix the 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water into a slurry and set aside.
• Once water is boiling, add the noodles. (For fresh noodles, boil for 30 seconds to a minute. For dried noodles, boil for 4-6 minutes). Do not overcook them! Drain, rinse with cold water, set aside. 
• Heat your large pot over high heat and add 2 tablespoons oil, making sure to swirl it around to coat the sides. Spread out your noodles in an even layer and fry for about 3 minutes, or until golden and crisp. 
• Flip the noodles over and fry the other side (you can add a bit more oil if necessary).
• Theoretically the noodles should not stick, I have yet to have success and end up scraping it off the bottom. It is still crispy and good, just not as pretty! When the noodles are golden on both sides, transfer the noodles to a large round plate. 
• In the same large pot, add another tablespoon of oil. Sear the chicken breast and carrot sticks.
• Once browned, add the shaoxing wine to deglaze the pan. Pour in your sauce.
• Let the liquid come to a boil and add your green vegetables. 
• Stir and cook for about a minute. 
• Stir up your slurry mixture again, since the cornstarch probably settled to the bottom of the bowl. 
• Once the liquid is boiling, add about 2/3 of the cornstarch and stir the mixture to thicken. Add more slurry until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon. How thick you like your sauce it is also about personal preference. Allow to bubble up for another 30 seconds or so. 
• Pour the entire mixture over the noodles and serve immediately. Serve with hot chili oil or Sriracha on the side if you like!

Rotisserie Chicken Dry Rub

Instead of eating deli meat for lunch we have been making rotisserie chicken! I triple the spice amounts below and store the rub so it is on hand.

If you chill in the fridge it will create nicer slices.

Rotisserie Chicken Dry Rub
2 tbsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp white pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt

Combine above spices in a container with a top and then store in a cool dry place.

Use: Coat chicken until covered, approx 1 - 2 tablespoons for each chicken breast. Drizzle olive oil  on the top and rub onto the chicken. Bake at 400F for 25-45 minutes.

Spaetzle

While tasty I did NOT have the correct technique. These were a pain to make and made a mess of my kitchen!

The dough was very sticky and elastic-y. It was like a very thick pancake batter. This made it difficult to push through the metal colander. It was also problematic when the colander fell into the boiling water and all the dough cooked into each little draining hole.

Next time, I'll put it in a plastic bag and cut off the corner off it. Then I'll dribble the spaetzle dough into the hot water. When it floats it is ready to be fished out of the water!

I served this with our Sauerbraten pot roast!

sticky batter!

connected chopsticks with twist ties
to make a frame. This sort of worked...

balanced the colander over the
 boiling water. How could this end poorly?

Spaetzle Dumpings

Adapted from All Recipes

Makes 2 servings (even though the recipe says this would serve 6)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup milk (almond milk worked)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
1 pinch freshly ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

• Mix together flour, salt, white pepper, and nutmeg. Beat eggs well, and add alternately with the milk to the dry ingredients. Mix until smooth.
• Press dough through spaetzle maker, or a large holed sieve or metal grater.
• Drop a few at a time into simmering liquid. Cook 5 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
• Optional: Saute cooked spaetzle in butter or margarine. Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley on top, and serve