Chicken Chow Mein

July 1, 2014

Author: KatieChin

Someone just asked me to name my ultimate comfort food. This is a tricky question because I love so many different kinds of foods that give me comfort (wait, is chocolate a food?) but my hands down favorite comfort food is a steaming bowl of Cantonese Chicken Chow Mein. My late mother used to make bowls of this for me on Saturdays or when I did something particularly good, like getting first chair in clarinet. Like many Chinese parents, my mom and dad preferred to show their love through food instead of saying “I love you” or giving us a hug and boy, did we ever feel loved. Noodles are also served at celebratory dinners because they symbolize long life, the longer the noodle, the longer the life. This easy and delicious recipe is from late mother’s vault and is savory, crunchy and filled with tender pieces of chicken and fresh veggies. Serve this for dinner and I guarantee you’re family will feel loved!

Ingredients

6 medium dried black mushrooms

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast or thigh, cut into shreds

1 teaspoon canola oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon soy sauce

Dash white pepper

16 ounces bean sprouts

4 ounces pea pods

2 green onions (green and white parts), cut into 2-inch pieces

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons cold water

1 package (8 ounces) Chinese egg noodles or linguini

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger

1 garlic clove, minced

3 tablespoons canola oil

1/2 cup sliced canned bamboo shoots

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees.
Soak mushrooms in warm water until soft, about 30 minutes; drain. Rinse in warm water; drain. Remove and discard steams; cut caps into thin slices. Toss together the shredded chicken, 1 teaspoon canola oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, the soy sauce and white pepper in medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Rinse bean sprouts in cold water; drain. Remove strings from pea pods. Please pea pods in boiling water. Cover and cook 1 minute; drain. Immediately rinse under running cold water; drain.
Mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch, the sugar and 2 tablespoons water.
Cook the noodles according to package directions and drain.
Heat 1/4 cup canola oil in a wok or skillet over moderately high heat. Reduce heat to medium and add the noodles. Cook and stir the noodles and light brown. Keep noodles warm in the oven.
Add 3 tablespoons canola oil to the wok or skillet. Add the chicken, ginger and garlic and stir-fry until chicken turns white, about 3 minutes. Remove the chicken from the wok or skillet.
Add 3 tablespoons canola oil. Add the mushrooms, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots and 1 teaspoon salt and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth mixture and cook until thickened, about 10 seconds. Add the reserve chicken and pea pods. Heat until the chicken is hot, about 1minute. Serve over noodles and garnish with green onions. Serve immediately.