Chicken Chow Mein

Food for Thought by Chef Katie Chin, For recipes, visit thesweetandsourchronicles.com

Happy New Year everyone! It is customary in Asian culture to eat noodles to celebrate the New Year and bring good luck and prosperity in the coming months. As I was going through my divorce I wanted to start the new year off with a clean slate more than ever before in my life. In fact, my friend suggested we build a bonfire and throw all of the objects carrying negativity from our past into the fire. Talk about a cleanse! Afterwards, I whipped up a bowl of my mother’s famous chow mein because it’s the ultimate comfort food for me and I was ready to welcome in all of the good luck and prosperity I could get. Please enjoy this recipe for Chicken Chow Mein!

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.