Recipe: Chicken Chow Mein (4 recipes) for Arline, BC

Hi Arline :-) I found these recipes on the internet but have not tried any of them. I hope that one of them will give you that familiar taste you have been missing. Good luck!

Chicken Chow Mein From Food Network Kitchens
Yield: 4 main course servings

3 ounces dried chuka soba noodles, or other Chinese egg noodles
1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons peanut oil
Kosher salt
1/2 cup chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, plus more for the table
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon sugar
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 6 ounces), cut into thin 2-inch-long strips
1 teaspoon dark Asian sesame oil
1 heaping tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 scallion, white and green minced
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced on the diagonal
10 dried shittake mushrooms, rehydrated, drained, and thinly sliced
1/3 cup thinly sliced canned water chestnuts
6 ounces fresh mung bean sprouts
3 cups cooked white rice, hot

Boil the noodles according to package instructions. Drain in a colander in the sink and rinse under cold running water. Shake the colander to drain off excess water and pat the noodles dry with a towel.
Heat 1/4 cup of the peanut oil in a large seasoned or non-stick skillet over high heat. Add the noodles, spreading them out to evenly cover the skillet, and fry, turning once, until golden brown and crispy, about 8 minutes. (Break the noodles up, by stirring, near the end of the cooking). Transfer noodles to a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt to taste. Set aside. Discard any excess oil and wipe out the pan.

Whisk together the chicken broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce, cornstarch, and sugar in a small bowl, and set aside. Season the chicken with the dark sesame oil, salt, and pepper, and set aside.

Heat the skillet over high heat. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons peanut oil until very hot. Add the ginger, garlic, and scallion and stir-fry, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken and stir-fry, until lightly browned, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add the onion, celery, and mushrooms and stir-fry, until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add the water chestnuts and spread the ingredients to the outside of the pan to form a well in the center. Pour the chicken broth mixture into the well, bring to a boil, and stir to coat the chow mein mixture. Stir in the bean sprouts and remove from the heat. Season generously to taste with pepper.

Transfer chicken chow mein to a warm platter and top with the fried noodles. Serve immediately with rice. Pass more soy sauce at the table.

Chicken Chow Mein
(In China, chow mein is made with soft noodles. For crispy noodles, add more oil than the recipe calls for and cook the noodles longer to dry them out. You can substitute shrimp or pork for the chicken)

Servings: 4 to 6

1 pound chicken meat (or pork or shrimp)
1 cup celery
1 pound bok choy or broccoli
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 pound dry won ton noodles
1 pound bean sprouts or snow pea pods
1 medium onion, sliced
1 green onion, diced along the diagonal
1 carrot, sliced (optional)
1 red pepper, sliced (optional)

Seasonings for Chicken
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 - 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
salt, pepper to taste
1 small piece (less than 1 teaspoon) of cornstarch

Gravy:
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 cup water
Salt, accent (if desired) and pepper to taste

Wash the bean sprouts to give them more time to drain.

Boil noodles in salted boiling water until they are soft, but not sticky. (Break the noodles in half if desired so they are easier to manage). Blanch the noodles in cold water and drain.*

Cut the chicken into thin strips. Add seasoning ingredients to chicken, adding cornstarch last. Marinate chicken in seasonings for 10-15 minutes.

While chicken is marinating, prepare vegetables. Cut the bok choy diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices, slice mushrooms. If substituting broccoli for bok choy, peel the stalks until no more strings come out, and slice thinly on the diagonal.

Heat the frying pan on high, add 2 tablespoons of oil and fry the noodles in small portions until they are golden. Use chopsticks to separate the noodles as they are frying. Remove the noodles. Add more oil and add the meat and onion to the pan. Stir-fry until the meat has no redness. Remove from wok or pan.

Cook the rest of the vegetables separately, adding a bit of salt if desired to taste. (With the bean sprouts and bok choy add a bit of sugar as well if desired). If desired, add about 1/4 cup of water and cover pan while cooking bok choy, as it doesn't contain much moisture.
Give the gravy a quick restir. Add all the ingredients back into the wok, making a "well" in the middle if the wok for the gravy. Mix well. Add green onions at this point if desired, or save them for a garnish. Pour on top of the noodles. Garnish with sesame seeds. Serve hot.

*If using fresh noodles, still boil them in hot water as this removes some of the starch and makes stir-frying easier.

Chicken Chow Mein

1 pound fine Chinese egg noodles (Dahn Min)
Peanut oil
Sesame oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 cup thinly sliced white Chinese cabbage or green cabbage
1 cup bean sprouts, washed and drained
8 green onions, cut into 2-inch lengths
1 cup sliced bamboo shoot
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water

First (and very important), soak noodles in hot water for about 10 minutes. Drain.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add the noodles. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain immediately in a large colander and rinse with cold water; drain thoroughly. Allow to air-dry for at least 30 minutes on a paper towel-lined baking sheet.
Heat 2 tablespoons each of peanut oil and sesame oil in a wok or large skillet and when very hot add a handful of noodles. When golden on one side, turn and fry the other side. Remove to paper towel-lined plate and keep warm. Repeat with remaining noodles, adding more oil if necessary.

Heat another 2 tablespoons peanut oil in the wok or skillet and fry the garlic and ginger for a few seconds. Add the chicken, cabbage, bean sprouts, green onions and bamboo shoot. Stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes. Push chicken and vegetables to the side of wok or skillet.
Add the broth and soy sauce, bring to a boil, then stir in the cornstarch mixture. Stir until mixture boils and thickens. Mix in the chicken and vegetables until sauce coats well and serve immediately over the fried noodles.
Serves 4 to 6.

Ming Tsai's Chicken Chow Mein My Way from the Blue Ginger cookbook

2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 cup Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
1/2 cup oyster sauce
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh ginger
1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, sliced 1/8 inch thick
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper plus additional
1 Tbsp. sambal oelek
1 lb. chicken meat, preferably from legs and thighs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 lb. fresh or dried to mein (egg noodles)
5 Tbsp. canola oil
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 cups quartered fresh shiitake mushroom caps
4 heads bok choy, cored and cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium canned broth
salt

In a large bowl, combine the cornstarch and wine and mix. Stir in the oyster sauce, ginger, scallions, the 1 teaspoon pepper, and the sambal oelek. Add the chicken, stir to coat, and allow to marinate covered and refrigerated for at least 2 hours and preferably overnight.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a bowl with water and add ice. Add the lo mein to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 5 minutes for fresh, 10 to 15 minutes for dried. Drain and transfer the noodles to the ice water. When cold, drain and toss with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Set aside.

Heat a wok over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil and swirl to coat. When the oil shimmers, add the garlic and shiitakes and stir-fry until the mushrooms are soft, about 4 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and set aside. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of the oil and, when hot, add the chicken and stir-fry until almost cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the bok choy and stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.

Add the stock and season with the salt and pepper to taste. Add the reserved shiitakes and the noodles. Stir to coat, and heat through, about 5 minutes.

Correct the seasonings and serve.

Serves: 4