Jan 7, 20243 min read

Friday Night Bites: Chicken Chow Mein

It’s Friday Night and it’s a chilly night, why not cozy up to Second Act Scratch for some home cooking and love. In our upcoming episode, join us as Doreen shares a heartwarming family recipe—her mom's cherished Chicken Chow Mein.

Listen in as Doreen takes us on a flavorful journey, preparing this beloved dish live for Tony and Tim. Through this culinary adventure, Doreen opens up about her family history and upbringing, narrating heartfelt stories from her childhood with her mom, who was a dedicated nurse. Tune in for a delightful blend of food, family tales, and a taste of Doreen's nostalgic past.

Recipe:

Serves Prep Time Total Time

3-4 30 min 45 min

Ingredients:

(all amounts are approximations and can be adjusted to your taste)

12 ounces dry Chinese noodles

3/4 pound chicken breast, thinly sliced

12 napa cabbage leaves, cut in half, lengthwise, then chop into bite size pieces.

3 stalks green onions, fine chop

~¼ + 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger powder

~1-2 teaspoons Garlic Powder

~1-2 teaspoons Onion Powder

~1-2 Tablespoons Sugar

~1/8 teaspoon Black pepper

~2 Tablespoons Cornstarch

~½ -3/4 cup Aloha Shoyu (original)

~1/4 cup Sake

Kosher salt

Black pepper

About 1/3 – ½ cup Ta-Tung high grade soy sauce (black bean sauce paste)

~5 tablespoons canola oil

Directions

Follow the directions on the package for cooking the noodles. When noodles are done, pour noodles into a colander in the sink and run cold water over noodles till cooled. Set aside.

When slicing chicken super thin, it’s best that the breast is slightly frozen, this allow cutting it thinly much easier. If you’re not comfortable with that, cut it while it’s thawed. Add the sliced chicken into a medium sized bowl.

Add the ¼ tsp ginger, garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, black pepper, cornstarch, Aloha Shoyu and sake, and mix until well combined. You can cover and set aside for about 30 minutes to allow the chicken to marinade. Because the meat is so thinly sliced, it should marinade quickly.

In a large sauté pan or wok over high heat, add approximately 2 tablespoons of oil and allow to get very hot, add the marinated chicken and stir fry quickly. The existing marinade liquid may be thickened at this point, add some water (about ¼ cup or so) into the bowl the chicken was in, swirl around to get any additional marinade and add to the pan and stir into the chicken. If the sauce seems thin, make a quick slurry of cornstarch and water, and add to the chicken. You want some good gravy to help coat all the noodles. This should all happen quickly, less than 5 minutes. Pour the chicken and gravy into a bowl and set aside.

Add another 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil to pan, over high heat, allow oil to get hot. Add the napa cabbage and quickly sauté, adding salt and pepper to taste. Cook till just softened, about 3 minutes and add to the bowl of cooked chicken.

Add the last 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil to the pan, over high heat, add the 1/8 tsp ground ginger powder. You will see the ginger powder sizzling. Add the noodles to the hot oil into the pan and stir-fry quickly. Allowing all the noodles to be covered with a little oil. Add the TaTung high grade soy sauce mixing it completely so all the noodles are covered with sauce.

Allow the noodles to cook with the sauce for about 23 minutes. Add the chicken and Napa back into the pan with the noodles, stir frying and combining the noodles and vegetables together. Allow to cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Taste the noodles, check for seasoning. Feel free to add more of the high grade soy sauce or salt and pepper. Add the green onions at the end and give it a quick stir-fry.

Put in a large platter and serve family style. Enjoy!