Lisa's Chicken Chow Mein

Name: Lisa's Chicken Chow Mein
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Fusion
Ingredients: chinese flour noodles; chicken breasts; soy sauce or tamari (for gluten-free); rice wine; cornstarch; bok choy; mung bean sprouts; celery; carrots; mushrooms, shiitake; soy sauce or tamari (for gluten-free); oyster sauce; bean paste; sugar

Submitted by largeneal

Lisa’s chicken chow mein: marinated chicken stir-fried in a smoking-hot wok with bok choy, shiitakes, bean sprouts, and noodles in a soy-oyster-black bean sauce. Restaurant-style in 40 minutes.

YIELD

4 servings

PREP

15 min

COOK

25 min

READY

40 min

Real Cantonese chow mein lives or dies by the wok. This version, named for Lisa, gets that smoky charred flavor (the wok hei prized in Hong Kong kitchens) by working over screaming-high heat and moving fast.

The foundation is right: chicken breast strips marinated in soy sauce, rice wine, and cornstarch for at least 30 minutes. That cornstarch is doing real work, coating the chicken so it sears into a silky glaze instead of releasing water and turning grey.

The sauce is a balanced trio: more soy, oyster sauce for sweet umami depth, and a tablespoon of fermented black bean paste for that distinctive funky backbone. Vegetables go first in batches so they char rather than steam, then chicken, then sauce, then noodles last. Toss until everything is coated and pull it off the heat.

Serve immediately. Chow mein waits for no one.

Chef Tips

Get the wok smoking before any oil hits it. The pan-fry chant is “hot wok, cold oil." Cold pan plus hot oil equals soggy stir fry.
Cook vegetables in batches if your wok is small. Overcrowding drops the temperature instantly and you steam instead of stir fry.
Slice chicken across the grain at a slight angle for tender bites. Long thin strips cook faster and stay juicy.
Pre-boil and drain the noodles ahead of everything else so they are ready when the wok needs them.

Variations

Sub thinly sliced beef or shrimp for the chicken without changing the marinade.
Add a few drops of toasted sesame oil at the very end for a nuttier finish.
Use thick rice noodles for chow fun, or fresh wonton noodles for a more authentic Cantonese texture.

Ingredients

PACKAGE CHINESE FLOUR NOODLE *

EACH CHICKEN BREAST
cut into thin strips

TABLESPOON SOY SAUCE OR TAMARI (FOR GLUTEN-FREE)

TABLESPOON RICE WINE

TABLESPOON CORNSTARCH

BOK CHOY
or other greens, such as spinach, thinly sliced, to taste *

MUNG BEAN SPROUT
washed and drained, to taste *

CELERY
thinly, to taste *

CARROTS
julienned, to taste *

MUSHROOMS, SHIITAKE
julienned, to taste *

⅓

CUP SOY SAUCE OR TAMARI (FOR GLUTEN-FREE)

TABLESPOON OYSTER SAUCE

TABLESPOON BEAN PASTE *

PINCH SUGAR *

Directions

Cook the noodles in boiling water until done. Drain.
Marinade the meat in soy sauce, rice wine, and cornstartch for at least 30 minutes.
In a measuring cup, mix together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, black bean paste, and sugar. Set aside.
Heat a large wok on high. When the wok is smoking add the oil. Stir fry the vegetables briefly, in batches if necessary, and transfer to a bowl.
Reheat the wok and add more oil. Add the marinated chicken and stir fry until the meat is cooked. Add the soy sauce mixture in step 3 and cook until boiling.
Add the noodles and vegetables to wok and toss well to coat. Take off the heat.