Chicken Chow Mein Recipe

TOTAL TIME: 30 min

Prep: 20 min

Inactive Prep:

Cook: 10 min

2 servings

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon sesame oil, plus more as required

11 ounces skinless chicken breasts, sliced into strips

5 ounces dried yellow Shi wheat flour noodles* or medium egg noodles

1 teaspoon chile sauce, optional

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons groundnut oil (peanut)

1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely sliced

5 ounces bean sprouts

1 large spring onion (green), sliced lengthwise

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1 teaspoon five-spice powder

Freshly ground black pepper, finely ground

Dash dark soy sauce

Directions:

Boil the noodles for three minutes in a pan of boiling water until al dente, or as per the package advice. Drain, then run them under cold running water, and drain again. Sprinkle with a few splashes of sesame oil, and toss through to stop them from sticking.

With a splash of dark soy sauce, Season the chicken the five-spice powder, and chile sauce, if using. Blend well. Coat the chicken breasts lightly with the cornstarch.

Heat a wok over a high heat, include the groundnut or peanut oil, and cook until smoking. Then, put in the chicken, and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes, or until cooked through.

Include the red bell pepper, and stir-fry for one minute, then include the bean sprouts and green onion and stir-fry for less than one minute. Put in the cooked noodles, and season with the light soy sauce, one teaspoon toasted sesame oil, and black pepper, to taste. Stir well and serve right away.

About Chow mein:

Chow mein in Mandarin Chinese is pronounced 'Chao meean and it means 'stir-noodle', i.e. stir-fried noodle.This is a typical takeaway dish and a classic Chinese snack - people love this simple dish with plenty of fresh crunchy vegetables and the usual Chinese condiments of light soy sauce and toasted sesame oil - but the trick to getting a good-quality chow mein is in the quality of the noodle used. Some people use shi wheat flour noodles - 'shi' means 'thin' and whether yellow shi or white - they are easy to cook, three minutes in hot water. Then all the ingredients go into a wok - couldn't be easier or healthier!