I have been obsessed with pan-fried noodles lately.  Years ago I used to love to order Chinese take-out when I first moved to New York – I couldn’t get over the fact that you could order just about any type of cuisine and have it delivered to your door.  The only thing [...]]]>

Chicken with Pan-Fried Noodles

I have been obsessed with pan-fried noodles lately.  Years ago I used to love to order Chinese take-out when I first moved to New York – I couldn’t get over the fact that you could order just about any type of cuisine and have it delivered to your door.  The only thing I ever ordered for delivery when I lived in St. Louis was pizza…

Over the years my fondness for Chinese food vanished… mostly because there were Chinese take-out places on every block and the quality had gone down immensely.  There would be more oil in the container than food… okay, I exaggerate a bit but the food delivered was always very oily and everything tasted the same.

Last year I was taken to a Chinese restaurant (under protest) in Brooklyn called Pacificana.  I hesitated to order anything and was very suspicious for what would hit the table.  My hosts order food family style… I’m sure I would be able to pick out something.  I was not prepared for what was to come…

The food was amazing!  Not oily and not greasy and NOT swimming in sauce!  The veggies were cooked just right and every dish had it’s own unique flavor.  My love for Chinese food had been awakened and my favorite dish became Beef served over Pan-Fried Noodles.  The noodles always came out crunchy despite the beef, veggies and sauce over them.  I dreamed about pan-fried noodles and looked forward to each visit.

I started thinking – I have got to learn how to make these for myself when the craving gets bad.  Stir frying has never been my forte and I don’t have a wok but I was determined to make them.  I searched the internet on pan frying techniques and found there wasn’t anything but heating up oil in a pan and frying cooked noodles… Okay, I’m game.  I looked at several recipes for stir fried veggies, found what was common among them, came up with my own recipe and decided to add chicken.  I couldn’t find Chinese broccoli so I picked up broccolini instead.

This was so good I had to go back for seconds…

*for the chicken broth, I used a powdered style mixed with water

Chicken with Pan-Fried Noodles

(serves 4 – 6)

1 12oz package of Chinese Noodles

1 lb boneless chicken breast, sliced into thin, bite size pieces

1 medium head of bok choy, washed and cut into bite size pieces (or 4-5 leaves from a large)

1 medium onion, sliced in half, top to bottom, then in ½” wedges

2-3 scallions, cut into 2 “ pieces, green tops included

4oz string beans, washed, stem removed (about a large handful)

3oz snow peas washed, stem and string removed (large handful)

1 large carrot, peeled and sliced on the diagonal

2” of ginger root, peeled and cut into matchstick pieces

4 – 6 mushrooms sliced

peanut oil

water as needed

Sauce

1 cup chicken broth (or veggie broth)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Prepare Chinese noodles as directed.  Drain and rinse noodles in cold water.  Drizzle a little peanut oil into noodles to keep from sticking and set aside.

In a wok or large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of peanut oil over medium high heat.  Add chicken to pan and stir frequently until cooked (about 3 minutes).  Remove and set aside.

Add another splash of peanut oil to pan and stir fry onions, scallions and ginger until onions begin to wilt.  Add water as necessary to keep from sticking.  Remove from pan.

To the pan, add bok choy, string beans and carrot, stirring frequently, adding water to keep from drying out.  When bok choy begins to soften, add mushrooms and snow peas.  Continue stirring and remove from pan when bok choy is soft but still crunchy (another 2-3 minutes).  Remove from pan.

In a small bowl, combine chicken broth, soy and oyster sauce and whisk in cornstarch.  With heat still on, add to pan stirring frequently and bring to boil.  When sauce thickens, add veggies and chicken to pan and mix together.  Turn off heat.

Pan-Fried Noodles

Pan-Fried Noodles

In a cast iron skillet, heat a tablespoon of peanut oil over medium high heat.  When oil begins to dance, add 4 scoops of noodles into pan.  Fry noodles until they begin to brown to a golden color (may take 3-5 minutes).   Turn over noodle cakes and brown other side.  Brown remainder of noodles into cakes.  One 12oz package should make 8-9 noodles cakes.  You may need to drizzle in additional oil as needed.

Remove noodle cakes to plate and serve it with the chicken stir fry.

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