How to Make Chicken Chow Mein at Home
Photo by Chris De La Rosa
I’m a huge fan of Guyanese Style Chow Mein and while this is not such a recipe, you will see some similarities in this version. If you grew up in Jamaica, Guyana or Trinidad and Tobago (where Chinese Indentured Labourers “settled”) you grew up being exposed to excellent Chinese food, so it’s common for us to boast about our version of Chinese food.
You’ll Need…
2 lbs chicken breast (boneless)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoon veg oil (divided)
1 medium onion (sliced)
2 cups bell peppers (rough chopped)
1/4 lb mushrooms (sliced)
3 cloves garlic (diced)
1/4 lb veg mix (kale, carrot, purple cabbage and brussels sprouts)
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce (optional)
1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce
1 Tablespoon Oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Mushroom Flavor Soy Sauce
1 package Chow Mein noodles | 1 teaspoon veg oil
1/4 cup water | 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil (add more?)
Note! Please use the video below as a guide to follow along as much more about the recipe is discussed there. If you want to add a kick to the Chow Mein, feel free to add a couple diced bird’s eye peppers or a teaspoon of your fave peppersauce. Should you want, you may marinate the chicken breast with a teaspoon of Caribbean Green Seasoning. I didn’t as explained in the video.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan on a med/low flame. Season the chicken breast with salt and black pepper and add it to the pan. Cook for about 10-12 minutes (until fully cooked) and then set aside to cool. Be sure to flip them every 3 minutes while cooking so they cook evenly. I used chicken breast, but thighs are an excellent option as well.
As mentioned in the video I used a Guyanese style noodles for this recipe. Basically I cooked it according to the package instructions, except I cut back the cook time as explained in the video. As you drain it, rinse the noodles with cold water. Drain, then mix in one teaspoon of veg oil and toss. This will stop the cooking process and stop the noodles from clumping. Set aside.
Let’s create the sauce we’ll be using to pull everything together. In a bowl combine the Hoisin, Oyster and Soy sauces. Then add the grated ginger and Sweet Chili sauce. You may leave out that sweet chili sauce if you want, but may I recommend that you put 1 teaspoon of white sugar.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a wide pan or wok on a medium flame, then add the onion, bell peppers and sliced mushrooms. Stir well and if you’re using a wok, make use of the side of the work to spread things out so they cook evenly.
I cheated and used a pre-packaged bag of vegetable mix (rinsed). But you may opt to use any vegetables you have on hand or prefer. Typically I’d use chopped cabbage, scallions and broccoli. After 3 minutes, you may add the other vegetables and stir well. Add the garlic at this point as well, so we don’t risk burning it.
2 minutes after adding the vegetable mix, create an opening in the center of the wok and pour in the sauce mix we created. Swish around 1/4 cup of water in the same sauce bowl to rinse it and pour into the wok. We’re essentially heating the sauce.
Slice the chicken and add it to the wok, give everything a good mix at this point.
After a minute or so, add the precooked noodles to the wok and again, mix well!
After 2-3 minutes everything should be heated through and coated with the wicked sauce we created. You’ll notice that the only salt we added was when we cooked the chicken. The sauces we combine will have a sodium element to them, so this is when you should taste the Chow Mein and adjust the salt to your liking. I forgot to mention that when we added the onion etc to the wok, you may add 1/2 teaspoon white pepper if you wanted. I’m not a fan of white pepper.
It’s important that you prep your ingredients in advance as this is a quick dish to put together. As you turn off the stove, drizzle on the Sesame oil and give it a final stir.
Source: caribbeanpot.com
