Shredded Chicken Chow Mein (手絲鷄炒麵, Sau2 Si1 Gai1 Caau2 Min6)

So, what to do with leftover chicken? Why make some noodles, of course. The leftover chicken is hand-shredded, some vegetables are added, and an oyster sauce based sauce is used to make this noodle dish. I happen to use fresh Shiitake mushrooms, but you can always use rehydrated dried mushrooms. You can use leftover chicken breast and/or thigh meat from the following recipes: Mom’s Grilled Soy Sauce Chicken (燒烤豉油雞, Siu¹ Haau¹ Si⁶ Jau⁴ Gai¹), Soy Sauce Chicken (豉油鷄, Si⁶ Jau⁴ Gai¹), Grilled Garam Masala Chicken, Grilled Soy Sauce Chicken (燒烤豉油雞, Siu¹ Haau¹ Si⁶ Jau⁴ Gai¹), and Poached Chicken (白斬雞, Baak⁶ Zaam² Gai¹) with Ginger-Scallion Oil.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
4 cloves	4 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
¾ lb.	375 g.	Cooked chicken thigh or breast meat (雞肉, gai1 juk6), hand-shredded
1 lb.	500 g.	Baby bok choy (小白菜, siu2 baak6 coi3), quartered lengthwise
12	12	Fresh or dried Shiitake mushrooms (冬菇, dung1 gu1), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
1	1	Medium onion (洋蔥, joeng4 cung1), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) lengths
1	1	Red pepper (指天椒, zi2 tin1 ziu1) cut into ½- (15 mm.) x 2-inch (5 cm.) lengths
1 lb.	500 g.	Bean sprouts (芽菜, ngaa4 coi3)
1 lb.	500 g.	Chow mein noodles (炒麵, caau2 min6)
		Oil for cooking

 

Sauce Ingredients

2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Oyster sauce (蠔油, hou4 jau4)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)

 

Equipment

14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan

 

Preparation Instructions

1. If using dried Shiitake mushrooms, pour boiling water over the mushrooms in a heat proof bowl and rehydrate the mushrooms for at least one hour or overnight.
2. Prepare the chicken thigh or breast meat by hand-shredding the cooked meat and skin. The chicken can be from the following recipes: Mom’s Grilled Soy Sauce Chicken (燒烤豉油雞, Siu¹ Haau¹ Si⁶ Jau⁴ Gai¹), Soy Sauce Chicken (豉油鷄, Si⁶ Jau⁴ Gai¹), Grilled Garam Masala Chicken, Grilled Soy Sauce Chicken (燒烤豉油雞, Siu¹ Haau¹ Si⁶ Jau⁴ Gai¹), and Poached Chicken (白斬雞, Baak⁶ Zaam² Gai¹) with Ginger-Scallion Oil.
3. Take the fresh Shiitake mushrooms out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking or remove the Shiitake mushrooms from the rehydration liquid. Remove the stems and cut the mushrooms into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces, and set aside. Reserve the rehydration liquid for later use in the cooking process.
4. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press into a small bowl.
5. Wash and quarter the baby bok choy lengthwise.
6. Peel the outer skin of the onion and cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces.
7. Wash and cut the ends off the red bell pepper. Remove the seeds from the center of the bell pepper cylinder. Make one cut lengthwise on the bell pepper cylinder, flatten the cylinder into a rectangle, and then cut into ½- (15 mm.) x 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces.
8. Wash and cut the green onions into 2-inch (5 cm.) lengths.
9. Wash the bean sprouts.
10. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil.

Cooking Instructions

1. Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the package and until the noodles are al dente. Drain the noodles and set aside. If ready-made or fresh noodles are used, “fluff” the noodles to separate them (i.e. you don’t want put a single mass of noodles into the wok).
2. Heat a wok or pan over high heat and before adding oil. Add the small bowl with the crushed garlic and ginger to the wok. When the garlic and ginger become fragrant, add the cooked hand-shredded chicken meat and stir fry. Set the chicken mixture aside in a bowl.
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the onion pieces. Stir fry the onions and then remove them to the bowl with the chicken.
4. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the Shiitake mushrooms. Stir fry the mushrooms and then remove them to the bowl with the chicken.
5. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the bell pepper pieces. Stir fry the bell pepper and then remove them to the bowl with the chicken.
6. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the bean sprouts. Stir fry the bean sprouts and then remove them to the bowl with the chicken.
7. Reheat the wok over high heat, add more oil, and then add the noodles. The wok should be very hot before adding the oil and then the noodles. Noodles cooked in a restaurant wok, over much higher heat than that available in a household kitchen, is served slightly burned, which gives the noodles an extra added flavor.  To try to emulate slightly burned noodles, try to put the noodles in one layer in the hot wok and add some liquid (water, Shaoxing wine, or mushroom rehydration liquid) to facilitate the heat transfer from the wok to the noodles, and leave the noodles alone. You want the noodles to get burned before adding more oil to the noodles and turning them over, repeating the process.
8. Add the green onions and the sauce ingredients to the wok and stir fry the ingredients together. Put the cooked ingredients into a serving dish.