Super Easy Chicken & Bell Pepper Chow Mein

I know it sometimes must seem as though I have all day to cook every day–and it is true that I often take advantage of my stay at home mother status to explore different cuisines with my kids at a leisurely pace–but I am busy like any other mom and frequently do not start dinner until after 4.  Which is when I reach for recipes like these.  This recipe truly takes the amount of time it takes to cook noodles–plus a few moments to heat the dish through in a pan.  The key is to quickly prep additional ingredients while waiting for the pasta water to boil, and then while the noodles are coking.

We were going out of town for spring break a few days after I made this, so I doubled the recipe so as to not have to cook again.  Mistake.  Not a horrible mistake as my dish still came out pretty darn scrumptious, but it was unwieldy and generally a pain, so I do not recommend doubling this particular recipe.  Given how easy it turned out to be, I also don’t know why I did not just make it fresh again the next day.  I found the recipe in Ming Tsai’s Simply Ming One-Pot Meals: Quick, Healthy & Affordable Recipes, an underrated gem if ever there was one.

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Super Easy Chicken & Bell Pepper Chow Mein

Adapted from Ming Tsai

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: bell pepper, chicken

Author: TheSpicedLife

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb fresh or dried chow mein or Shanghai noodles I used Shanghai but next time I might use Barilla Plus Spaghetti noodles for the added fiber
• salt to taste
• 8 T divided vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
• 3 T minced garlic
• 3 T minced ginger
• 1 bunch scallions cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup naturally brewed soy sauce I used a Chinese light
• 2 T Superior Dark Chinese soy sauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 juicy limes juiced (use more if they are dry, hard)
• 3 bell peppers preferably of different colors, diced
• 1 T toasted sesame oil

Instructions

1. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Pay attention while following the recipe and add the noodles when it boils.
2. Prepare the chicken. Place it in a plastic bag with the dark soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Massage to work it into the chicken and set aside.
3. Prep the veggies and set aside so everything is ready to go.
4. Prepare a wok or large skillet by placing it over high heat with 4 tablespoons of oil in it. Add the chicken and stir fry until the chicken is just cooked through (do not overcook or it will be dry). Remove the chicken and set aside.
5. In the meantime, the noodles have probably finished--drain them and run cold water over them (Ming Tsai has you prepare a large bowl of ice water but I forgot and this worked fine). Add them to a bowl and add 1 tablespoon of the oil to them, mixing it in.
6. Add another 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan (providing it is needed) and add the garlic, ginger and scallions. Stir fry for 1 minute, until soft. Add the light soy sauce to deglaze the pan, then add the honey and lime juice. Simmer for about 30 seconds to reduce by one quarter.
7. Add the chicken back the pot, along with the noodles and bell peppers. Toss to heat through, about 2 minutes, and serve, drizzled with toasted sesame oil.