Chicken Chow Mein

Chicken Chow Mein is extremely tender chicken slices mixed with softened celery and onion slices finished off in a thick broth.

Chicken Chow Mein is an East Coast Chinese classic. Unlike the traditional Chow Mein which is served over crispy noodles or Lo Mein (noodles), this dish is served over rice.

It was always such a treat going to a Chinese restaurant back then. I remember the hanging lanterns and the massive fish tanks. The dark wood chairs and leather booths. Even the dainty teacups on the table. I never drank tea unless I went to a Chinese restaurant. Oh and I can’t forget about the big dome shaped fried rice dish that would come out!

I even tried and absolutely loved, Peking duck, with Moo Shu pancakes. Oh it was so damn good. The duck was incredibly tender, the Moo Shu pancakes soft, the freshness of the scallions added brightness and the Hoisin sauce added a bit of sweetness. I don’t think I will ever get myself to actually make Peking duck but I would absolutely order that dish, again, in a heartbeat.

A couple of years ago I started searching high and low for this Chicken Chow Mein recipe, as it’s not as common as the Chicken Lo Mein. I can’t even believe I found pretty much the exact recipe I was looking for from thewolfepit. Not only does their website offer a variety of different recipes but there is a good amount of Chinese recipes on there that I will definitely be trying out.

Ingredients for Chicken Chow Mein

• 16 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast

• 2 tablespoons, soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon, Chinese rice wine vinegar

• 1/2 teaspoon, white pepper

• 2 tablespoons, cornstarch

• 1 egg white

• 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced

• 1 Vidalia onion, thinly sliced

• 2 cups, chicken broth

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch PLUS 1 tablespoon of water, mixed together

Velveting the Chicken

The longest preparation of Chicken Chow Mein, is to let the chicken “marinade” for 30 minutes. But this marinade is different than most. Why? Well thank you for asking! Because this “marinade” is called velveting. Velveting doesn’t add flavor to the chicken, like a true marinade would, but it fully tenderizes the chicken making for extreme tenderness. And it takes only 5 ingredients to yield such a soft, tender texture.

Start by thinly slicing your chicken breast for the Chicken Chow Mein. Truth be told, when cutting chicken into thin strips, it can become a bit tricky as the chicken can be slippery. One trick I’ve learned along the way is to place the protein in the freezer for 30 minutes. This process firms the protein up and helps ensure even slicing.

After slicing the chicken, combine the next 5 ingredients into a bowl, whisking until combined. Next add in the chicken slices and toss to coat.

Cover and let sit for 30 minutes. The longest you should velvet your protein should not exceed an hour. After an hour the meat starts to breakdown and loses its texture. Meanwhile, it’s time to prep the rest of the ingredients.

Continue by thinly slicing the onions and celery.

Finishing the Chicken Chow Mein

I love using a Wok for this recipe but a large skillet will do just fine. Add in 2 tablespoons of neutral oil to a hot Wok. Carefully add in the chicken slices and continue to move the chicken around with tongs for 2 minutes. Next add in the onions and celery cooking for another 2 minutes.

Carefully add in the chicken broth bringing it to a boil. Lastly add in the cornstarch mixture and stir until thickened.

The Chicken Chow Mein will thicken within just a couple of minutes. I serve mine over white rice, however you can certainly omit that or try it with Lo Mein noodles. I am so happy to have found this recipe and be able to share it with you. Now, I have to get back into the kitchen and teach myself how to make egg rolls. I mean, who doesn’t love some crunchy egg rolls to go with their favorite Chinese dish? ~Christina

More Chicken Recipes

• CHICKEN DIVAN

• CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

• CREAMY CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

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Chicken Chow Mein

Recipe by Christina Scanlon

Course: DinnerCuisine: Chinese, americanDifficulty: Easy

Tender chicken slices stir fried with softened celery and onions finished in a thick broth. Serve over rice.

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Ingredients

• 16 Ounce Boneless, skinless chicken breast

• 2 Tablespoons Soy sauce

• 1 Tablespoon Chinese Rice Wine Vinegar

• 2 Tablespoons Corn starch

• 1 Egg white

• 2 Celery stalks, thinly sliced

• 1 Vidalia onion, thinly sliced

• 2 Cups Chicken broth

• 1 Tablespoon EACH, corn starch and water, mixed together

Directions

• Thinly slice the chicken breast.
• In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, corn starch and egg white.
• Add chicken and toss to coat.
• Cover the chicken and let sit for 30 minutes.
• Heat a wok or heavy skillet, to high, adding the vegetable oil.
• Carefully add the chicken slices and move around with a spoon or tongs. Cook chicken for 3 minutes.
• Add in the sliced celery and onions, cooking for another 2 minutes.
• Slowly add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.
• Add in the cornstarch mixture and stir.
• Bring back to a boil and stir until thickened.
• Serve over rice.

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