Fresh, spicy and somewhat easy!
I’ve been making Asian dishes since I’ve been married (56 years this August). Early marriage I made lo mein, chow mein (which is American recipe), Chop Suey (Chinese), Somasos (Indian), and Sushi (Japanese). I’m sure there are many others I have forgotten about.
Back when we were dating in high school, GA asked me to dinner at his house. His mother had made chicken chow mein, which I had never eaten before, and it was delicious. To this day everytime I make chow mein, I think of that dinner at his house and him filling my plate and saying “you are really going to like this”. I don’t know why she served rye bread, with butter, with the chow mein BUT I can’t have chow mein without having a loaf of rye bread and some really soft butter.
I made a few changes in this recipe I found somewhere on the internet (I can’t find exact site even though I printed off). Anyway, I had lo mein noodles (the long flat kind, not ramen, recipe called for rice noodles), I had bought ground chicken for another recipe and decided to use that instead of chicken breast. (See note if you want to use breast or thigh meat). The recipe called for 1/4 cup of brown sugar which we though a little sweet; next time I would use two tablespoons.
This was really a pretty easy recipe. What would make it even easier is if you had everything prepped early in the day or even the day before. I did everything at dinner time and it still took me less than 30 minutes to make the dish. I think throwing in some sugar snap peas (I like the best) or snow peas at the end would add more color and crunch to the dish.
If you are looking for a culinary trip to an Asian country, give this recipe a try and you won’t even have to leave home.
BLAST FROM THE PAST: I won a recipe contest years ago when we lived in Louisville, KY for these Italian Stuffed Mushroons. They are still a favorite appetizer of mine.
I like to have all my ingredients prepped in advance. This night I did not but still took me under 30 minutes to make this dish.
Cook noodles according to package directions, drain and set aside.
Cook the chicken (or pork/shrimp) until no longer pink, remove from pan and set aside.
Whisk all the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
Add oil to pan and the vegetables and saute 4-5 minutes.
Move vegetables to one side of the pan and add the eggs and quickly scramble.
Ready to assemble the dish — add in the cooked chicken.
Add in the noodles and sauce; toss to thoroughly coat everything.
Garish with peanuts, cilantro, bean sprouts extra lime slices and the extra green onions.
Chicken Pad Thai
Ingredients
- 4-6 oz. lo mein egg noodles
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. vegetable oil divided
- 8 oz. chicken shrimp or pork (ground or not)
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 bunch green onions cut into 1" pieces green and white
- 1 c. julienned carrots
- 1 c. julienned mixed red and yellow bell pepper
- 2 eggs
- 1 can bean sprouts drained and rinsed
- sugar snap or snow peas optional
- PAD THAI SAUCE:
- 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
- 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. sriracha
- 2 Tbsp. smooth peanut butter
- GARNISH:
- lime wedges
- 1/2 c. roasted peanuts crushed
- 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Cook the lo mein noodles according to package directions. Set aside.
- Pad Thi sauce: Whisk all the suce ingredients t5ogether in small bowl then set aside until finishing the dish.
- Put about half of the vegetable oil in large saute pan (or wok) and cook until no longer pink. I used ground chicken so it cooked pretty fast. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add the remaining oil to pan and add the green onions (save about 1/3 cup for garnish), carrots and peppers. Saute for about 4-5 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook another 30 seconds.
- Move veggies to one side of pan and crack the two eggs into pan. As they start to cook, break them up nd scramble using a spatula into little pieces. This should take about 1 minute. Add in the sugar snap/snow peas if using.
- Ready to assemble, add in the chicken (pork or shrimp), half of the beat sprouts, the cooked noodles, half the cilantro and sauce. Toss this to make sure everything is covered with the sauce and heated through. You can add 1-2 Tbsp. water if it seems to dry. Put the Pad Thai into large serving bowl or platter. Garish with remaining bean sprouts, peanuts, cilantro and lime wedges.
- Serve immediately. Bon Appetite!
Recipe Notes
If using boneless chicken breastnor thighs (I used ground) cut into small pieces before cooking. The fish sauce may smell like the nastiest thing you have ever smelled but believe me it adds to the flavor of Asian dishes.
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