Thai-Style Stir-Fried Noodles with Chicken and Broccolini
- 2(6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut against grain into 1/4-inch thick slices
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 8 ounces (1/4-inch-wide) rice noodles (e.g. Farkay noodles. Don't use something too thin.)
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup oyster sauce (66 g)
- 1 teaspoon molasses (7 g)
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 3 garlic cloves, diced
- 3 large eggs
- 10 ounces broccolini or broccoli, florets cut into 1-inch pieces, stalks cut on bias into 1/2-inch pieces
Optional Extras
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 1 serrano chile, stemmed and sliced into thin rings
- garnish (parsley or cilantro)
If you wish, combine vinegar and serrano in bowl. Let stand while you do the rest.
Combine chicken with 2 tablespoons water and baking soda in bowl. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Rinse chicken in cold water and drain well.
Bring water to boil. Add noodles and cook until noodles are almost tender, about 8 minutes or according to package instructions (some call for taking noodles off the boil and soaking instead). Drain well and toss with 2 teaspoons oil.
While water is boiling, whisk oyster sauce, molasses, fish sauce, sugar, soy sauce, and vinegar together in bowl.
Set a large serving bowl beside the stove.
Heat 2 teaspoons oil and garlic in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat, stirring occasionally, until garlic is deep golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add chicken and 2 tablespoons sauce mixture, toss to coat, and spread chicken into even layer. Cook, without stirring, until chicken begins to brown, 1 to 1½ minutes. Using tongs, flip chicken and cook, without stirring, until second side begins to brown, 1 to 1½ minutes. Push chicken to 1 side of skillet. Add 2 teaspoons oil to cleared side of skillet. Add eggs to clearing. Using rubber spatula, stir eggs gently and cook until set but still wet. Stir eggs into chicken and continue to cook, breaking up large pieces of egg, until eggs are fully cooked, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer chicken mixture to serving bowl.
Meanwhile, while the chicken is cooking, you can chop up your broccoli.
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in now-empty skillet until smoking. Add broccolini and 2 tablespoons sauce and toss to coat. Cover skillet and cook for 2 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking. Remove lid and continue to cook until broccolini is crisp and very brown in spots, 2 to 3 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking. Transfer broccolini to bowl with chicken mixture.
If your pan is totally gunked up at this point, you could add a little water to wash it out a bit, and then reheat.
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in now-empty skillet until smoking. Add half of noodles and 2 tablespoons sauce and toss to coat. Cook until noodles are starting to brown in spots, about 2 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking. Transfer noodles to bowl with chicken mixture. Repeat with remaining 2 teaspoons oil, noodles, and sauce.
Transfer noodles to serving bowl and serve immediately, passing chile vinegar separately. Optional: garnish with cilantro or parsley.
Note: your choice of fry pan will be key to your success on this dish. A nonstick skillet is helpful because of the eggs, and so things don't stick in between batches.
Source: America's Test Kitchen. I have simplified the steps somewhat.