Chicken Chow Mein
Pan-fried noodles with genuinely crisp edges, tossed with chicken and bean sprouts. The textural contrast is the whole point — and it's easy to get.
Chow mein confuses American diners because two different dishes share the name. On the East Coast it often means soft noodles that are indistinguishable from lo mein. On the West Coast, and in Cantonese restaurants generally, it means fried noodles — a pan-crisped nest with golden edges and a soft interior.
This is the second kind, and the texture is the entire reason to make it. Getting it requires accepting one unintuitive step: the noodles are cooked twice, first briefly boiled, then dried, then pan-fried undisturbed until a crust forms.
The drying matters more than people expect. Ten minutes spread on a tray lets surface water evaporate, and dry noodles brown while wet ones steam. The other discipline is leaving the noodle pancake alone in the pan. Three or four minutes of stillness produces the crust; stirring produces the same soft noodles you were trying to avoid.
Sauce goes on at the end, lightly. This is not a saucy dish — you want enough to season and glaze, not enough to soak.
Instructions
- 1
Toss the chicken with 1 teaspoon cornstarch, the Shaoxing wine, and a pinch of salt. Rest 10 minutes.
- 2
Boil the noodles for 2 minutes only, then drain very well and spread them on a tray to dry for 10 minutes. Surface water is what stops them crisping.
- 3
Mix the sauce: oyster sauce, both soy sauces, sugar, broth, and the remaining teaspoon of cornstarch.
- 4
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high. Add the noodles in an even layer and press down. Leave them alone for 3 to 4 minutes until the underside is golden and crisp, then flip in sections and crisp the other side. Slide onto a plate.
- 5
Add the remaining oil and turn the heat to high. Sear the chicken 2 to 3 minutes until cooked through, then remove.
- 6
Add the onion for 1 minute, then the garlic for 15 seconds, then the bean sprouts for 30 seconds — they should stay squeaky.
- 7
Return the noodles and chicken, pour in the sauce, and toss for about a minute, just until coated. Add the scallions and sesame oil and serve immediately, while the crisp edges are still crisp.
Cook’s Notes
- Dry the noodles before they hit the oil. Wet noodles steam and never brown, which is why most home chow mein comes out soft all the way through.
- Do not stir the noodle pancake while it is crisping. It needs uninterrupted contact with the pan — poke at it and you get soft noodles with brown flecks.
- Sauce at the very end and only briefly. The whole appeal is the contrast between crisp edges and soft centers, and every extra second in liquid erases it.
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