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Thai-Style Stir Fried Noodles with Chicken and Broccoli

Source
Cook's Illustrated Sept 2012
Yield
4 servings
Prep info
30 min prep + 30 min cook
Prep time
Not set
Cook time
1 hour
Time required
1 hour
Oven preheat
N/A
Type
Mains - Misc
Status
Not tried
Tags

Ingredients

  • Chile Vinegar
  • 1/3 c white vinegar
  • 1 thinly sliced serrano chile (stemmed)
  • Stir-Fry
  • 340 g chicken breasts (boneless, skinless, trimmed, 1/4" thick slices)
  • 2 T water
  • 1 t baking soda
  • 6 c water (to cook rice noodles)
  • 8 oz rice noodles (1/4" wide)
  • 1/4 c vegetable oil (divided)
  • Sauce mixture
  • 1/4 c oyster sauce
  • 5 t soy sauce
  • 2 T dark brown sugar
  • 1 T white vinegar
  • 1 t molasses
  • 1 t fish sauce
  • The rest
  • 3 cloves thinly sliced garlic
  • 3 eggs
  • 280 g broccoli (florets cut into 1" pieces)

Method

For the chile vinegar:

1. Combine the vinegar and chile in a bowl. Let stand at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.

For the stir fry:

2. Combine the chicken with 2 Tbsp water and baking soda in a bowl. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Rinse the chicken in cold water and drain well.

3. Cook noodles: Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Place noodles in a large bowl. Pour boiling water over the noodles. Stir, then soak until noodles are almost tender, about 8 minutes, stirring once halfway through soak. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain well and toss with 2 tsp oil.

4. Mix sauce together in a medium bowl.

5. Heat 2 tsp oil and garlic in a 12" nonstick skillet over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is deep golden brown, 1-2 minutes. Add chicken and 2 Tbsp sauce mixture, toss to coat, and spread the chicken in an even layer. Cook, without stirring, until chicken begins to brown, 1-1.5 minutes. Using tongs, flip chicken and cook, without stirring, until second side begins to brown, 1-1.5 minutes. Push chicken to one side of skillet. Add 2 tsp 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, 30-60 seconds. Transfer chicken mixture to bowl.

6. Heat 2 tsp oil in now-empty skillet until smoking. Add broccoli and 2 Tbsp sauce and toss to coat. Cover skillet and cook for 2 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking. Remove lid and continue to cook until broccoli is crisp and very brown in spots, 2-3 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking. Transfer broccoli to bowl with chicken mixture.

7. Heat 2 tsp oil in now-empty skillet until smoking. Add half of noodles and 2 Tbsp 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 tsp oil, noodles, and sauce. When second batch of noodles is cooked, add contents of bowl back to skillet and toss to combine. Cook, without stirring, until everything is warmed through, 1-1.5 minutes. Transfer to platter and serve immediately, passing chile vinegar separately.

Notes

Notes from source: Rethinking the "Stir" in Stir-frying

The constant flipping and turning of stir-fries made in restaurants is critical, since more than a few seconds over the 100,000 BTUs thrown out by a commercial-grade wok setup would turn food from pleasantly charred to carbonized. But at home, where we use a flat-bottomed skillet over a flat - and relatively weak - Western-style burner, does all that stirring really make sense? We decided to let the food stay put, stirring each ingredient just once or twice during cooking. The upshot: a "stir"-fry almost as nicely browned as in a restaurant.

Note from SJ, 15 Jan17: Be sure to use substantial noodles.See what can be done to lessen burning onto pan.