Name: Chicken Chow Mein for Two
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 4 ounces fresh Chinese egg noodles; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1/4 cup water; 2 tablespoons oyster sauce; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 1 teaspoon sugar; 1/4 teaspoon pepper; 1 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast , trimmed and sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick; 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms , stemmed and sliced thin; 1 small carrot , sliced thin on bias; 1 celery rib , sliced thin on bias; 3 scallions , green and white parts separated and sliced thin; 2 garlic cloves , minced; 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger; 2 ounces (1 cup) bean sprouts

Why This Recipe Works

This quick dish is a common item on Chinese American restaurant menus, but to adjust the yield so that it would serve just two, our recipe needed some tweaking. After testing many noodle varieties, we opted for fresh Chinese egg noodles. But we also found that the same amount of angel hair pasta mimicked the soft noodle that is the signature of this dish. A mixture of oyster and soy sauces, along with garlic, ginger, and scallions, gave the dish the flavors we wanted while keeping the ingredient list to a minimum. Adding ingredients to the nonstick skillet in stages according to their cooking time ensured that each component was perfectly done.

Before You Begin

Four ounces of dried angel hair pasta can be substituted for the Chinese egg noodles, if desired. Kikkoman Soy Sauce won the test kitchen’s recent taste test of soy sauces. The best tool for grating ginger is a rasp-style grater.

Instructions

Bring 3 quarts water to boil in large saucepan. Add noodles and cook until tender. Drain noodles in colander and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Toss noodles and 1 tablespoon oil together in bowl; set aside.

Whisk water, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and pepper together in separate bowl; set aside.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add chicken and cook until browned on both sides, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender and mushrooms begin to brown, about 4 minutes.

Add scallion whites, garlic, and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Off heat, add bean sprouts, noodles, and sauce mixture and toss to combine. Serve, sprinkled with scallion greens.