Ruthy's Chicken Lo Mein Revisited!

Well, there are deadlines looming in the Herne house, and there are still folks who like to eat... so I dusted off this favorite because most of us love Lo Mein... and now that I've devised this recipe, it works so well for a crowd... or for a catch-as-you-can kind of meal.

I've finished my Christmas novella and my mystery and I've done all the cover work for the former... and I'm nearly done with "At Home in Wishing Bridge" revisions... But this week is that final push after a rough January of family illness here on the farm. But all are well now... (YAY!) and here's a look back at a great and delicious recipe! We like it warmed up, too, and the secret is in the sauce... not like in "Fried Green Tomatoes" style... but in actual oyster sauce style! :)

I'm experimenting with making Lo Mein.

Lo Mein like I buy at a Chinese restaurant.

Lo Mein that tastes WONDERFUL...

With a sauce that clings and leaves you wishing for more.

I think I"ve got it and it's fairly easy. Therefore it qualifies for "Simply Saturday!"

First, here are your ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 cups water

1 1/2 Tablespoons Chicken base or 3 bouillon cubes

1 Tablespoon garlic (granulated or a couple of cloves, crushed

1 teaspoon ginger

1 package Broccoli Slaw or Rainbow Salad

1 can water chestnuts, chopped (drained)

1 can bamboo shoots, chopped (drained)

For sauce:

Chicken broth from above

Splash of Sesame oil

1/2 cup Soy sauce

1/4 cup corn starch

1 cup water

2 Tablespoons Oyster sauce

1 lb. spaghetti style pasta (or fettucine, or linguine, or angel hair) cooked al dente.

Heat water in large frying pan. Add a spritz of sesame oil. The brown splotches you see here:

Add chicken seasoning, garlic and ginger. Mix. Add chicken, bring to gentle boil, cover and simmer about 5-10 minutes until chicken is just cooked through. Remove chicken to platter. Save liquid from chicken in small saucepan.

Cook pasta according to label directions, but don't overcook. Lo Mein is better with a firm pasta. Drain when done. While that's cooking:

Add a splash of olive oil to the now empty frying pan. Heat. Add the vegetables, all of them. Stir fry quickly over medium high heat, giving them just enough time to warm through and become slightly tender. You want a bit of crunch going on. 

And in a two-quart saucepan on the smaller burner do this:

Add corn starch to soy sauce and blend with whisk. Add all ingredients into the 2 quart pan with the chicken broth from cooking chicken and heat. Mixture will thicken as it heats.

Pour over vegetables. Toss lightly.

Add chicken. Toss again. Mix entire pan with drained pasta.

Serve.

The nice thing is that Lo Mein can be done meatless KAV!!!!  :)  And you can flavor the broth with veggie broth instead of chicken. I'm not sure how to get around the oyster sauce. This is a "secret" ingredient that gives Lo Mein that yummy indefinable background flavor and adds to the "clinginess" of the sauce. 

We liked this even better than my first attempt at Lo Mein a few weeks ago. This was restaurant worthy and shrimp or beef or pork could be substituted for the chicken. 

This easily fed six people on two chicken breasts. I mean really.... who can't celebrate that????