Stir fries like this Chicken Chow Mein are a great cooking method for fast and nutritious meals loaded with protein and vegetables.
Featured Ingredients
A staple in Asian cuisine, bok choy is chock-full of nutrition, particularly rich in vitamin C, vitamin K, and beneficial phytonutrients such as polyphenols and carotenoids, and is especially high in glucosinolates. These are sulfur-containing compounds that break down into bioactive isothiocyanates and indoles, which are absolute rock stars as far as human health is concerned!
Chicken white meat is one of the most popular parts of the chicken as it is a low-carb and low-fat food. It is particularly rich in vitamin B3 (niacin), selenium, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), coQ10, and phosphorus, plus more. Per 3.5 ounce serving, it offers 22.2 g of protein, making it a very lean, high-protein food choice.
Mushrooms are by far the best food source of the non-proteinogenic amino acid ergothioneine, which has been nicknamed the “longevity vitamin” since studies show that it reduces all-cause mortality and is associated with longer lifespan!
Chicken Chow Mein
Ingredients
- 2-3 tablespoons canola oil or oil of choice
- 1 pound chicken
- 1 small onion sliced
- 2 medium carrots sliced
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced (or re-hydrated any variety)
- 5 ounces water chestnuts (one small can)
- 5 ounces bamboo shoots sliced (one small can)
- 4 cups bok choy sliced (about 3 small heads)
- 1/2 cup broth
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon corn starch (or arrowroot starch or kuzu starch)
- salt to taste
- 3 green onions sliced
- 1 pound rice noodles (any noodle: egg, soba, chow mein, lo mein, udon, kelp, etc.)
Instructions
- Cook noodles according to package instructions. Drain, rinse and set aside.
- Heat a wok or large frying pan on the stove top over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil to the hot wok.
- Add protein of choice to hot oil. Cook, stirring constantly, until fully cooked, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the wok and set aside.
- Add onion, carrots and mushrooms to hot oil (if there’s not much oil left in the wok, add another tablespoon before adding your veggies). Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are cooked to your liking, about 3 to 8 minutes.
- Add water chestnuts, bamboo shoots and bok choy. If the veggies are releasing a lot of liquid into the wok, turn the heat up.
- In a small bowl, whisk together broth, soy sauce and starch.
- Add your cooked protein back to the wok and add the broth mixture to the mostly cooked veggies. Stir constantly until the sauce has thickened, about 1 minute.
- Taste and season with salt, if needed.
- Toss with prepared noodles.
- Garnish with chopped green onion.
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