chicken lo mein*

I am a Chinese food fanatic. I don't eat it nearly enough for my liking, but that is probably a good thing. The husband does NOT like Chinese food. However, about once a year I can coerce him into going to Panda Express because he will eat their orange chicken and fried rice, as long as he eats around the vegetables. My favorite thing from Panda is also the orange chicken and the chow mein noodles. I mentioned on an earlier post that if I were to eat only one thing for the rest of my life, I think I would choose Panda's orange chicken and chow mein. I'm also a huge fan of P.F. Chang's crispy honey chicken and lettuce wraps. But in all seriousness, I like most Chinese food. I think in my previous life I was Chinese.

This chicken lo mein seriously tastes like something you would get from a Chinese restaurant. I was quite proud of us when we made this for all of the students and staff our first go round. It is quite the risk to do something so out of my comfort zone for that many people, but I could not have been more pleased with the end result. The only thing I was upset about was that I didn't get to eat lunch at work that day :(. I don't remember what I had going on, but all I got was my taste test and that was it! Plus I was doing biggest loser at the time so I am sure I wouldn't have eaten as much as I would have liked. I am so excited for when we get to make it again and I am having an overflowing plate full!

Chicken Lo Mein
from food.com

2 tsp. instant chicken bouillon granules (or 2 cubes)
2 cups boiling water
8 oz. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into long, thin slices
1/4 cup dry white wine (I left this ingredient out because we didn't have any)
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 tsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. sesame oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 can water chestnuts, chopped
2 cups finely shredded cabbage
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed and drained
1 carrot, shredded
8 oz. thin spaghetti, cooked and drained

Dissolve broth granules in boiling water in small saucepan. Pour 1/2 cup broth mixture into large skillet. Let remaining liquid in saucepan cool. Bring mixture in skillet to boiling. Add chicken and simmer 5 minutes, until no longer pink in center. Remove chicken with slotted spoon to platter. Pour off liquid from skillet.

Stir wine, soy, and cornstarch in small bowl until smooth. Stir into remaining cooled broth in saucepan. Heat oil in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger; cook 30 seconds, stirring. Add all veggies; cook, stirring 2-3 minutes until veggies are crisp-tender.

Add chicken and pasta; toss 2 minutes until heated through. Stir cornstarch mixture in saucepan; add to skillet. Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring, until slightly thickened. Top with additional sliced green onion if desired.

It seems like a ton of ingredients and lots of steps, but it's really not hard and the end result is simply AMAZING! If I could disguise all the veggies in there somehow, I would totally sneak this into my husbands diet so that I can make this on a more regular basis. This would actually be something that I wouldn't mind eating leftover (I am not a big leftover fan), so maybe I will just make some for myself and eat it everyday for a week. I really wouldn't mind :).

-alyssa*