Chicken Long Noodles

This has become one of our favorite dishes. A friend made it for her husband's birthday party, and it wowed everyone. She grew up in Hawaii, where this is apparently a pretty traditonal dish that everyone grows up with. Like any great dish that's been passed down through a family and culture, it's very simple to tailor to your own taste.

You will need...
Chicken Breasts
Mushrooms
Green Onions
Rice Sticks
Soy Sauce
Sesame Oil
Garlic
Sugar
Black Pepper
Olive Oil
Chicken Broth

This takes a bit of prep time and cook time, so if you are hungry now, you might want to save this one for later when your tummy isn't rumbling.

I start out by cutting the chicken into pieces. Whenever I'm making something that requires diced pieces of chicken breasts, I pick up a pack of chicken breast tenderloins. Years of being terrified of the kitchen have led me to work smarter, not harder. I prefer to let Jim Perdue start cutting up my fowl, I'll finish it up and take all the credit. I like to cut smaller pieces than I would use in other dishes, because I like the veggies to get some notice in this dish, too.


Place the chicken aside. It's garlic time. Now, I used to take the easy route with garlic, buying those big jars of minced garlic, but after being duly chastised by Anthony Bourdain in Kitchen Confidential, where he denouces using a garlic press and "that stuff drenched in gross-ness" (or something like that) I started mincing my own fresh garlic. I use a whole garlic for this dish, because we are huge garlic fans, but you can use less if you're not as enthusiastic about deterring vampires as we are. I use my handy "Slap Chop" to mince it up.

Seriously, these have got to be the biggest cloves I've ever seen. ("That's what she said!")

I love you, Slap-Chop

Yummy. And yes, that is a ton of garlic.

Now you're ready to start marinating. Grab a bowl your chicken pieces will fit in. Add your lovely, freshly minced garlic. Add a small amount of sesame oil, you don't need to coat every piece, but at least enough to cover the bottom of bowl. Add soy sauce.

Here you will want enough to coat all the chicken. You can add more later if you need to. I add some garlic powder and garlic salt, like I said, less vampires this way. Add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Add the chicken and stir. I like to use a cheap-o tupperware, through on the lid, and shake it all up. If you need more soy sauce, add some now. Once you're happy with your mixture, cover it and place it in the fridge for at least an hour. Another thing you can add to your marinade is fresh ginger. I've realized I'm not a fan of ginger other than ginger ale. It's supposed to help soothe an upset stomach and even curb hunger pains, but there is nothing I've found that will make me sick faster than ginger. If you choose to use it, peel the skin and mince just like your garlic.

While I'm waiting, I start prepping my veggies. Cut the green onions so you have little rings of oniony goodness. My grandfather used to grow onions every summer, and the smell always takes me back to afternoons spent playing in my grandparents backyard. Slice your mushrooms if you prefer whole ones. I get sliced baby portabellos, so I just rinse and drain. Refrigerate your veggies, pour a glass of wine, and go relax with a good book, it's gonna be awhile.

When you're satisfied that your chicken is throughly marinated, you can get back to work. Heat some olive oil in a wok, and when hot, add the chicken and any marinade that wasn't soaked up. If you don't have a wok, use a very large pan. A wok works really nicely for this dish. I've found you can spend a ton of money on a wok, but I found one for $15 at World Market that is amazing.

Before you get too into things, grab your noodles/rice sticks. Check the package, most rice sticks want to be soaked in cold water for at least 30 minutes before you cook them.

It would have taken me forever to find them, but my friend told me "bright orange package, like Ramen but not!"

Now that your noodles are soaking, sautee the chicken until it is fully cooked. Add the green onions, mushrooms, and any other veggies you like. We're adding bean sprouts and snow peas tonight for something new.

While your veggies are cooking, completely drain the water from your noodles, if their soak time is up. Add them to the wok. Once the noodles are added, add soy sauce. I add it over the noodles, enough so that the noodles turn a light brown color.

Let this simmer for a moment, and then add the chicken broth. I use at least a can of Swanson's, but I usually need a little more. This will make a nice broth for the dish, if you prefer it that way. It also helps later when you warm up some yummy leftovers.
There's nothing more to do but wait until the noodles cook. Stir occassionally, adding more chicken broth if it starts getting dry. The noodles take awhile. They will have slight crunch to them even when done, but it's your call how cooked they are.

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do. You can see it can really take on a life of it's own as you tinker with the ingredients.

If you have leftovers, I've found adding a little bit of water before microwaving helps keep everything nice and moist.

Enjoy!