Dan Dan Noodles with Chicken

The Big Guy cooked up a wok full of Dan Dan Noodles last night for dinner making use of the rest of the chicken tenders I had cooked to go into the stuffed poblanos the other night. We've had a pork version of these noodles before but it's the first time we've made them with chicken and I swear I'm going to make the dish with shrimp and beef too one of these days.

Dan Dan is really all about the sauce which means one could put practically any kind of protein in the bowl and have a marvellous meal. If you're wondering what makes the sauce so special, I can't really point at any one individual ingredient. A combination of lots of garlic and ginger, along with peanut butter, soy sauce, Sambal Olek, sriracha, sesame oil and chicken stock combined with noodles, chicken and crunchy fresh vegetables make a flavorful combination that's definitely worth having more often.

By the way, I didn't have any Annie Chun chow mein noodles like I'd used last time, so we cooked up some spaghetti to a nice al dente and used that. I'm convinced almost any kind of noodle would be fabulous, so don't sweat it. Just use what you have on hand.

Dan Dan Noodles (from JBug's Kitchen adapted from Ken Hom’s A Taste of China as well as Food and Wine Magazine)

4 chicken tenders, cut into quarter inch pieces

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

3 tablespoons minced garlic

3 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger

1/4 cup minced yellow onion

2 tablespoons peanut butter

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

2 teaspoons chili paste (Sambal Olek)

1 teaspoon Sriracha or more to taste

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 cup chicken stock

1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

12 ounces Chinese wheat chow mein noodles (I used Annie Chun’s)

Garnishes of shredded carrots, sliced green onion, red pepper and roasted peanuts or almonds

Combine chicken pieces, with soy sauce. Heat wok over high heat until very hot. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and when shimmering, add chicken. Stir fry until lightly browned and cooked through – about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from wok and set aside. (Note, I used pre-cooked chicken so eliminated this step.) Add remaining vegetable oil to wok. Add minced garlic, ginger and onion and stir fry for about 1 minute. Add peanut butter, soy sauce, chili paste, Sriracha, sesame oil and chicken stock mixed with cornstarch. Stir well to incorporate and simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile bring large pot of water to a boil. Cook noodles per package direction. Drain well and place into large bowl. Top with pork, then sauce. Garnish with shredded carrots, green onions, red pepper and roasted peanuts or almonds. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

A year ago - Flatbread Pizza   Two year's ago - Dark Chocolate Lava Cakes

 

Comments

[Lorraine]

There is something about peanut butter and soy sauce that is super tasty and surprising.

[June]

You're so right Lorraine - ketchup too. There's a recipe on this site for shrimp cooked with peanut butter and ketchup that's amazing (Crazy Shrimp). I mean who would think that could possibly be delicious but it is. LOL

[Lea]

CA Loves Dan Dan Noodles with Chicken and I have never found a recipe - thanks my friend!

[June]

You're welcome my friend. Your little CA has GREAT taste!