Chicken Chow Mein

My husband LOVES Chinese food. He craves it like I craved beef and spicy food when I was pregnant with my girls. It's actually pretty funny, since all I have to do is say broccoli beef or fried rice or sweet and sour chicken or chow mein and he starts drooling, Pavlov's dogs style. When we stumbled across this recipe, I decided to add some shredded rotisserie chicken to it to make it a meal and we were all obsessed: me, Hubby, the 4-year-old, and the toddler. We now make this once every other week without fail. It is fast, easy, and completely delicious. I love having this chicken chow mein in my recipe arsenal, since it is always a hit!

There are a couple of important things to note in this recipe. The first is the yakisoba noodles. You can find those in the refrigerated section in your grocery store's produce section. The other is the ginger. The original recipe calls for grated fresh ginger. We tried it that way and thought that it made the recipe taste a little sweet, which we didn't like, so we use ground ginger. It has a spicier flavor that we love. These are just our preferences, so use what you like! 

Chicken Chow Mein

*Adapted from Damn Delicious

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded 

4 stalks celery, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

2-3 cups cabbage, chopped

2 packages yakisoba noodles, sauce packets discarded 

2 tablespoons canola or olive oil
Crispy chow mein noodles, optional

For the sauce:
1/3 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 heaping teaspoon white pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients and set aside. Cook yakisoba noodles according to the package directions. We do ours in the microwave. You just poke a couple of holes in the packages and microwave them separately for a minute and 20 seconds, give or take (again, we've made this so many times that we have it down to a science). Once done, break up the noodles and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat canola oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add onions and celery and sauté for 6 minutes, stirring constantly. Add cabbage and sauté for 2 minutes. Add chicken and noodles and stir to heat through. Make a hole in the ingredients and pour in the sauce mixture. Remove from heat and gently toss the chow mein to get it all coated in the sauce. Serve immediately topped with crispy chow mein noodles (the ones in the blue can), if desired. Enjoy!

White Chicken Chili

Since fall has finally come (sort of--it's supposed to be 70+ degrees this coming week--ugh), we are in full-on soup mode. I need it at least once a week for dinner. It's good for my soul! 

This particular recipe was something we made on a whim. I took a recipe I found online and modified it based on our tastes and what I thought would work a bit better. From prep to serving, it only took me 45 minutes, and it could easily be adapted to the slow cooker. Everyone enjoyed it--Hubs, the almost-four-year-old (on Wednesday!), and the almost-one-year-old (on Tuesday!). As for me, I didn't just like it, I loved it. I had two huge bowls, and, while I'm way too full, it was worth it. So, even though I didn't take a photo of this recipe, I'm blogging it because I NEED to. I need to have it on hand next time I need soup. You know, like next week!

White Chicken Chili

*Adapted from Food.com

3 chicken breasts or a whole chicken, cooked and shredded (rotisserie chicken is great for this!)

1 medium onion, diced

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 tablespoons flour

1 32-oz. box chicken stock

3 cans white beans (Great Northern), rinsed and drained

2 4-oz. cans diced green chilies

1 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup heavy cream

Shredded pepper jack and crushed tortilla chips, for serving

In a Dutch oven on medium heat, sauté onions in oil for 8 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add garlic and sauté an additional 30 seconds, then sprinkle on flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in chicken stock and bring to a boil.

Add in green chilies, beans, salt and pepper, oregano, cayenne, and cumin and stir. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add in cooked, shredded chicken and stir. Simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add sour cream and heavy cream. Stir to incorporate and then serve with shredded pepper jack and crushed tortilla chips. Enjoy!