Light Chicken Chow Mein

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Nutritional Info

Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 152.2

Total Fat: 3.3 g
Cholesterol: 22.8 mg
Sodium: 789.6 mg
Total Carbs: 18.5 g
Dietary Fiber: 4.0 g
Protein: 14.8 g

View full nutritional breakdown of Light Chicken Chow Mein calories by ingredient

Introduction

I used to get a heavily-veggied version of this as a kid, skip the chow mein noodles, and eat the leftovers cold out of the fridge. So I recreated it! I used to get a heavily-veggied version of this as a kid, skip the chow mein noodles, and eat the leftovers cold out of the fridge. So I recreated it!

Number of Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 bunch celery (yes, the whole bunch), sliced across the stalk into 1/4" half-moons

1 onion, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp ginger root (minced extremely fine)

1 12-oz package of bean sprouts (not alfalfa sprouts, but the big soybean sprouts)

10 ounces of fresh mushrooms, sliced. I like crimini mushrooms for this, but white work just as well.

1 can of water chestnuts, drained well

1 can of bamboo shoots, drained well

1/4 cup soy sauce (I strongly recommend low-sodium soy sauce)

1 boneless, skinless large chicken breast, diced into smallish chunks

3-4 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon canola oil (you can use olive oil too)

Approx. 2 cups chicken broth (may take a bit more)

1/4 cup water

Tips

I use low-sodium, light soy sauce, which brings down the sodium a LOT. Sodium shown for this recipe is standard soy sauce, so the sodium's ridiculously high!

If necessary, you can add a little extra chicken broth to make the sauce thinner, but it's hard to add extra cornstarch to thicken it up further (if not impossible). So go heavy on the cornstarch to begin with... you can loosen it up with a bit more chicken broth or water.

Adding carrots to this (at the same time as you add the celery) gives it another level of flavor. Bell peppers work well in it, too.

This tastes great as a salad cold!

Directions

In an extremely large skillet (with lid) or a pot (also with lid), precook your chicken to almost-but-not-quite done. Remove chicken, leaving what little fat there is in the bottom of the pot. Add oil, garlic, ginger, and onion, and saute for approximately 2 to 3 minutes.

Add celery and saute for approximately 5 minutes or until crisp-tender.

Add mushrooms, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots. Saute for another minute or two, and then add the chicken back in and the bean sprouts.

In a large bowl, mix cornstarch with water (may take a bit over 3 tablespoons!). When smooth, add chicken broth and soy sauce, stirring well. Pour over meat and vegetables, then bring to a boil, stirring until the sauce thickens. Reduce the heat to low, and then cover and simmer for approximately 10 minutes.

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