Rev: CI's Sesame Noodles with Shredded Chicken [Archive]

doggerham

11-30-2004, 07:26 AM

Has anyone else made this dish?

Sesame Noodles with Shredded Chicken (http://www.americastestkitchen.com/Recipe/1044.shtml)

I saw this being made on ATK a week or so ago and thought it sounded yummmmmy! So, I made it last night, and here are my thoughts.

1. I did use fresh (frozen) Chinese egg noodles. I think I would search out another brand, as these were skinnier than I would have liked -- more like rice vermicelli in size, than traditional spaghetti. That said, I did like the flavor.

2. I did not find this to really be enough sauce for all the noodles. I ended up making an extra batch of sauce after dinner to use with the lunches this week.

3. Needs more green onions, IMHO.

4. Flavor of the sauce is terrific! In my second batch, I subbed chile-garlic paste for the tabasco and garlic. It seems more "authentic", and I had it on hand.

5. I still had some problems getting the meat and veg integrated with the noodles despite rinsing the starch off and using about 1 T more sesame oil than called for in the recipe. It seemed to work best if I tossed everything with my hands and kind of pulled the noodles apart. TG my DH wasn't home to see this part!

6. I would make this again and keep tweaking my technique.

doggerham

11-30-2004, 11:06 AM

Sorry, I think you need to set up a (free) account. However, using the handy-dandy copy and paste function, here it is:

Sesame Noodles with Shredded Chicken
Serves 4 to 6 as a main course
In our experience, chicken takes longer to cook in a gas broiler than in an electric one, which is why the cooking times in the recipe range widely. Although our preference is for fresh Chinese egg noodles, we found that dried spaghetti works well, too. Because dried pasta swells so much more than fresh pasta during cooking, 12 ounces of dried spaghetti can replace 1 pound of fresh noodles.

1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
2 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 piece (1-inch) fresh ginger, grated or minced (about 1 tablespoon)
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon hot sauce (such as Tabasco)
2 tablespoons lightly packed light brown sugar
Hot water
3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (11/2 pounds), trimmed of excess fat
1 tablespoon salt
1 pound fresh Chinese egg noodles or 12 ounces dried spaghetti
2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
4 scallions, sliced thin on diagonal
1 medium carrot, peeled and grated on large holes of box grater (about 2/3 cup)

1. Toast the sesame seeds in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1 tablespoon sesame seeds in a small bowl. In a blender or food processor, puree the remaining 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, peanut butter, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, hot sauce, and sugar until smooth, about 30 seconds. With the machine running, add hot water 1 tablespoon at a time until the sauce has the consistency of heavy cream, about 5 tablespoons; set the mixture aside (it can be left in the blender jar or food processor workbowl).

2. Bring 6 quarts water to a boil in a stockpot over high heat. Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to 6 inches from the broiler element; heat the broiler. Spray the broiler pan top with vegetable cooking spray; place the chicken breasts on top and broil the chicken until lightly browned, 4 to 8 minutes. Using tongs, flip the chicken over and continue to broil until the thickest part is no longer pink when cut into and registers about 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken into bite-size pieces and set aside. Add the salt and noodles to the boiling water; boil the noodles until tender, about 4 minutes for fresh and 10 minutes for dried. Drain, then rinse with cold running tap water until cool to the touch; drain again. In a large bowl, toss the noodles with the sesame oil until evenly coated. Add the shredded chicken, scallions, carrot, and sauce; toss to combine. Divide among individual bowls, sprinkle each bowl with a portion of reserved sesame seeds, and serve.