Thursday, May 05, 2016
Chicken Chow Mein for Breakfast
Just remember, with the possible exception of the ham, the
meats, chicken and beef are raw and all precautions need be observed when handling,
preparing, freezing and storing the raw meats to prevent contamination and the possibility of causing a food-borne illness.
Using my stash of Recipe-Ready chicken pieces, I had fun cleaning out the refrigerator and was rewarded for my efforts with some delicious meals. Best wishes from Tennessee, home of chicken chow mein for breakfast!
Chicken Chow Mein for Breakfast
It is true. This blog is about chicken chow mein for breakfast. It’s not just for dinner anymore! Chicken chow mein is for breakfast too. But seriously, it is also about a tip to save time and some money
Back in my Florida days, shopping at the Publix Super
Markets, I saw in the meat section small packages of diced ham sold in 8-ounce
packages and labeled as “recipe ready” packages. As such they were just the
right size to make lunch and served ham salad sandwiches, or to make a
wonderful ham and cheese omelet. No need to buy a 10 pound piece ham when
you’re only going to use a handful to start.
So, that brings me today. We buy our chicken in the
multi-piece pack from the big-box stores and I repackage when we get home into
smaller portions. A lot of the times the chicken breast will have rough edges
or pieces of the tenderloin still attached. I trim those small pieces of
chicken and place them in a separate bag. And presto, I have recipe ready
chicken.
Place the diced pieces of the raw meat on a plastic film or
parchment paper covered cookie sheet. Cover with a sheet of plastic film and
place in the freezer until fully frozen. Remove the cookie sheet and place the
frozen meat chunks into a Zip-Lock freezer storage bag for short term storage
or into a Vacu-Seal bag for long term storage. Freezing them before bagging keeps them from sticking together; it is easy to grab a cup or handful as you need them. Observe safe food handling
procedures.
I used a bit of that recipe ready chicken to make my chow Mein
this morning for breakfast. Normally, my preferred breakfast is a serving of hash
browns (I like to make my own but I usually make too much so I use the little
already cooked prepared hash brown patties), and egg, and usually one strip of
the pre-cooked bacon (that saves a lot of frying time) and sometimes they slice
of buttered toast with a little dab of jam. As I said it’s my preferred usual
but sometimes a little difference is appreciated.
I just happened to have in the refrigerator a bag of bean
sprouts and some Chinese Peapod’s. There is a long story about those but that
is for another day.
In short order I assembled all the goodies to make my chow
Mein. I sliced up some celery, a bit of roasted red pepper, a small onion, some
sliced baby carrots, a clove of garlic and went to work. I use my five dollar
Walmart wok. The thin steel heats quickly on the ceramic stovetop so the
stovetop doesn’t get too hot. I preheated, added a bit of canola oil, watched
it smoke, and tossed in my chicken. I stir-fried until the chicken was browned
but not quite cooked all the way through. To save a bit of time I directly
added the vegetables but held back the bean sprouts and pea pods. I stir-fried
the vegetables until the celery was just tender. I then added the sprouts and
pea pods along with a few mushrooms that had been cooked the day before,
mushrooms that I put on just about everything else. While that was cooking, I
made a slurry of a rounded teaspoon of chicken base, a quarter cup of water,
and a few drops a sesame oil, and a good sprinkle of soy sauce with a
tablespoon of added cornstarch. I seasoned with salt, pepper, and some MSG.
Also while I was cooking, I boiled up a package of Ramen
noodles. I added the flavoring packet to the water. When they were cooked
through I drained noodles into a colander. When bean sprouts were just tender,
I added the slurry and stir-fried until the sauce thickened. I put the drained noodles on a plate
and then ladled on half of the stir-fried mixture (the other half will be
breakfast tomorrow). However tomorrow, I will use a bowl instead of a plate
because it is easier that way with chopsticks.
I enjoyed those two chow mein breakfasts but I would never
have made the batch if I did not have the diced chicken in a convenient, ready
to use small portion. I plan on keeping a supply of diced, ready to use small
portions of chicken as well as some beef and even make my own diced ham handy-pack
for the freezer. I never know when the impulse to experiment in the kitchen
will come but I will be ready when the urge strikes.
Just remember, with the possible exception of the ham, the
meats, chicken and beef are raw and all precautions need be observed when handling,
preparing, freezing and storing the raw meats to prevent contamination and the possibility of causing a food-borne illness.
Using my stash of Recipe-Ready chicken pieces, I had fun cleaning out the refrigerator and was rewarded for my efforts with some delicious meals. Best wishes from Tennessee, home of chicken chow mein for breakfast!Labels: bean sprouts, breakfast, chicken, Chow Mein, convenience packaging, food safety, meat, portion sizes, stir fry, wok
¶ 12:53 PM
