Chicken Mei Fun
Updated Feb. 6, 2024
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 8ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
- ¼cup plus 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- ¼cup canola or vegetable oil
- 1tablespoon cornstarch
- ¾teaspoon five-spice powder
- ½teaspoon ground white pepper
- 8ounces dried rice vermicelli noodles
- 1½cups chicken broth or water
- 1tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2large eggs, beaten
- 1(1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and minced
- 3cups thinly sliced cabbage, preferably napa (5 or 6 medium leaves)
- 1medium carrot, peeled and thinly sliced into matchsticks
- 1medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced into matchsticks
- 2medium scallions, sliced into 1-inch pieces
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
553 calories; 23 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 61 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 25 grams protein; 1015 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
In a medium bowl, combine chicken, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon canola oil, 1 tablespoon water, cornstarch, ¼ teaspoon five-spice powder and ¼ teaspoon white pepper. Toss until everything is fully coated. Marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, hydrate the vermicelli noodles according to package directions. Transfer to a colander to drain, and rinse with cold water, shaking off excess. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining ¼ cup soy sauce, remaining ½ teaspoon five-spice powder, remaining ¼ teaspoon white pepper, chicken broth and sesame oil.
- Step 3
Heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Once oil starts to shimmer, add the beaten eggs. Once the sides bubble up slightly, about 30 seconds, flip and cook the other side; the omelet should be just set. Using a rubber spatula, roughly break up the omelet into large pieces, then transfer to a bowl.
- Step 4
To the wok, add 1 tablespoon of the canola oil, and once it shimmers, add the marinated chicken in an even layer. Do not touch the meat until the edges start to become slightly golden brown, about 1 minute. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, flip the chicken slices over and cook until the other side is golden brown. (It will not be fully cooked.) The chicken should not stick to the pan; if it does, leave it alone for 30 seconds to 1 minute more. Transfer the chicken to a medium bowl, leaving as much oil in the wok as possible.
- Step 5
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of canola oil to the wok. Once shimmering, add the ginger, cabbage and carrot. Cook until cabbage begins to wilt, about 1 minute. Whisk the sauce one last time before adding it to the wok, then cook until it is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Stir in the bell pepper and scallions, and return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the wok. Let simmer until the chicken is fully cooked, about 2 minutes. Return the vermicelli noodles and egg to the wok, and toss until everything is combined. Serve immediately.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Edward Blau
I often make a stir fry or fried rice with leftover meats and the fresh vegetables mentioned but if I were making this replica of stir fry would add fish sauce, oyster sauce, and chili garlic sauce to the soy sauce. We often use noodles to go with a stir fry.
Kay Kuma
Penzey’s Chinese 5-spice powder contains the following in order of volume. All ingredients are ground into powder form. China Cassia cinnamon Star anise Anise seed Ginger Cloves
DLF
Too bland. Next time I’d add some oyster sauce and chile sauce.
Jilly D
Frozen stir fry vegetable combos are a great shortcut for warm mei fun noodles without much prep. I thaw them under warm water and throw them into the pan toward the end.
B
We've been making a variation on this in our house all winter. We use Bachan's Japanese BBQ sauce from Costco. We just drizzle it on at the end with a few shakes of crushed red pepper. Easy peasy.
DPonLA
This recipe is adaptable--I like adding a bit of Chinese sweet soy sauce or even Korean red pepper powder to the marinade as well as sesame oil.
Kay
I use a 10 or 12 inch saute pan in lieu of a wok.
edward blau
I often make a stir fry or fried rice with leftover meats and the fresh vegetables mentioned but if I were making this replica of stir fry would add fish sauce, oyster sauce, and chili garlic sauce to the soy sauce. We often use noodles to go with a stir fry.
Karina
If you use just soy sauce as your seasoning in an Asian stir fry you could end up with a salty but bland one dimensional flavor profile To get the Asian street vendor taste - mix fish sauce, oyster sauce, generous pinches of sugar in a small bowl. A splash of shaoxing wine or sake won’t hurt. To help it coat your noodles evenly fast, thin it out with a tablespoon or so of water. Add to pan over your noodles. As you toss and mix during the stir fry this water evaporates
MaggieBee
My husband loved it, but I found it underwhelming, even with the suggested addition of fish sauce, oyster sauce, and wine. I need to try some Korean dishes instead, with gochujang and gochujaru to add some kick.
sueflblue
This was just…ok. Like others I found it bland and rather one note even though I doubled the ginger, added a jalapeno and some oyster sauce. Also my cabbage and carrot literally melted away to nothing. If I make this again I’ll add these veggies at the end with the red bell pepper. On the plus side the chicken was really tender and juicy!
WendyB
We really enjoyed this dish. Based on other reviews I added 3 minced garlic cloves to the sauce along with 2 tsp of cornstarch. Yummy!
missmandi
Definitely a great jumping off point. Make sure you rehydrate the noodles first (mine took 45 minutes to do properly). Doubled the sauce and added oyster sauce at the end to add another layer of flavor. Solid one to keep in rotation!
Gooey Sabor
1/2 cup broth & mushrooms
adaptations
Very delicious. Made a few subs based on what I had in the fridge: Serrano instead of bell pepper, shiitakes instead of carrots Doubled the chicken broth to make a brothier version
chicken mei fun
Can anyone tell me how 1 1/2 plus cups of liquid is reduced in half in four minutes or did I miss something? I ended up pouring out most of the liquid as I assembled final ingredients
NachoBizniz
Not for me but it's just ok. It was too bland, and I thought there was too much 5 spice. I only used half the noodles, and added some snap peas and a julienned zucchini. This would have been way too much noodle with the full amount.
Lissa
Really good! Made just as directed, with the exception of eyeballing a little extra of each sauce ingredient after reading reviews. Made in a stainless pot as I don't have a wok. Next time I will probably double the meat and definitely the veggies. Nice to get some different-than-our-usual flavors with the 5-spice. I don't think this took me much longer than the 45 minutes, even with actually prepping everything first (recommended), which is unusual with NYT. Will be in the regular rotation!
Marisa
I really loved this recipe. I followed the advice of other reviewers by amping up the sauce a little bit, reducing the chicken stock to 1 cup and adding a little fish sauce, oyster sauce and teriyaki sauce. Otherwise I made it exactly as is and it was great!
Betsy
WONDERFUL! Make whole sauce and half recipe.
Rhonda
I agree with the “too bland” comment. We had to add twice as much five spice, and a little salt. Not on the keeper list.
manny
Someone asked about ratios of soy, oyster and fish sauce. It is a matter of taste but I usually do 3 TBLS of oyster sauce per, 2 TBLS sweet soy sauce, 1.5 tsp of fish sauce. Oyster sauce is the key to many Chinese and thai dishes, not soy sauce. I add 1 to 2 TBLS of Sambal Olec depending on how spicy you want it or you can use 1-2 tsp of Siracha sauce.
manny
There are a variety of 5 spice recipes. I use the following: 6 whole star anise pods 1 1/2 tsp whole cloves 1 3 inch cinnamon stick 2 TBLS fennel seeds 2 tsp Szechwan peppercorns or black peppercorns Toast the dry spices in a pan for 2 or 3 minutes on medium heat. Place ingredients in a spice grinder and pulse to powder. Makes about a quarter cup. Sore in an airtight container and it will last several months.
Grant Bazan
Needs some corn starch in the sauce to thicken it a bit. Also I added from red pepper flake for a little heat. It totally works.
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