Lemon, Sesame and Ginger Chicken with Edamame and Asian Noodles

Lemon, Sesame and Ginger Chicken with Edamame and Asian Noodles

I love cooking with my wok- the high heat and quick cooking is great for nights when I don't want to leave my oven on for an hour.  I have made this meal a few times now and it has become a favorite amongst the boys.  Any time we can all sit around the table and enjoy the same meal, it is a success!

To get started, slice 2 chicken breasts into small cubes.  While doing so, place about 1/4 c of oil in your wok with 1 1/2 tbsp of minced garlic.  Keep in mind that the high heat and the oil will burn you if you aren't careful- just as a precaution I cover my wok with a splatter shield to minimize the popping oil.  Carefully added the cubed chicken to the wok with 2 tsp of ginger.  Once the chicken begins to cook through, start boiling water on your stove to cook your noodles.  I prefer Udon noodles as they are very similar to linguine noodles- but Japanese ...  I didn't have them on hand, so I boiled fusilli noodles and it worked just the same.

At this point the chicken shouldn't be raw anymore.  I poured a lemon, ginger and sesame marinade over the top of the chicken and allowed it to caramelize and glaze over.  Creating this marinade is fine as well- combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, oil, ginger, lemon juice and sesame seeds.  The sauce will bubble and boil- stir occasionally to season all sides of the chicken well.  

When the noodles are done boiling, remove them to drain and add about 8 ounces of cooked edamame to the chicken in the wok.  Continue to stir to incorporate all the flavors to the edamame as well as the chicken.  Let cook for 5 more minutes in the wok and remove all the chicken and edamame and set aside.

This is when I make my noodles, it takes only a few moments.  Re-season the wok with another heaping tbsp of minced garlic, 1/2 c diced onions, 1/4 c rice vinegar, 1/4 c soy sauce and a few dashes of Togarashi seasoning.  This seasoning is found in most Japanese markets and makes these dishes taste so authentic- it consists of sesame, ginger, orange peel, red pepper and chili pepper.  

Once the wok has been seasoned with these contents, add the noodles to the wok and mix well to ensure all the noodles are evenly coated with your sauce.  If you are looking to make edamame by itself in the wok- this same marinade used to season the wok is great for that as well.

Serve and enjoy!