Now that the holidays are over, it’s time to get back on that health regime. This recipe is not only easy to make, but it’s packed with tons of vegetables and flavor. You will definitely put this in your weekly circle of dinner recipes!

Vegetables and protein, the two things I need to think of everyday when cooking dinner. No rice, no noodles, no bread, since the hubby is on his no-carb diet. But after a while, it gets boring and sometimes you need some carbs in your diet to fill you up. Stir-fry is the simplest thing to make, especially when you get home late from work, and it cooks in minutes! But, you can’t just have stir-fry and salad. It just doesn’t go together. So instead of making rice to go with it, I thought of using Top Ramen noodles and making a “Chow Fun!”

The reason why I chose to use the Top Ramen noodles is because it cooks in 3 minutes (according to the package) and who doesn’t love Top Ramen!? Most importantly, every household has Top Ramen! What is also great about this recipe is that you can change it up, use shrimp or steak instead of chicken or totally make it vegan and only use the veggies! Your loved ones will definitely think you ordered out! 😉

Stir Fry Sauce:
1/3 Cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil
1/4 Cup Golden Brown Sugar, packed
1 Tsp Fresh Ginger, minced
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1 Tbsp Cornstarch

Chicken Marinade:
1/4 Cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Golden Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
1/4 Tsp Red Pepper Chili Flakes
1/2 Tsp Fresh Ginger, minced
1 Garlic Clove, minced
2 Green Onions, sliced

1 Lb Chicken Tenders, cleaned, rinsed and each tender cut in half**
3 Packets Top Ramen Noodles, place seasoning packet aside
Water
2 Tbsp Canola Oil, divided
1 Onion, sliced
1 Red Bell Pepper, sliced
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1 Tsp Fresh Ginger, minced
1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt, divided
2 Cups Broccolini, cut into pieces, stems and tops (@Trader Joes: Baby Broccoli)
1 Cup Sugar Snap Peas
1 1/2 Cups Shiitake Mushrooms, stems removed & heads sliced
5 Spring Onions, sliced into 1 inch pieces, green parts only

1. First make your stir-fry sauce, place all of the ingredients in a bowl, whisk to combine and place aside. *
2. Place your cleaned and bite-size cut chicken tenders in a bowl along with all of the ingredients for the marinade, mix to combine and set aside.
3. Bring a pot of water to a boil and place your 3 packets of noodles in the water. Cook according to package directions. I cooked my noodles for 3-4 minutes.
4. Strain noodles and rinse under cold water to avoid overcooking. Drizzle some oil on top and mix, to avoid the noodles from sticking to each other. Place aside till ready for use.
5. Heat 1 tbsp of oil over high heat in a Wok or large deep skillet. Add the onions and stir-fry for 4 minutes.
6. Add the bell peppers, ginger, garlic and 1/4 tsp salt, and stir-fry for an additional minute.
7. Add the broccolini, snap peas and mushrooms. Stir-fry for 2 minutes then remove all of the vegetables from the skillet to a bowl and set aside.
8. Strain the chicken tenders from its marinade.
9. Add 1 tbsp of oil into the same skillet over high heat. Add the chicken pieces, 1/4 tsp salt and sauté for 2 minutes. (It is very important to not have any excess marinade liquid in the skillet so that the chicken will sauté instead of steam)
10. Whisk the stir-fry sauce then add it to the skillet.
11. Cook the sauce for about 30 seconds until it starts to boil and thicken, then add in the cooked vegetables, sliced spring onions and noodles.
12. Mix to combine until all of the noodles, vegetables and chicken are coated with the sauce and warmed through.
13. Serve. (With Sriracha!)

*If you are too lazy to cut veggies or make the sauce, just buy the Asian Stir Fry Vegetable Mix from Trader Joes and buy their Island Soyaki Sauce. Stir-fry the veggies for 3-4 minutes, remove and continue with the rest of the directions. Just add in 1/3 Cup of sauce or more if desired. You can also marinate the chicken with the same sauce.

** You can substitute the Chicken for Shrimp or Meat.**

Chef Alina
Los Angeles, CA