Szechuan Noodles with Chicken & Vegetables

It seems like a million years ago not but when I was in Door County this summer I took a cooking class.  I posted pictures and a recipes from the class, but have finally gotten around to making one of the recipes on my own.  I will warn you; this meal is not for the faint hearted.  It takes some time, effort, love, and a food processor.  If you don’t have one, this might be the recipe that makes you change your mind.  Plus, in all honesty, I bought mine for less than $50 and love it.  It’s not super fancy, but for the amount I use it (once, maybe twice a month) it does the job.

Start by making the chicken.  Thinly slice shallots and garlic cloves. 

Heat oil in a heavy duty skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add the shallots, garlic, red pepper flakes and cook until the shallots soften.  Add the chicken and cook until it’s no longer pink and the shallots begin to brown.  Set aside.

Place garlic and ginger in a food processor.  Add the vegetable oil, sesame paste, peanut butter, soy sauce, sherry, honey, chili oil, sesame oil and ground pepper.

Puree the sauce; it will look like a thin peanut butter.

Boil salted water and cook spaghetti al dente.  Drain the pasta and place in a large bowl.  While still warm toss with ¾ of the sauce.   Then add the red and yellow bell peppers, broccoli, and scallions and toss well.

Serve with chicken on top.  Note that you shouldn’t combine the sauce with the pasta until you’re about to serve, because soy sauce tends to break down the noodles.  Yes, I did learn that from the cooking class.  This meal is SO awesome.  Jam packed with flavor, and very diverse.  The peppers and broccoli aren't cooked so their crunchy texture with the creamy pasta is delicious. You can serve this hot and cold, another bonus, and it’d be tasty both ways.

Szechuan Noodles with Chicken Vegetables

Serves 6-8

Chicken:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 medium shallots, thinly sliced

¼ teaspoon black or red pepper

1 lb. boneless chicken breast, cut into strips

Heat the oil in a skillet or wok over medium high heat until simmering hot.

Add the shallots, garlic, and pepper and cook stirring frequently.

When the shallots have started to soften, add chicken.

Cook until the chicken is no longer pink, and shallots have started to brown.

Set aside.

Noodles:

6 garlic cloves, chopped

¼ cup fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

½ cup vegetable oil *I used olive oil

½ cup sesame paste

½ cup smooth peanut butter

½ cup soy sauce

¼ sherry *I used apple juice

¼ cup sherry vinegar

¼ cup honey

½ teaspoon hot chili oil

½ tablespoon black pepper

18 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 pound spaghetti

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 yellow w bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 small head broccoli, blanched

4 scallions, sliced diagonally

Place garlic and ginger in a food processor.  Add the vegetable oil, sesame paste, peanut butter, soy sauce, sherry, sherry vinegar, honey, chili oil, sesame oil, and ground pepper. 

Puree the sauce.

Boil salted water and cook spaghetti al dente.

Drain the pasta and place in a large bowl.

While still warm toss with around ¾ of the sauce.

Add the pepper, broccoli, and scallions.

Toss well.

Serve warm or at room temperature with chicken on top.

*Leftover sauce can be added as needed to moisten the pasta.