Moo Goo Gai Pan

Submitted by Chef JenniB

"The BEST recipe I've tested for Moo Goo Gai Pan. I found this in the May 8, 1988 issue of Awake! magazine, published by the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, NY. There are a LOT of ingredients but once you have them all prepped and ready to go the recipe comes together very quickly, and it's SO worth it!"

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 21
• Serves: 6-8

ingredients

• FOR THE SAUCE

• 1 1⁄2 - 2 cups chicken breasts (I've tried breast, thighs and mixed, all worked well)
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons wine
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

• FOR THE REST

• 2 slices gingerroot (optional)
• 4 cups bok choy
• 1⁄2 cup sliced celery
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms or 1/2 cup canned mushroom
• 1⁄4 cup water chestnut
• 1⁄4 cup bamboo shoot (optional)
• 1⁄4 lb snow peas
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 3⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons wine or 2 teaspoons sherry wine
• 1⁄4 cup cornstarch, blended into
• 1⁄4 cup cold water

directions

1. Marinate the chicken pieces in the soy sauce, wine, and sugar.
2. Stir in the cornstarch, and allow the pieces to stand for half an hour.
3. Heat the grease or oil in a wok or a frying pan, and stir-fry the meat, separating the pieces as they cook.
4. Remove from the pan and set aside.
5. Add more oil to the pan, and heat it until quite hot. Add the ginger slices and fry them for 30 seconds.
6. Add the vegetables all at once while the pan is still hot. Stir-fry vegetables briefly, which will cool the oil enough so that the.
7. minced garlic can be added without burning.
8. Stir-fry for one minute.
9. Add boiling stock, cover, and simmer for one more minute. Uncover the pan and add the next five ingredients.
10. Slowly pour in the cornstarch mixture while stirring, and stop as soon as the desired thickness is achieved.
11. Lastly, add the cooked chicken to the vegetables, stirring just enough to reheat. Serve with steamed rice.
12. Note: prep and cooking times are approximately as are servings. This all depends on your experience at oriental style cooking and how much you eat. It will feed quite a few people though!

Reviews

[Chef Tweaker]

I had mixed feelings about this. I decided not to rate it because I don't really know how Moo Goo Gai Pan is supposed to taste. I found the end result lacking flavor but I think that it is supposed to be a simple dish. I DID like the technique and the flaver of the chicken. So I may play around with it. A few things that I did different that may have detracted from the result... I had no ginger so omitted it. I replaced the bamboo shoot and snow peas with sliced carrot since that was what I had on hand. I also added more bok choy. I had used 3 chicken breasts so more than called for (I noticed that later) and it seemed to need more veggies. But I think the Bok Choy may have overpowered the flavors. Also I only had vegetable broth on hand instead of chicken broth. (See why it wouldn't have been fair to rate it!?)