This sweet and spicy General Tso Ramen combines tender chicken, sautéed mushrooms, and bok choy with ramen noodles and a flavor-packed fragrant stir-fry sauce.
SAUCE: In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and soy sauce until smooth. Once smooth, add remaining sauce ingredients (See Notes 1 & 2 first). Mix and set aside.
PREP: Start by prepping all the veggies and chicken -- cooking goes so fast, so everything needs to be ready to use! Dice the chicken into small bite-sized pieces. Dice the ginger, garlic, yellow onion, and mushrooms, and thinly slice the bok choy (see Note 3). I know it seems like a lot but it cooks down!
CHICKEN: In a medium-sized bowl, add the diced chicken, a tablespoon of sesame oil, ginger, and garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste. (I add 1/4 teaspoon of each.) Toss to combine and then add in the cornstarch. Mix until all pieces of chicken are coated in the cornstarch. Once all the chicken and veggies are prepped, bring a large pot of water to boil.
COOK: Heat a wok or large, deep sauté pan (12 inches minimum) over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and swirl to coat. Once the oil is shimmering, add in the onion. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Press the onion to the edges of the pan and add all the chicken mixture to the center. Cook, stirring frequently until just browned on the outside (chicken doesn't need to be cooked through), about 4 minutes. Add in the mushrooms and sauté for another 2 minutes. Finally, add in the sauce and cook until just thickened (a wooden spoon can draw a track through it), about 1-2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add in all the bok choy. Cook, stirring gently, for 30 seconds to wilt down the bok choy leaves.
RAMEN: While chicken is cooking, prepare the ramen. Open ramen packages and discard seasoning packets. Follow the package directions to cook the ramen noodles (don't add any salt to the pasta water), cooking in boiling water for 1 minute and 30 seconds less than the package directs (so for 3-minute ramen, cook for 90 seconds). Drain noodles and add right on top of the stir-fry (see next step).
FINISH: Add the drained ramen right to the skillet and toss with tongs to coat the noodles and fully wilt the bok choy. Taste and adjust for salt/pepper -- flavors should sing. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions if desired. Add a drizzle of sesame oil and/or red pepper flakes for more heat to individual bowls. Enjoy hot!
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Notes
Note 1: General Tso is meant to be spicy! But if you don't love spicy foods, you can still enjoy this meal. I'd start with just 1 teaspoon of the chili sauce for a tiny bit of heat, 2 teaspoons for medium, and 3 teaspoons is a good General Tso spice. Depending on how much chili sauce is added, you might want to reduce the sugar. The sugar balances the spice so if you don't add a lot of the chili garlic sauce, you might not want as much sugar. Note 2: When measuring, this is a very loose measurement -- don't pack the brown sugar in the measuring cup. This is the amount of sugar we like for 2-3 teaspoons of the chili garlic sauce (and I usually add some red pepper flakes to individual serving bowls). If you aren't adding as much spice or simply like things less sweet, slowly add brown sugar until you reach your preferred taste.Note 3: In this recipe, we're just using the bok choy greens; use leftover stems in another recipe). Wash the bok choy and add to a salad spinner to thoroughly dry or pat dry with paper towels.