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Szechuan-crusted chicken breast, udon noodles with bok choy

Cuisine World
Servings 6 persons

Ingredients
  

Lemon Salt

  • 3 Meyer lemons
  • 3 tablespoons Maldon salt

Udon Noodles

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil + 2 teaspoons
  • 200 grams shiitake mushrooms julienned
  • 2 teaspoons Sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons unsalted butter cubed
  • 100 grams bok choy chiffonade
  • 50 gram sugar snap peas sliced on the bias
  • 4 scallions rough chop
  • 250 gram dried udon noodles

Ramen broth

  • 600 gram Chicken stock
  • 200 gram roasted chicken juices
  • 0,25 lemongrass stalk roughly chopped
  • 0,5 cm knob fresh ginger roughly chopped
  • 0,25 bunch cilantro plus 3 cilantro sprigs
  • 4 Garlic cloves crushed
  • 1 tablespoon Soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons Sesame oil

Plate + Garnish

  • 2 roasted Szechuan-Crusted Chicken Breasts
  • (from the recipe for Szechuan Pepper–Roasted
  • 2 Whole Chicken breasts warmed, recipe roasted chicken breast
  • 1 tablespoon lemon salt
  • 2 tablespoons scallions thinly sliced on the bias

Instructions
 

Lemon salt

  • Zest the Meyer lemons with a mortar and pestle. Add the Maldon salt. Crush the zest and salt together until fragrant and broken down. Store in an airtight container, in a plastic or ceramic container wrapped tightly with plastic wrap, or in a ziplock bag in a cool, dry place for up to 2 weeks.

Udon Noodles

  • In a large sauté pan, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Sauté the mushrooms for 3 minutes with sesame oil. Add the bok choy and butter and continue to sauté for another minute. Add the snap peas and scallions and toss. Season with salt and pepper and continue to sauté for 2 more minutes to wilt the scallions. Pull off heat and reserve. Bring 2,5 liters of cold, salted water to boil. Add the noodles, stir, and let boil for 8 minutes, or until the noodles are al dente or the noodles will overcook while being held for plating. Strain the noodles in a colander and allow to drain and cool for a few minutes. Toss the noodles in a large mixing bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the cooked vegetables and reserve for plating.

Ramen broth

  • In a medium saucepan, simmer the chicken stock with the roasted chicken juices, lemongrass, ginger, cilantro, and garlic over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. Reduce the broth for 20 minutes, or until reduced by ½ without letting the liquid go above a rolling boil. Strain the broth through a sieve and into a saucepot. Pick the leaves off 3 sprigs of cilantro and add to the strained broth. Add 2 teaspoons sesame oil to finish.

Plate + Garnish

  • Use a meat fork to thread ½ the udon noodles. Lift ½ the noodles up, straighten them out while they hang from the fork, and lean the fork against the edge of the bowl as you twist the fork away from you to roll the noodles into a nest. Bring the fork to a plating bowl and pull off the noodle nest into the center of the bowl. Repeat with the second noodle nest. Spoon ½ the vegetables over each bowl of noodles. Slice each chicken breast into 4 pieces and lay over the noodles. Pour the ramen broth into a small pitcher to help distribute it easily or use a ladle. Pour or ladle enough of the broth on 1 side of the bowl and let rise up 1 cm from the top of the udon noodles. Finish with a sprinkle of scallions and lemon salt over the chicken.