Chicken Mei Fun (Rice Noodle Stir-Fry)

Chicken Mei Fun is an easy homestyle thin rice noodle stir-fry. It’s a basic homey dish but reminds me of my father-in-law’s authentic Chinese cooking— one of our favorite comfort dishes!

what is mei fun?

Mei Fun are thin rice vermicelli noodles often used in Cantonese cooking. This stir-fry noodle dish is made with thin rice noodles, chicken, and assorted vegetables in a simple soy-oyster sauce.

My father-in-law makes it the best, so I had to ask him how to make it! I make this dish at least once a month and my toddler/husband absolutely loves it. It’s become one of our favorite comfort dinners in rotation!

what you’ll need:

• Thin rice noodles: I recommend using dried thin rice noodles for this dish. Make sure to soak them in cold water for about 10 minutes before cooking.
• Chicken: For this recipe, I used chicken thigh but feel free to use chicken breast too.
• Corn starch: This is used when marinating the chicken. Slightly coating the chicken with cornstarch prevents the chicken from overcooking.
• Oyster sauce: A basic staple ingredient in Chinese cooking.
• Shaoxing wine: Helps remove any gamey meaty smell.
• White pepper: For seasoning
• Vegetable oil: For cooking
• Sliced ginger: Thinly sliced ginger is sauteed in the hot wok before cooking the chicken, creating a fragrant gingery aroma.
• Five Spice: this is a mixture of five or more spices used in traditional Chinese cooking.
• Carrot: sliced carrot adds a pop of color to the dish and is so delicious when cooked together.
• Green onion: An essential in most Asian dishes!
• Light soy sauce: Mainly used for seasoning instead of salt for this dish.
• Dark soy sauce: You need just a little of this for that delicious savory color.
• Sesame oil: You’ll need just a drizzle at the end to finish the dish

all the details

In a large bowl, add the dried vermicelli noodles and fill the bowl with cold water just until the noodles are completely submerged. Soak the noodles for 10 minutes. Once the noodles are slightly softened, drain the noodles to remove the water. In the same bowl, add 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce and a drizzle of vegetable oil. Mix to evenly coat the noodles and set it aside.

Let’s marinate the chicken. In a bowl, add the chicken, cornstarch, oyster sauce, shaoxing wine, white pepper, five spice and vegetable oil. Mix to combine and evenly coat the chicken. Set it aside to marinade for 10 minutes.

Prepare the other ingredients by thinly slicing the ginger and carrots into matchsticks. Slice the onion into thin slices. Chop the green onion into large 2-inch pieces. Shred the cabbage or slice into bite size pieces. Set them aside.

Heat some oil in a wok on high heat. Once the wok is smoking hot, add the ginger and chicken. Saute until the chicken for 3-5 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables and continue to cook for another 3 minutes. Season with light soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper. Add the rice noodles and stir to mix all the ingredients together.

Serve and enjoy!

more noodle recipes you may like:

• Spicy Beef Chili Oil Noodles
• Curry Udon Noodles
• 15-minute Shrimp Stir-Fry with Noodles
• Dongchimi Guksu (Cold Noodle Soup with Radish Kimchi Broth)
• Bulgogi Sesame Soba Noodles
• Kongguksu (Cold Soy Milk Noodle Soup)
• Vegetable Yaki Udon (Stir-Fry Udon Noodles)

Chicken Mei Fun (Rice Noodle Stir-Fry)

Serves: 4-6 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 10 minutes 10 minutes

Nutrition facts: n/a calories n/a fat

Rating: 4.0/5

( 3 voted )

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Ingredients

For marinated chicken: 

• 2 lbs. chicken thigh, cut into strips
• 1 teaspoon corn starch
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon five spice 
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

For the stir-fry: 

• 8 oz rice vermicelli noodles, soaked
• 2 knobs of ginger, julienned
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 2 cups napa cabbage, shredded
• 5 stalks of green onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• pinch of white pepper, to taste
• pinch of salt, to taste

 

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, add the dried vermicelli noodles and fill the bowl with cold water just until the noodles are completely submerged. Soak the noodles for 10 minutes. Once the noodles are slightly softened, drain the noodles to remove the water. In the same bowl, add 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce and a drizzle of vegetable oil. Mix to evenly coat the noodles and set them aside.
2. Let's marinate the chicken. In a bowl, add the chicken, cornstarch, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, five spice, white pepper, and vegetable oil. Mix to combine and evenly coat the chicken. Set it aside to marinade for 10 minutes.
3. Prepare the other ingredients by thinly slicing the ginger and carrots into matchsticks. Slice the onion into thin slices. Chop the green onion into large 2-inch pieces. Shred the cabbage or slice it into bite-size pieces. Set them aside.
4. Heat some oil in a wok on high heat. Once the wok is smoking hot, add the ginger and chicken. Saute until the chicken for 3-5 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables and continue to cook for another 3 minutes. Season with light soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper. Add the rice noodles and stir to mix all the ingredients. Serve and enjoy!