Stewed Tender Chicken Noodle Soup 嫩雞煨麵 (nèn jī wèi miàn) is part of Huaiyang cuisine. The four major Chinese cuisines are Shandong or Confucius cuisine 魯菜（lǔ cài), Sichuan cuisine 川菜 (chuān cài), Cantonese cuisine 粵菜 (yùe cài), and Huaiyang cuisine 淮揚菜 (huái yang cài). In Huaiyang cuisine, there is emphasis on intricate knife skills and heat control skills. Enhancing the natural flavours of food is the foundation of Haiyang cuisine. You can find Huaiyang cuisine in most Shanghai restaurants. Dishes include hot and sour soup 酸辣湯 (suān là tāng), salted duck 鹽水鴨 (yán shǔi yā), crystal meat in pork gelatin 水晶肴肉 (shǔi jīng yáo ròu) and Yangzhou fried rice 揚州炒飯 (yáng zhōu chǎo fàn) just to name a few.
The Stewed Tender Chicken Noodle Soup 嫩雞煨麵 is one of my favorite foods to eat because of its natural simplicity. The sweet potato starch or potato starch that envelopes thin chicken strips. This is paired with low-heat stewing that makes the chicken smooth and soft. It's so smooth that it usually slips off my chopsticks when I go to pick it up. The noodles, with a bit of stewing is able to absorb the subtle flavours of the soup and are soft without being mushy. The soup is subtle but not shy of chicken flavour. Lastly, the vegetables give it some freshness and a slight crunch.
Most people think that to get the chicken so smooth, velveting with baking soda must be involved. Some restaurants probably do it, because baking soda can help the meat increase in size by making it absorb water. It’s more an economical trick than a culinary one. However, it’s done so much that it has become an acquired taste, especially in Cantonese cooking.
My Stewed Tender Chicken Noodle Soup 嫩雞煨麵 recipe is a sequel to my boneless Chicken with Ginger Scallion Oil recipe (it’s super delicious by the way) because after you make that chicken dish, you can save all the bones, juices and aromatics to make the soup for the Stewed Tender Chicken Noodle Soup 嫩雞煨麵 for the next day. It’s not your everyday chicken noodle soup. Warning: once you try this one, you may never be able to go back!
Stewed Tender Chicken Noodle Soup 嫩雞煨麵
Ingredients
- 450 g Boneless chicken meat , shredded
- 450 g Shanghai bok choy
- 450 g Shanghai noodles
- 1.5 L Chicken broth
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp Salt
Ingredients for chicken marinade:
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Sugar
- ¼ tsp White pepper powder
- 1 tbsp Oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 2 tbsp Sweet potato starch (potato starch can also be used)
- 2 tsp Oil
Instructions
- Make the chicken broth from the leftover ingredients from the Ginger and Scallion Oil Chicken, if you made it. If not, you can use store bought chicken broth or make your ownTo make broth from Ginger and Scallion Oil Chicken leftovers: put the chicken carcass, steamed chicken juice, ginger, green onions and garlic in a pot. Add 1.75L of water, bring to a boil and then turn heat to medium setting and let it cook for an hour. Remove all the solids and discard. You should be left with approx. 1.5L of broth after cooking
- Marinate the chicken with 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp sugar, ¼ white pepper powder, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine and 2 tbsp sweet potato starch. Mix well. Add 2 tsp oil and mix well again. Marinate for 15 minutes
The oil will help lock in the starch and marinade. 
- Wash and coarsely chop the Shanghai bok choy
- Heat the chicken broth. Add 1 tbsp of Shaoxing wine, taste test and add salt to your preference
You may also use fish sauce to flavour to give it some extra depth - Bring a pot of water to a boil to cook the Shanghai noodles and cook to al dente
They will be further cooked in the chicken broth until soft. You can also cook the noodles directly in the broth, however, this may cause the broth to get too thick. It really depends on the noodle and the amount of flour and starch that’s on them. I prefer to first cook it in water to get rid of some of the starch before putting it into the broth 
- Once done, you can put them directly into the chicken broth if the broth is already hot
- Put the heat on high, add the Shanghai bok choy and mix together with the noodles. Bring to a boil
- When the broth boils, turn the heat down to low, gently place the chicken on top of the noodles and vegetables in a single layer. Do not stir. Close the lid and let it stew for 5 minutes
- After 5 minutes, check for doneness. If it’s not done yet, stew for another 3 minutes until done or turn up the heat, give it a stir and let it cook for a couple more minutes
- Serve
My kids loved the noodle soup. Will try this again using the ginger and scallion oil chicken next time.