CHICKEN AND PORK CHOW MEIN

Chicken and Pork Chow Mein image

Please note that this serves 25 before you start to make it and wonder who the heck is gonna eat all this...It freezes very well...but when I intend to freeze it, I don't thicken it. It tends to get thin again...So I thicken it as I use it. Using store bought stock, which you can use in place of the stock in the recipe also if...

Provided by Wendy Rusch

Categories Pork

Number Of Ingredients 23

Ingredients

FOR CHICKEN STOCK:
2 whole chickens washed and insides removed
1 large onion, course chop
4-5 ribs of celery, course chop
2-3 carrots, course chop
2 Tbsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarse black pepper
2 clove garlic, smashed
CHOW MEIN:
2 lb pork, can be a roast or steaks, cut into bite size pieces
2 large onions, chopped
1 bunch celery, chopped
1 lb mushrooms, sliced or chopped
2 Tbsp molasses
3 can(s) sliced water chestnuts
3 can(s) bean sprouts, drained
2-3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 c corn starch
1/4 c soy sauce
2 chickens, cooked, deboned and cut or torn into bite size chunks
white or brown rice
chow mein noodles

Steps:

1. Stock: Put 2 whole chickens into an 8 quart heavy stock pot, add onion, celery, carrots, poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer on low for about an hour and a half. Remove chicken from stock pot, place on large platter and set aside to cool.
2. Strain stock into large bowl, discard vegetables. Set bowl of stock aside.
3. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil into your stockpot (yes, the one you used to boil the chicken) When oil is hot add pork pieces, brown and season with salt and pepper. Then add onions, celery and mushrooms, sweat and season with salt and pepper again. Add enough reserved chicken stock to cover, there should already be a lot of juice from pork and veggies, cook and occasionally stir until celery is done.
4. Then add molasses, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, lemon juice and all but 1 cup of the reserved stock to the stock pot. Bring to a low boil, and let simmer low, uncovered for approx 10-15 minutes. *At this point, you may add canned baby corn and bamboo shoots if you desire.
5. In the mean time remove chicken meat from bones, discard bones, skin and fat. Cut or tear chicken into bite size pieces and set aside.
6. In a gravy shaker or jar with tight fitting lid, mix and shake corn starch with 1 cup of reserved stock. Slowly add to stock pot, cook and stir until thickened. (It only thickens slightly) Then add chicken meat and soy sauce. Stir to heat through.
7. Serve over hot white or brown rice, top with soy sauce and chow mein noodles, if desired. Enjoy!
8. *When I freeze this, I do not thicken it. I thicken it as I need it. I thaw, then re heat 6ish cups of chow mein, then in a gravy shaker or jar with tight fitting lid, I shake 1 cup of chicken broth/stock with 2 heaping tablespoons of corn starch until dissolved and mixed well, then when chow mein just starts to boil I stir in corn starch mixture and stir gently until thickened. (It only thickens slightly)