Every so often we get a craving for the (Minnesota-style, very Americanized) take-out chow mein we ate as kids. Here’s my quick and easy home version of Thirty Minute Chicken Chow Mein For Two.

Where we grew up, there was a Chinese take-out restaurant in just about every neighborhood. They were as common in North Minneapolis as the corner store.

There was no such thing as Mexican, Mediterranean, Thai, or Indian food in our area back then. Restaurants were either diners, family style buffets, or neighborhood bars. So for us, Chinese food was pretty exotic.

We were always excited when our parents decided to pick up some chow mein for dinner. In those days, eating out or bringing home take-out food was a rare occasion. (Remember, this was the era when TV dinners became popular!)

We all came running when Dad walked in the door with a big brown paper bag full of those little folded cardboard boxes with the wire handles. Included with them, there were always a couple of wax paper bags of chow mein noodles, a number of packets of soy sauce, a small bag of cashews, and most exciting of all–the fortune cookies.

The smell was so enticing! We’d gather around while Mom placed all the takeout boxes on the kitchen table and opened them.

First was the chicken chow mein. The savory brown mixture of cooked celery and ground meat in a thick, soy sauce-based sauce was topped with a bit of shredded chicken. Of course, that was followed by a container of sticky white rice.

Sometimes Mom and Dad ordered something different for themselves, like chop suey or egg foo young, but I never paid attention to any of that. I was happy with a big serving of the chow mein served over crispy noodles. With a scoop of the steamed rice that I drenched in soy sauce on the side.

My sisters and I had a stack of old 45’s that originally belonged to our mom and our aunt Kathy when they were in high school in the 1950s. One of our favorites to play over and over again was “Chow Mein” by The Gaylords. To this day, the song immediately comes to mind whenever I think of Chinese food. Or when I start cooking my version of chicken chow mein.

When we moved to Florida, I tried the chow mein at a few Chinese restaurants, but it was completely different than what we grew up with.

I’m not sure how it is made where you live, but apparently the term “chow mein” can be applied to any number of different dishes. Most of what we found in Central Florida was in a lighter sauce and contained large pieces of a variety of veggies like carrots, celery, and pea pods. It often was mixed with lo mein noodles, which was completely wrong to me.

In the years since, I tried to replicate the dish I was familiar with and came up with my own Thirty Minute Chicken Chow Mein. It’s not exactly the same, but it’s close enough to satisfy my cravings. My grown-up version is served with egg rolls or dumplings. And instead of spooning the chow mein over the crispy noodles, I sprinkle them on top so they don’t get soggy. I also love the 90-second microwaveable Jasmine rice you can buy in any grocery store today. It cooks in the package and is delicious, especially drenched in soy sauce. All I’m missing now is the fortune cookie!

Making my version of Thirty Minute Chicken Chow Mein For Two is super fast and easy, and only requires a few ingredients.

I usually have all of these things on hand. As I’ve mentioned before, we eat a lot of chicken, and this is one of my “half a pound of ground chicken” recipes, like my Ground Chicken Teriyaki Bowls, or my Ground Chicken Meatloaf for Two. I can use half a package for one of these dishes one night and save the other half for another meal.

For the chow mein, just a rough chop on the onions and celery, and you’re ready to begin. It doesn’t take long. Sauté the veggies over medium high heat to start softening them before you add the ground chicken to the pan.

Once the chicken is cooked, add enough water to cover everything, turn the heat down to medium, and let it cook until the celery is no longer crunchy. Mix up the corn starch and soy sauce to make a slurry, and add it to the pan slowly, stirring briskly to prevent lumps.

If I have any, I like to add water chestnuts at the end for a little extra crunch, but they were not part of the original version and are optional.

Not long ago, I came across this video about Minnesota-style chow mein from chef Peter Kwong. His family owned a restaurant in Northeast Minneapolis called the Dragon House for almost 50 years. I was so excited to find an authentic recipe for the real thing! It was surprising to me that his version contains ground pork. I haven’t tried it yet (mostly because I haven’t purchased the dark soy sauce), but I plan to soon. I’ll let you know if it makes a big difference in the flavor.

So tell us, what is the chow mein like where you live? Do you have any special memories of takeout food when you were a kid? We’d love to hear about it in the comments!