Glass Noodles with Chicken and Mushrooms Recipe

Shiitake and oyster mushrooms are stir-fried with ground chicken, crunchy celery, ginger, chiles, and chewy glass noodles.

By
Yvonne Ruperti
A photo of Yvonne Ruperti, a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Yvonne Ruperti
Yvonne Ruperti is a food writer, recipe developer, former bakery owner, and cookbook author. She is also an adjust professor of baking at the Culinary Institute of America in Singapore.
Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Updated June 11, 2024
Overhead view of Glass Noodles with Chicken and Mushrooms, served straight from a wok.

Serious Eats / Yvonne Ruperti

Why It Works

  • A combination of seasoned ground chicken, shiitake mushrooms, and oyster mushrooms gives the dish a rich, savory flavor.
  • An entire bunch of cilantro, including the stems, adds a fresh, aromatic element.
  • Thoroughly soaking the cellophane noodles and adding them toward the end of cooking results in well-seasoned noodles with a pleasant chewy texture.

I will never forget the time I bought my first serious wok as soon as I moved to Singapore. My husband and I walked over to Chinatown and into a restaurant supply shop. In the back was a tiny room filled to the brim with woks of various shapes and sizes. We picked out the one we wanted, but as we made our way to the register, one of the employees (an older Chinese woman) stopped us and told us sternly that we shouldn't buy that wok because we would definitely not like it.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because food will stick to it," she replied.

I realized she assumed that we probably had no idea a wok needed to be seasoned, and she was trying to send us off to Ikea or something to buy what she thought would have suited expats like us instead—a nonstick pan (I guess she's been burned by expats trying to return "faulty" woks). I just said, "Okay, thanks!" and bought my wok.

I cook with my wok about once or twice a week, though I really should do it more often, as the wok burner makes it so easy.

This week I was looking for a noodle-y and all-in-one kind of a dish, and glass noodles came to mind. Glass noodles, cellophane, or bean thread noodles are unique, transparent, chewy noodles made from water and starch, such as mung bean, potato, yam, or cassava (the ones I bought were sweet potato). Though I usually slurp up these slippery noodles smothered in mouth-burning chile sauce at my favorite Sichuan place, I decided to make a more subdued but full-flavored meal with them. Gaining inspiration from a Chinese recipe in David Thompson's Thai Street Food, I added chicken and tweaked a few ingredients to create this quick, easy, and delicious dinner. Ground chicken is marinated in Shaoxing wine and ginger, then stir-fried with garlic, chiles, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms, crunchy celery, and cilantro. After soaking in water, the noodles are tossed in the wok at the end, cooking, softening, and soaking up every bit of the tasty sauce.

April 2013

Recipe Details

Glass Noodles with Chicken and Mushrooms Recipe

Prep 5 mins
Cook 20 mins
Active 30 mins
Soaking Time 30 mins
Total 55 mins
Serves 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces glass (bean thread) noodles

  • 12 ounces ground chicken

  • 3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine, divided

  • 1-inch piece ginger, grated, divided

  • Kosher salt

  • 5 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

  • 1 bunch cilantro, stems chopped, leaves chopped, divided (about 1 cup chopped leaves)

  • 6 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tablespoons)

  • 2 green bird chiles, seeded and minced (about 2 teaspoons)

  • 10 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced thin

  • 5 ounces oyster mushrooms (or wood ear fungus), sliced thin

  • 2 stalks celery, sliced thin

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce

  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper

  • 1/4 teaspoon chile flakes

  • 1 cup homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock

  • 1 bunch green onions, cut into 2-inch lengths

Directions

  1. In large bowl, soak noodles in warm water for at least 30 minutes. When softened, cut noodles into 4 to 5-inch lengths. In small bowl, toss chicken with 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, 1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; set aside.

  2. In large wok or 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 4 tablespoons oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add remaining grated ginger, cilantro stems, garlic, chiles, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until beginning to turn golden, about 2 minutes.

  3. Add shiitake mushrooms and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes, adding another tablespoon oil if mixture is too dry. Add chicken and cook until almost cooked through, about 2 minutes. Stir in oyster mushrooms and celery. Cook for 1 minute.

  4. Increase heat to medium-high. Stir in soy sauce, white pepper, chile flakes, remaining 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine, and chicken broth. Bring to simmer. Stir in noodles and green onions and cook, stirring, until mixture is well combined and noodles are cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro leaves, season to taste, and serve.

Special Equipment

Wok or 12-inch nonstick skillet

Read More

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
427Calories
25gFat
27gCarbs
25gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories427
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 25g32%
Saturated Fat 3g17%
Cholesterol 68mg23%
Sodium 975mg42%
Total Carbohydrate 27g10%
Dietary Fiber 8g28%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 25g
Vitamin C 10mg48%
Calcium 77mg6%
Iron 4mg20%
Potassium 1302mg28%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

More Serious Eats Recipes