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Опубликовано: December 25, 2022 в 9:01 pm

Автор: alexxlab

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How to Make Healthier Dan Dan Noodles with Ground Chicken

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If you’re a fan of Dan Dan Noodles but can’t fit the high fat content into your diet, this recipe is for you. It makes five large servings each with 39 grams of protein, 10 grams of fiber, 13 grams of fat, and 405 calories. The protein and fiber content makes this one of the most filling Dan Dan Noodles recipes you’ll find.

What are Dan Dan Noodles?

As one of the most popular Chinese Sichuan street foods, Dan Dan Noodles are typically thin noodles served with a spicy sauce made of preserved vegetables, chili oil, crispy pork, and toasted peanuts. According to Maggie Zhu, you’ll typically see the Dan Dan Noodle dish served in small bowls as a snack in Sichuan restaurants in China. Dishes there can be very soupy and very spicy, depending on the chef.

Here in the US, we’ve adapted Dan Dan Noodles to be more of a pasta dish with a not-so-spicy meat sauce atop noodles. And that’s probably closer to the version you’ll find in this recipe. As J. Kenji López-Alt said on his cooking show, there are millions of versions of Dan Dan Noodles. So I felt a bit more confident adapting this dish as opposed to something like my Thai Basil Ground Chicken.

What Makes A Kinda Healthy Version?

My recipe draws inspiration from a Southern-Asian fusion spot on our best Austin restaurants list, The Peached Tortilla. Dan Dan Noodles is one of the most popular dishes at The Peached Tortilla, and Chef Eric Silverstein has a cookbook with his recipe. You can see in the photo below that his version is definitely on the sauced pasta side as opposed to noodles in broth, which I prefer.

Dan Dan Noodles from The Peached Tortilla (left) and Kinda Healthy Dan Dan Noodles (right)

My version goes Kinda Healthy by using ground chicken and more of it as well high protein noodles, and reducing the fat content with powdered peanut butter and slightly less chili oil. I’ll cover more ingredient substitutions and things you could do to make your own in the post below.

Ingredients for Healthy Dan Dan Noodles

You will find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post. But between here and there you will find ingredient notes, substitutes, and cooking tips. If you skip ahead and have a recipe question, jump back to this section. And if you don’t find an answer to your question here, leave it in the comments.

The Spicy Peanut Sauce

Traditional Dan Dan Noodles are made with Sui Mi Ya Cai (pickled mustard greens), which can be difficult to find in stores, especially here in Texas. While you can order it on Amazon, Kenji mentioned using sauerkraut as a substitute. This still provides the funky fermented flavor and slightly crunchy texture.

My recipe calls for powdered peanut butter, which is one of my favorite ingredients for adding peanut butter flavor with a fraction of the fat. Most recipes for Dan Dan Noodles call for three tablespoons of peanut butter (285 calories and 24 grams of fat), but the powdered peanut butter reduces that to 120 calories and 3 grams of fat.

You can of course use peanut butter or even tahini (sesame paste) instead. Or if you can handle a bit more fat in your dish, go half and half.

You’ll still get some fat from two tablespoons of chili oil. I used Lao Gan Ma, which is more of a chili crisp, but any chili oil will get the job done. You can even make your own chili oil. If you use a chili crisp, be sure to stir well and actually get some oil. The fat will be vital for making a creamy sauce.

The Noodles

This is where I really took liberties with my Dan Dan Noodles adaption. Traditional recipes use thin wheat noodles, but my version calls for a thicker fettuccine style noodle from al dente pasta company. This is the same pasta I used for my creamy sausage and mushroom carba-nada, in case you’re familiar.

It’s still a wheat noodle, and I think it has a great slightly chewy texture and soaks up sauce really well. It also cooks in three minutes, which is perfect timing for this recipe.

And on the nutrition facts side, it’s a star. Every two-ounce serving has 15 grams of protein, 7 grams of fiber, and only 170 calories.

I typically order a 6-pack of this pasta on Amazon so I always have some on hand. If you’re looking for alternatives, you could always go with a chickpea pasta like Banza. Kenji mentioned using angel hair in a pinch, which Banza makes. You may also look at the hearts of palm pasta I used in my low carb Mongolian beef noodles recipe.

The Ground Chicken

Like I mentioned above, you’ll usually see ground pork in Dan Dan Noodles, but ground chicken is hard to beat when it comes to its protein to fat ratio. If you wanted to use pork, go with a lean ground pork like the 90/10 I used for my spicy ground pork stir fry.

My version also uses a whole pound of chicken as opposed to the half pound you’ll see in most recipes. This makes it a meatier noodle dish, but I think the ten ounces of pasta balances it out.

Tips for Cooking Ground Chicken

When it comes to cooking your protein, be sure to get some browning and don’t worry about overcooking. That’s kind of what you’re after here.

To get the most out of the Maillard reaction (browning), make sure the pan and oil are both hot, and the surface of the ground chicken is dry. I like to pat it dry with a paper towel before going in the pan.

And maybe most important of all, leave the chicken alone once it’s in the pan. Don’t flip to brown the other side until you’ve fully browned the first.

This browning adds tons of flavor and texture to your finished Dan Dan Noodles.

Bringing Everything Together

Once you’ve adequately browned the ground chicken, you can break it apart and finish cooking before adding the sauce to finish bringing your Dan Dan Noodles together. Like I mentioned earlier, the carba-nada pasta cooks in three minutes, which is about the perfect time for your sauce to cook. You want to get a little caramelization in the sauce without burning before adding some pasta water to finish.

Feel free to add a bit more pasta water if you prefer more broth-heavy Dan Dan Noodles. If you’re using another noodle like the hearts of palm that doesn’t require boiling water, you can use a broth in place of the pasta water. This would also be a good substitute if you wanted to make the ground chicken and sauce ahead of time or in bulk to pair with freshly cooked noodles later.

Serving Your Dan Dan Noodles

My recipe keeps it simple with scallions, roasted peanuts, and extra chili crisp on top. The Peached Tortilla’s dish comes with bean sprouts and julienned cucumber as well as the scallions and peanuts. They also give the option to add a 45-minute egg, which I would liken to something like sous vide soft boiled eggs.

Some recipes call for blanching greens like spinach or bok choy in the pasta water to serve with the finished dish, but I elected not to. Though it would be a great way to add even more volume to your Dan Dan Noodles.

With the reduction in chili oil, my Dan Dan Noodles are definitely on the milder side. You can spice things up with the added chili oil, but you could also add freshly cracked Sichuan peppercorns or a chili garlic sauce if you didn’t want to add more fat via chili oil.

Okay, I think that covers it. I hope you enjoy your Kinda Healthy Dan Dan Noodles! Be sure to let me know what you think in a recipe review or comment.

Ingredients

1 pound Ground Chicken (97/3)
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
10 oz Al Dente Carba-Nada Noodles*
1 cup Pasta Water

For the Sauce

1/2 cup (120g) Sauerkraut or Pickled Mustard Greens, finely chopped
1/4 cup (26g) Powdered Peanut Butter
1/4 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
2 tablespoons Chili Oil
2 tablespoons Hoisin
1 tablespoon Honey
1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
1 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon White Pepper

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Mix the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Pat the ground chicken dry on both sides with a paper towel. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and brown on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side, before breaking apart and fully cooking.
Once the chicken is fully cooked, salt the pot of water and drop the pasta in. Cook for 3 minutes. (You want al dente pasta. Different pasta may have a different cook time.)
While the pasta cooks, add the sauce to the cooked ground chicken and stir everything together. Let the sauce begin to caramelize but watch closely to avoid scorching.
Once the pasta is nearly done, add a cup of the pasta water to the skillet, stirring everything together. You can add more if you like more broth in your noodles. Remove from the heat.
Drain the remaining water and add the noodles to the skillet. Toss everything together and serve with toasted peanuts, scallions, and extra chili oil, if desired.

Notes

*See post above for noodle substitution notes.

Each serving has 9 WW SmartPoints (blue).

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 5

Serving Size: about 9 oz

Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 405Total Fat: 13gCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 10gProtein: 39g

6 Nutrient-packed Noodles to Build Into Your Diet

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Westend61 / Getty

Use Your Noodle

Noodles are often cast as the perfect struggle food for college students who have run out of cash on their lunch card. From the fitness community, they are frowned upon for packing on too many unwanted carbs, but in reality that’s not always true. If you pick the correct type of noodle and blend it with other healthy ingredients you have a match made in heaven.Click through to learn more about which noodles you should be picking up on your next trip to the supermarket.

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Sam Kaplan / M+F Magazine

Spelt

Perfect for those with gluten allergies, these wheat-free noodles can be hard to master in the kitchen. Among wheat-free alternatives (such as quinoa), spelt most closely resembles the texture and flavor of traditional pasta.Nutritional bonus: Spelt is packed with complex carbohydrates, and is high in fiber, protein, and B vitamins.Best with: The nutty flavor of these pastas is the perfect foil for simple sauces.Recommended product: Organic Vita-spelt Elbows

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Carlos Osorio / Contributor / Getty

Soba

This buckwheat noodle is a staple in Japan, with an earthy flavor that tastes good both hot and cold. It can also be substituted for whole-wheat fettuccine or linguine in Italian- or California-inspired recipes.Nutritional bonus: Soba contains flavonoids that help lower cholesterol and blood pressure; another mimics insulin, which makes it great post-workout.Best in: A cold Japanese salad, or a steaming-hot bowl of Asian noodles.Recommended product: Hakubaku Organic Soba Noodles

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GMVozd / Getty

Udon

These thick noodles, popular in Japanese and Korean cuisine, are made from wheat flour. Like soba, they can be prepared for either hot or cold dishes. They resemble a fat spaghetti, and are used in many of the same ways as soba—in a stir-fry, cold salad, or bowl of soup.Nutritional bonus: Since udon isn’t made from white flour, it’s healthier than many traditional Italian noodles.Best in: A cold Japanese salad, or a steaming-hot noodle soup.Recommended product: Eden Organic Brown Rice Udon Pasta

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The Washington Post / Contributor / Getty

Rice Noodles

The rice noodle has become more popular courtesy of Thai favorites like pad Thai. Unlike Italian noodles, these “rice sticks,” as they’re commonly translated, need to be soaked in hot water until they’re transformed into the pliable strands, which are then added to soups, salads, and stir-fry dishes.Nutritional bonus: They’re naturally wheat- and gluten-free, and lower in calories than traditional Italian pastas.Best with: These silky noodles easily absorb the flavors of their accompanying ingredients, so pair them with your favorite assertive, Asian-inspired sauce. Recommended product: Thai Kitchen Thin Rice Noodles

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Universal Images Group / Getty

Whole-wheat Noodles

Dried pastas are typically made from semolina flour, which is made without the germ and bran found naturally in whole wheat. Whole-grain or whole-wheat noodles are made from the entire grain, including germ and bran, and are thus more healthy than the typical store-bought noodle.Nutritional bonus: More than twice the fiber of traditional pasta. Plus, eating whole-wheat products fills you up faster and keeps you full longer.Best with: Bold vegetable- and herb-based sauces that can stand up to whole wheat’s robust flavor.Recommended product: DeBoles Organic Whole-wheat Rigatoni

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Paula Bronstein / Contributor / Getty

Flavored Noodles

The multicolored pastas currently invading supermarket shelves, such as spinach, tomato, and tricolori (actually a combination of white, red, and green), are made by working fresh ingredients like tomatoes, red peppers, and spinach into the dough just before it’s cut into shapes like penne and spaghetti. Nutritional bonus: With the additions of fresh vegetables into semolina-based dough, more nutrients are crammed into what is often dubbed a sinful dish.Best with: Light sauces that don’t obscure the delicate flavor of these colored pastas.Recommended product: De Cecco Fusilli With Spinach

Back to intro

Use Your Noodle

Click through to learn more about which noodles you should be picking up on your next trip to the supermarket.

Spelt

Nutritional bonus: Spelt is packed with complex carbohydrates, and is high in fiber, protein, and B vitamins.

Best with: The nutty flavor of these pastas is the perfect foil for simple sauces.

Recommended product: Organic Vita-spelt Elbows

Soba

Nutritional bonus: Soba contains flavonoids that help lower cholesterol and blood pressure; another mimics insulin, which makes it great post-workout.

Best in: A cold Japanese salad, or a steaming-hot bowl of Asian noodles.

Recommended product: Hakubaku Organic Soba Noodles

Udon

Nutritional bonus: Since udon isn’t made from white flour, it’s healthier than many traditional Italian noodles.

Best in: A cold Japanese salad, or a steaming-hot noodle soup.

Recommended product: Eden Organic Brown Rice Udon Pasta

Rice Noodles

Nutritional bonus: They’re naturally wheat- and gluten-free, and lower in calories than traditional Italian pastas.

Best with: These silky noodles easily absorb the flavors of their accompanying ingredients, so pair them with your favorite assertive, Asian-inspired sauce.

Recommended product: Thai Kitchen Thin Rice Noodles

Whole-wheat Noodles

Nutritional bonus: More than twice the fiber of traditional pasta. Plus, eating whole-wheat products fills you up faster and keeps you full longer.

Best with: Bold vegetable- and herb-based sauces that can stand up to whole wheat’s robust flavor.

Recommended product: DeBoles Organic Whole-wheat Rigatoni

Flavored Noodles

Nutritional bonus: With the additions of fresh vegetables into semolina-based dough, more nutrients are crammed into what is often dubbed a sinful dish.

Best with: Light sauces that don’t obscure the delicate flavor of these colored pastas.

Recommended product: De Cecco Fusilli With Spinach

What kind of noodles to choose for making wok noodles

Probably everyone has already heard about such a Chinese dish as wok noodles. Over the past few years, this dish has received incredible publicity, it began to be offered in many restaurants and deliveries. Now you can easily order a wok, or you can cook your own meals. If you want to cook a dish on your own, it is important to decide which noodles to choose for cooking WOK. Now we will try to figure it out.

What is wok noodles?

Everyone knows what noodles are, but what is meant by the term “wok” is a secret for many. In fact, everything is simple here. A wok is a type of kitchen utensil that looks like a large bowl or pan. The bottom of such dishes is convex, often the pan itself consists of one or two handles. From this we can draw a simple conclusion that the wok is the usual classic noodles that are cooked in such dishes. However, everything is not so simple here, since there are a fairly large number of its species. Therefore, we should talk about it. nine0003

What are the varieties of wok noodles?

Every fan of this dish knows that the most popular types of WOK noodles are:

glass – frenchose or harussa;

wheat egg-ramen;

wheat – udon;

wheat – somen;

buckwheat – soba.

Now it’s worth understanding each of the varieties.

Soba

So, about buckwheat noodles, which you will find in many restaurant menus under the name – soba. These are brown noodles that are made with buckwheat flour, water, and certain spices. Wheat flour occupies some of the composition, since noodles made only from buckwheat flour will not have gluten and will be very fragile. This type of product should be combined with poultry, fish and vegetables. nine0003

Udon and ramen

Udon is the most common noodle. This type is characterized by a grayish-cream color, which is similar to the color of classic spaghetti. And in general, this type in itself has certain similarities with soft and elastic spaghetti. You can add any ingredients to it, in particular, seafood, meat, vegetables, various sauces, and much more. It is prepared from a small number of components, to be precise, there are three of them. These are wheat flour, water and spices. An elastic tight dough is kneaded from this composition, from which noodles are then cut out. nine0003

The difference between these noodles and ramen is that the ingredients include an egg. Therefore, accordingly, it has a yellowish tint and a denser texture. It is combined, like the previous type, with various components, so you can experiment.

Somen

It should be noted that another type of noodle is made from wheat flour – somen. It is prepared much less frequently than all the named types of wok noodles. Why? All because of the thinness and crunchiness. It has a white color and is served separately from sauces and toppings. This is done so that the consumer himself can choose the sauce and filling that he likes. nine0003

Glass noodles

As for the so-called glass noodles, they are made from special bean flour and, in some variants, starch. It is called glass because of its transparency, subtlety and lightness. This noodle has an amazing, delicate taste, goes well with chicken and sweet and sour sauces.

Rice noodles

The last type is rice noodles. It is prepared from rice flour and water, so it is characterized by a white color with gray shades. Soy sauce is always added to it. In addition to it, they can be combined with vegetables and chicken meat. nine0003

You may be wondering why rice noodles and glass noodles are called the same, frunchoza or harusame. It is worth saying that everything is simple here, since this is the mistake of the establishments themselves that serve these types of menus. Rice noodles cannot be called frunchoza or harusame, because in China they are called gatiao, which means its thinness and flatness. But already glass, transparent noodles in China appear under the name harusame or franchise.

We have introduced you to different types of wok noodles. Which variety to choose is up to you. In this case, start from your preferences. nine0003

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