Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Canadian Turkey. Thank you for supporting the brands I love, as they help me keep my blog running. The opinions in the post are entirely my own.
Grilled Turkey Chow Mein!
Learn to make a delicious Cantonese chow mein that features grilled turkey and vegetables on top of saucy and crispy noodles!
This mouthwatering dish is easy to make and is perfect for summer – the grilled turkey and vegetables brings this chow mein over the top! You’ll get an intense caramelized flavour from the turkey, peppers and mushrooms and vegetables get extra sweet when grilled. The star of this dish is the juicy and tender turkey marinated in a sweet, aromatic soy sauce base.
In this post, I will show you how to achieve crispy restaurant style noodles without deep-frying. You will also learn how to create soft noodles that soak up the aromatic sauce that includes soy sauce, hoisin sauce and sesame oil.
Every bite of this noodle dish is packed with flavour! The gorgeous and delicious recipe will be sure to wow your family and guests.
Choose turkey all year!
My family is crazy for turkey and we enjoy it all year round! Turkey has many cuts available in both white and dark meat, and is easy to find at your local grocery store. It is also a healthy, lean protein, easy to prepare, and simply delicious. Why wait until a special occasion to have turkey, when you can have it any time of year?
Just ask your grocer or butcher for 100% Canadian raised whole turkey and turkey cuts, in store, all year long.
There are endless options with turkey. Have you tried making turkey stock using the bones, or adding turkey to pasta or chili? It is phenomenal! I use turkey for my Cantonese dishes including fried rice, congee, stir–fries, and of course chow mein. For the summer, our family likes to make use of our BBQ and turkey is the perfect protein to grill.
Why is turkey perfect for the grill?!
Turkey can be easily prepared and soaks up all types of flavours. That means that recipe options are practically endless (try my Grilled Turkey with an Asian Pesto recipe).
Turkey cooks quickly on the grill AND grilling enhances the flavour of the meat!
It is a tasty meal option for a quick dinner or for gatherings with friends and family. Let’s recap the reasons to get turkey on your grill.
Top 5 reasons why to get turkey on the grill!
1. EASY SUB Canadian turkey makes everyday meals delicious and tasty. It’s packed with nutrition and satisfying flavour, and can easily be substituted into ANY of your favourite grilling recipes.
2. LEAN BUT JUICY It’s hard to believe but both white and dark cuts of turkey are lean! That means you can enjoy any cut you prefer, and feel good knowing you are choosing a healthy protein without compromising on flavour, tenderness or juiciness.
3. SO MUCH TO CHOOSE FROM Turkey is a versatile protein, with so many cuts of both dark and white meat to choose from including ground meat, legs, drumsticks, thighs, breast roasts, breast steaks, breast rolls, drummettes, wings, sausages, and burgers. With such a wide selection, you can turn any meal into a backyard feast, with leftovers that taste delicious the next day.
4. PACK A FLAVOUR PUNCH Turkey plays well with other flavours. It has a hearty taste and texture that marries well with bold profiles, making turkey the perfect partner for spices and rubs. Make recipes your way using your family’s favourite flavours, and change up your everyday grilled turkey dishes using rubs, marinades and sauces.
5. PERFECT FOR PENNY PINCHERS Turkey is generally larger than other poultry choices and you get a lot more meat for the price. Whole turkeys can be grilled for a few dollars per pound, and are a perfect choice for batch cooking meals, or for freezing leftovers that come in handy as everyday meal starters. Cuts like drums, breasts and thighs are perfect for snacks and quick weeknight meals.
(List source: Canadian Turkey)
Turkey and noodles are a perfect match!
This grilled turkey chow mein is exceptional!
As noodles are simple on their own, the turkey, vegetables and sauce is what brings the dish together. Aside from adding a lean protein to a dish, turkey has a hearty flavour to make the dish extra comforting.
Because the turkey thighs and vegetables are grilled, you will get an intense caramelized flavour. I used peppers and cremini mushrooms in the recipe as they are extra sweet when grilled, plus they bring a splash of beautiful colour to your dish. Feel free to swap with any other seasonal vegetables you can get your hands on.
The noodles are also a stand out with half the noodles crispy and the other half saucy; you get the best of both worlds! You can get Cantonese chow mein noodles in the fridge section at most grocery stores in Canada, or at any Chinese grocery stores. They are typically made of wheat or eggs, and are easy to prepare.
Blanch the noodles in water for about 1 minute to loosen them up and then drain. From there, the noodles are ready to be fried or sauced!
As a time saver, the noodles can be made ahead of time. Once you’re ready, top them with the grilled turkey and vegetables before serving.
Every bite of this dish has an incredible texture and delightful flavours!
Techniques for crispy and saucy chow mein noodles. My secrets revealed!
How to create crispy noodles
Chow mein is a staple in my household and I have made it countless times. I have mastered making restaurant style crispy noodles, without having to deep-fry.
The secret to creating the crispy noodles is to press them down with a spatula in a hot pan with oil. Make sure there is enough oil at all times. Pressing down allows the noodles touch the hot pan with oil giving you that crispy crust.
The second technique is to prepare them in smaller batches rather than adding the whole package of noodles at once. When finished, add the crispy noodles to the base of your plate and set aside.
How to create saucy noodles
The saucy noodles are an integral part of the recipe as they soak up the aromatic sauce, and bring the entire dish together. The sauce is made of soy sauce, sesame oil and hoisin sauce. It is aromatic, savoury, sweet and full of umami flavour that complements the turkey.
To create the saucy noodles, take half the blanched and drained noodles, and add to a hot pan with a bit of oil. Next, pour the sauce on the noodles and mix. When the grilled vegetables are finished, mix into the saucy noodles before serving. How easy is that?!
The recipe is even easier if you prepare the noodles in advance. Once the grilled turkey and vegetables are done, they are simply added to the noodles. The size of the turkey pieces are up to you. I sliced it up and topped the noodles, but feel free to dice up the turkey and mix into the noodles instead.
Recipe of the summer!
The grilled turkey noodle dish is colourful, beautiful, healthy, delicious and remarkable! The dish also makes for great leftovers.
I am confident that you will absolutely love this!
Grilled Turkey Chow Mein
Ingredients
- 2 (670 g) bone-in turkey thighs
- 1 (454 g) package Cantonese chow mein noodles
- 7 cups water
- ½ (120 g) red pepper
- ½ (120 g) orange pepper
- 6 (100 g) cremini mushrooms, stems removed
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 scallions, sliced
- ⅓ cup cilantro, rough chop
- Avocado oil, or cooking oil of choice
- Salt and black pepper, to season
Turkey marinade:
- ⅛ cup sugar dissolved in ⅛ cup (30 ml) of water
- ¼ cup (60 ml) soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- ⅛ cup (30 ml) lemon juice plus zests (½ a lemon)
Sauce for noodles:
- ⅛ cup (30 ml) soy sauce
- ⅛ cup (30 ml) sesame oil
- ⅛ cup (30 ml) hoisin sauce
- ⅛ cup (30 ml) water
Instructions
Marinate the turkey:
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Place the thighs in an airtight container or plastic resealable zipper storage bag.
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In a bowl, add the ingredients in the marinade including sugar, water, soy sauce, sesame oil, lemon juice and lemon zest. Mix well.
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Pour the marinade on the turkey and distribute evenly until every part of the turkey is coated. Marinate in the fridge overnight.
Sauce for the noodles:
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In a bowl, add soy sauce, sesame oil, hoisin sauce and water. Mix well and set aside.
Cook the noodles:
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Heat up 7 cups of water in a pan or enough to cover the noodles. When the water comes to a boil, add the package of noodles and loosen the noodles. Take out in 1 minute. Drain.
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In a pan, turn the heat to medium-high and add oil. Take half the drained noodles and create 3 even piles in the pan. Use a flat spatula to press down on the noodles so that noodles are touching the pan and creating a crust. Flip the noodles once it is to your desired crispiness (about 2-3 minutes a side). Add oil as needed. Remove and spread it out at the base of the serving plate.
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In the same pan, turn the heat to medium-high and add oil. Add the remaining noodles as one batch. Add the sauce for the noodles and mix well. Turn off the heat.
Grill the turkey and vegetables:
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Take the turkey out of the fridge about 45 minutes before grilling to get it up to room temperature.
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Drizzle the mushrooms, red and orange peppers with oil on both sides. Season with salt and pepper.
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Heat the grill to 400 degrees F. Add the vegetables on the high heat section of the BBQ and the turkey thighs skin side down on low heat and close the lid. Turn the turkey after 10 minutes, and continue to cook with the lid down until the internal temperature of the turkey hits 165°F (about 30 minutes in total).
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Cook the vegetables to desired doneness (about 5 minutes a side). Remove and slice into desired size. Add the vegetables to the saucy noodles and mix well.
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Plate and rest the turkey for 10 minutes. Slice into desired size. Keep the turkey thigh bone for other uses.
Assembling
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Place the saucy noodles on top of the crispy noodles. Add the grilled sliced turkey on top.
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Add cilantro and scallions.
Recipe Notes
Cooking times may vary.
Optional: Drizzle sesame oil on top of the turkey and noodles before serving.
For more grilling turkey recipes, how to videos, and info on turkey basics, check out Canadian Turkey’s grilling recipes on their website.
Follow Canadian Turkey on Social Media:
- Website: www.canadianturkey.ca, grilling recipes here
- Facebook: /CanadianTurkey
- Twitter: @Cdn_Turkey
- Instagram: @CanadianTurkey
- Pinterest: @canadianturkey
- YouTube: /Canadian Turkey
- Hashtag: #TryTurkeyToday
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