Instead of the chicken thighs, skin on and bone in, we used chicken thigh fillets. Just because in our BUX kitchen we have to keep the cooking method a little bit more simple, while cooking 35 people 😉 . This recipe is gorgeous. I will definitely make this at home for my family and will try the shredded chicken version. The plums, honey and jamine tea bag in this recipe made me very happy. -enjoy-

Ingredients (serves 6)

4 free-range chicken thighs, skin on, bone in
2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
olive oil
1 fresh red chilli
3cm piece of ginger
1 bunch of spring onions
4 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons runny honey
6 ripe plums
8 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons low-salt soy sauce
sesame oil
300 g free-range medium egg noodles
200 g sugar-snap peas or mangetout
125 g baby spinach
1 jasmine tea bag
¼ of a bunch of fresh mixed soft herbs
1 lime

Method

Put the chicken and five-spice in a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil and toss together.
Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat, then add the chicken, skin-side down and cook for 5 minutes, then throw in the whole chilli.
Peel and add the ginger, trim and add 4 spring onions, along with the unpeeled garlic cloves. Drizzle over the honey and fry until dark, golden and sticky.
When it’s all looking good, add the whole plums, vinegar, soy and a little sesame oil to stop everything from sticking. Put the lid on, reduce the heat and let it cook slowly for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
Remove the lid and allow the liquid to reduce and get sticky, then transfer everything to a board. Let it all cool a little, then shred the chicken and return it to the pan, discarding the bones. On a board, chop up the plums and garlic (discarding the stones and skin), the chilli and remaining spring onions, mixing to create a kind of hot chopped salad. Discard the ginger, then scrape it all back into the pan with the chicken.
Place the noodles, sugar-snap peas or mangetout, spinach and tea bag in a pan and cover with boiling water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes, then discard the tea bag.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the noodles and veg to the pan with the chicken. Use a little cooking liquid to loosen the sauce, then toss it all together.
Pick and roughly chop the herbs, then sprinkle on top. Serve with wedges of lime for squeezing over.