Stir-Fried Chicken Noodles (Tallarín Saltado de Pollo)

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Steps

1. 1
   Prepare the pre-mix sauce: in a small bowl, combine soy sauce (sillao), white vinegar, and oyster sauce. Grate the ginger (with skin) on a fine grater, then squeeze the grated pulp to extract the juice and add it to the bowl. Whisk together until the oyster sauce is fully dissolved. Set aside.

   Tip: Ginger juice adds a subtle, cleaner ginger aroma than dropping in a whole chunk — a technique shared by Giacomo's Asian cooking mentor.

   ~3 min
2. 2
   Cook the spaghetti: bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Add the spaghetti and cook for 10 minutes (al dente — firm with slight bite). Reserve some pasta cooking water, then transfer the pasta to a bowl of cold salted water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.

   Tip: Add a little salt to the cold water too — this prevents the pasta from losing the salt it absorbed during cooking.

   ~12 min
3. 3
   Prepare the vegetables: halve the onion, remove the core, and cut into even wedges. Remove the veins and seeds from the ají amarillo and cut into julienne strips. Halve the tomato, remove only the peduncle (stem scar), and keep the seeds for their juice. Slice the green onion.

   Tip: Removing the core from the onion gives you uniform wedges that cook evenly.

   ~5 min
4. 4
   Brine the chicken (if not already done): dissolve salt in water to make a 10% brine and submerge the chicken breast for at least 30 minutes. Remove, pat dry, and cut into 3–4 cm cubes.

   Tip: The salmuera keeps the breast juicy even at the high temperatures required for stir-frying. Thigh meat also works great and is even more forgiving.

   ~5 min
5. 5
   Sear the chicken: heat a skillet or pan over high heat with no oil until very hot. Add a small splash of vegetable oil — it should shimmer immediately (around 190°C). Add the chicken cubes in a single layer without stacking. Let them sear undisturbed until well-browned on one side, then move the pan to distribute the fat and tilt toward the flame to create a small flambé effect. Cook until the outside is golden but the interior is still slightly underdone. Remove the chicken and set aside.

   Tip: Don't move the chicken immediately after adding it — let it sear so that a proper crust forms. Moving too soon creates steam that prevents browning.

   ~4 min
6. 6
   Sauté the vegetables: in the same hot pan, add a little more oil if needed. Add the onion wedges and ají amarillo julienne. Sauté over high heat until the onion just begins to turn translucent with some golden edges — keeping them slightly crisp. Add the tomato halves and toss briefly.

   Tip: You want the vegetables to retain a slight crunch, so don't overcook them here — they will continue cooking when the pasta is added.

   ~3 min
7. 7
   Bring it all together: return the seared chicken to the pan. Add the cooked, drained spaghetti. Pour in the chicken stock to deglaze and lift the caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour the pre-mix sauce over everything and toss well to coat. Let the sauce reduce slightly and color the pasta.

   Tip: The pasta will absorb the sauce beautifully — this is why the pre-mix needs to be more intense than for a regular lomo saltado, since the pasta dilutes the flavors.

   ~3 min
8. 8
   Finish and serve: add the fresh cilantro in large torn pieces (or chopped if preferred) and toss once more. Plate generously and garnish with sliced green onion. Serve immediately.

   Tip: Giacomo prefers big torn pieces of cilantro so each bite has a distinct herbaceous hit. If serving guests who dislike cilantro, parsley is a substitute but not quite the same.

   ~2 min

Nutrition (per serving)

Giacomo Bocchio

TE ENSEÑO A PREPARAR UN TALLARÍN SALTADO DE POLLO FACILITO

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