Glossy, sauce-coated noodles, golden chicken, vegetables that still have some crunch: it's the dish you order without thinking at your local Asian restaurant. Good news: you can make it at home in 30 minutes, with a very hot wok and three simple habits I explain here.
The recipe serves 4, is cooked in one go and is very forgiving: no red bell pepper? Use cabbage. No oyster sauce? Soy sauce is enough. What matters is high heat and quick movements.
In short: Chinese noodles stir-fried in a wok with soy-marinated chicken and crunchy vegetables, ready in 30 minutes for 4 people.
Three rules make all the difference: a very hot wok, vegetables seared quickly so they stay crunchy, and well-drained noodles added last so they don't stick.
Ingredients
- 400 g Chinese egg noodles (or wheat noodles)
- 400 g chicken breast
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 carrot
- 2 spring onions
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 cm fresh ginger
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce (optional)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- Pepper
The recipe step by step
- Cook the noodles. Drop the noodles into a large pot of boiling water for the time shown on the package, usually 3 to 4 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water and add a drizzle of neutral oil so they don't stick.
- Marinate the chicken. Slice the chicken breast into thin strips. Mix with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and the honey, then let rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the vegetables.
- Cut the vegetables. Cut the bell pepper and carrot into thin matchsticks, slice the spring onions and keep the green parts for the end. Chop the garlic and ginger.
- Sear the chicken. Heat the wok over high heat with the neutral oil until it smokes slightly. Sear the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until golden. Set aside on a plate.
- Stir-fry the vegetables. In the same wok, toss in the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds, then the vegetable matchsticks. Stir-fry for 3 minutes over high heat: they should stay crunchy.
- Bring it together. Return the chicken to the wok, add the noodles, the rest of the soy sauce, the oyster sauce and the sesame oil. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, tossing constantly to coat everything well.
- Serve. Serve right away in warm bowls, sprinkled with the green parts of the spring onions and the sesame seeds. A twist of the pepper mill and it's ready.
The chef's tip
It all comes down to heat. The wok should be smoking slightly before the chicken touches it, and you should never overcrowd it: if you add too much at once, the temperature drops and the vegetables boil instead of searing. Work in two batches if your wok is small. Second habit: well-drained, lightly oiled noodles. Added last, they get coated in sauce without sticking or breaking.
Variations that work
- With beef: replace the chicken with thinly sliced flank steak, seared for barely 2 minutes.
- With shrimp: peeled shrimp added with the vegetables, 2 minutes is enough.
- Vegetarian: diced firm tofu and shiitake mushrooms instead of chicken.
- Gluten-free: rice noodles and tamari soy sauce.
- Spicy: a spoonful of sriracha or a thinly sliced fresh chili in the sauce.
Frequently asked questions
Which noodles should you choose for stir-fried noodles?
Chinese egg noodles are the closest to what you get at the restaurant: they stay tender and hold the sauce well. Regular wheat noodles work very well too, and rice noodles are a good choice if you avoid gluten.
How do you keep the noodles from sticking?
Three steps: cook them a little less than the time on the package, rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking, then oil them lightly. Add them to the wok at the very end, just to coat and warm them.
Can you make stir-fried noodles ahead of time?
Yes, they reheat very well in 2 minutes in a hot wok with a splash of soy sauce. Cold, they also make an excellent noodle salad for lunch the next day.
In the kitchen with the right apron
A smoking wok means splatters. The Japanese apron, crossed at the back, leaves your arms free and protects you without getting in the way. For everyday cooking, our washable cotton kitchen aprons handle soy sauce stains without flinching.
