A quick and easy stir fry chicken teriyaki noodle recipe, made with leftover chicken, charred vegetables, chewy udon noodles and tossed with a sweet and sticky teriyaki sauce. Great for using up leftovers, or when you want a simple meal in less than 30 minutes!
This is one of my favorite go-to recipes for easy weeknight dinners. It’s easy, it’s quick and it can basically use any kind of leftover meat or vegetables you have in the fridge. The idea for this recipe came to me when I was missing chicken teriyaki takeout – you know the food stalls you find in malls with a flattop griddle that looks like the guy behind the counter is making tepanyaki?
Chicken teriyaki to me as a kiddo was sliced up chicken on a bed of white rice and charred cabbage and carrots and drowning in the syrupy dark sweet teriyaki sauce and served in a styrofoam takeout box. Chicken Teriyaki is no different to me now, except I occasionally will replace the white rice with a chewy udon noodle and I don’t use a styrofoam box.
In all honesty, the best part of chicken teriyaki to me is still the sweet syrupy sauce, especially on plain white rice or noodles.
INGREDIENTS FOR STIR FRY CHICKEN TERIYAKI NOODLES
- Chicken – I like to use leftover chicken for this recipe because it’s easy and quick. I usually use chicken because it is usually what I have as leftovers in the fridge, but you can use any type of leftover meat for this recipe. If you don’t have leftovers, you can also use fresh meat as well, just make sure you slice them up until they are bite-sized before cooking it and cook it until it is fully cooked before you start stir-frying the noodles, vegetables, and sauce in.
- Udon Noodles – I like to use frozen udon noodles. I find them chewier than the dry and pre-packaged ones you find in the fridge.
- Cabbage/Carrots/Onions – The standard vegetables for chicken teriyaki to me are cabbage, carrots, and onions but you can use any type of vegetables you like – but don’t omit the onions. The onions provide a lot of flavor.
- Soy Sauce – I like to use light soy sauce (also can be found as regular soy sauce).
- Ginger/Garlic – Garlic and ginger provide a lot of flavor for the sauce, so don’t omit them.
- Honey – I like to use honey for this recipe because I find it gives the sauce a more sweet and sticky texture to the sauce.
- Corn Starch – I use cornstarch to thicken the sauce.
PREPARE THE INGREDIENTS AHEAD OF TIME
To make this dish super quickly, it’s easiest to prepare and chop everything ahead of time so all the ingredients are right there ready for you near the stove. This also includes pre-making the sauce ahead of time as well, which takes about 5 minutes.
PREPARING THE UDON NOODLES
In order for your udon noodles to stay chewy, it is crucial that you don’t boil it before you stir fry it. Boiling the noodles make it too soft, and once you stir fry and cook it for a second time the chewy texture will be lost. I like to just run the noodles under some warm tap water until the ice melts and the strands start to separate.
LOOKING FOR MORE STIR FRY NOODLE RECIPES? TRY THESE!
- Singapore Noodles
- Beef & Onion Soy Sauce Noodles
- Black Garlic Shirataki Noodles with King Oyster Mushrooms
- Beef Chow Fun (Beef Ho Fun)
- Maple Curry Yaki Udon
- Japchae (Stir-Fried Korean Glass Noodles)
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Stir Fry Chicken Teriyaki Noodles
Ingredients
- Cooked chicken (or any leftover meat. Approx. 2 cups, shredded or chopped)
- 1 brick of Frozen Sanuki Udon Noodle
- 2 cups Cabbage (approx. 1/4 of a small cabbage, finely sliced)
- 1 cup carrot (finely sliced into matchsticks)
- 1 medium onion (sliced)
- 1 clove garlic (finely chopped)
Teriyaki Sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon ginger (optional, grated)
Corn Starch Slurry (To Thicken Sauce)
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 tablespoons water (cold)
Instructions
Preparation
- Wash and peel (optional) the carrot, and cut them into thin slivers and set aside
- Wash and cut the cabbage into half, and then cut each half into half again so you get 1/4 of a cabbage. Use only 1/4 of the cabbage. Cut out the core of the cabbage and cut them into thin slices and set aside
- Cut off the ends of the onion and then peel it. Cut the onion in half and then place the onion flat side down on the cutting board and cut them into thin slices and set aside
- Peel and finely chop the garlic. Set aside 1 tablespoon for the sauce and set the rest of it a side for the stir fry.
- Grate the ginger and set aside later for the sauce
- Hand shred, or thinly slice the leftover chicken and set aside
- Place a frozen brick of udon noodles into a colander and run it under cold water to melt the ice. Once the noodles are soft and pliable (it should take about 1-2 minutes), they are done. Set it aside
Making the Teriyaki Sauce
- Set a small pot on the stove on medium-low heat
- Add a bit of oil to it. Once the oil is hot, add in the garlic and ginger and toast it until it is brown (approximately 1-2 minutes)
- Once the garlic and ginger has browned, add in the soy sauce, water and honey and let it simmer for 1-2 minutes
- While the sauce is simmering, mix the corn starch and cold water together to make a corn starch slurry and mix well.
- Once the sauce has simmered for a few minutes, stir the sauce quickly with a utensil while adding in the corn starch slurry slowly. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens.
- Once the sauce thickens, set it aside for later.
Putting Everything Together
- Use a large frying pan and set the stove to medium to medium high heat.
- Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the frying pan and wait for it to get hot.
- Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add in the onions and cook them until they are soft (approximately 1-2 minutes)
- Then add in the carrots and cabbage and stir fry it with the onions. Try to leave it on the pan for 20-30 seconds without touching it every minute to give the cabbage a bit of a char. Cook everything for approximately 3-4 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
- Add in the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes - we put the garlic last so it doesn't burn.
- Add in the chicken and mix everything together and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Add in the noodles and cook for 1 minute
- Add in the sauce and cook everything for 1 minute
- Once everything is all cooked, plate it and enjoy!
Notes
- If your leftover chicken has bones, save them and freeze them! You can accumulate a bunch of bones and make a broth out of it next time you feel like having some soupy noodles!
Nutrition
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Josie says
Joyce, I love this easy cooking way by using some handy ingredients in the kitchen. My son loves to eat noodles, now that I can make this delicious dish fast. Thanks.
Joyce says
Hi Josie!
I love noodles too heehee, I love how quickly it can be made as well, it’s usually my go-to dinner for a lazy dinner when I have any kind of leftovers! 😀