We LOVE stir fry in this house but wanted to change it up a little last time so we did Udon noodles and changed up the sauce a bit. They were a huge hit and we even gave the kids chop sticks to give them a chance to try them out. Dishes like these are great for loading up everyone’s plates / bowls with healthy veggies! Once all the prep work is done this cooks up incredibly fast! The rest of the meal is ready in the time it takes to boil the noodles! This crowd favorite will be in our regular rotation!
Now for the sauce. This can be made hours… even a day ahead if you wanted / needed to. It is loosely adapted from Pioneer Woman’s Simple Sesame Noodles. Start with 1/4 cup soy sauce. I recommend the low sodium version. Add to that 2 Tbs honey.
Add to that a couple Tbs of rice vinegar.
1/4 cup water. You could also add hot chili oil or red pepper flakes here for some bite. With young kids in the house we wait to do this until it is plated up. Whisk to combine.
Cut 2 chicken breasts up into bite sized pieces and place in a bowl. Take a little less than 1/4 of your sauce liquid and pour it over your chicken to marinate for a bit while you prep veggies.
Ok, now for the prep. Peel and chop up a few carrots and 1 onion. Put them together in a bowl. Slice up a few stalks of celery and trim some broccoli florets and put them together in a bowl. Mince a few cloves of garlic. The separation is purposeful here. The carrots and onion need the longest cook time. Garlic is next and needs the “cushion” of the carrots and onion to avoid burning on the bottom of the hot pan. The celery and broccoli require the least cook time and are best served with a good crunchy texture. Capiche? Great. Have all of this prep ready ahead of time because once the cooking starts this will go very quickly.
Start a large pot of water to boil for your noodles. Generously season the water with salt! I use Udon noodles. You can find them in the Asian section of your grocery store. They are very similar to spaghetti noodles and you could sure use spaghetti if that what you have on hand. If you have the opportunity to try the Udon noodles I recommend you do. Branch out a bit. Live dangerously…
Heat a Tbs of olive oil in a skillet on med high heat. When it is hot drop in your chicken pieces. Toss them around the pan until they cooked through and browned. Remove from pan to a clean plate and cover with foil.
Drop carrots and onions into the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until onions are translucent. Drop garlic in and cook for 2 mins.
Add in celery and broccoli. Stir and continue to cook for a few minutes until they become slightly tender.
Add the chicken and all juices back into the pan and combine.
By now your noodles should be al dente. Drain them and return them to the warm pot.
Add the contents of your saute pan to the noodle pot.
Give your sauce a quick whisk and pour it over.
Stir to combine and you are set to go!
Serve in bowls with chop sticks… or forks if you decide not to live dangerously. This is where you could toss in some red pepper flakes if you wanted some bite separately from the rest. This is even great the next day. Add a small amount of water to a small frying pan, dump in leftovers and cover with a lid for a few minutes on medium heat. I love leftovers!!
Asian Chicken Noodle Bowls
2 Boneless Chicken Breasts cut to bite sized pieces
Sauce:
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 Tbs honey
2 Tbs rice vinegar
3 Tbs sesame oil
1/4 cup olive oil
(optional hot chili oil or red pepper flakes)
3-4 large carrots peeled and chopped
1 onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
3-4 stalks celery, chopped
1-1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
1 package Udon noodles (10-12oz) or spaghetti noodles
Prep chicken. Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl or glass jar. Whisk to combine. Take scant 1/4 cup of sauce liquid and pour over chicken and let marinate while you prep veggies. Heat 1 Tbs olive oil in saute pan over med high heat. Start water boiling for noodles (season generously with salt). When oil is hot add in chicken pieces and cook until browned and cooked through. Transfer to clean plate and cover with foil. Add carrots and onions to pan. Cook until onions are translucent. Add in garlic and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Add in celery and broccoli and continue to cook for 3-5 minutes. Add chicken pieces and juices from plate into pan. About now the noodles should be done. Drain and return to pot. Add contents of saute pan. Whisk sauce and pour over all ingredients. Stir to combine. Serve!