These chicken teriyaki noodles are totally top-notch!
The recipe combines tender chicken, colorful stir-fried veggies, and chewy udon noodles in a sweet and savory teriyaki sauce.
It tastes better than takeout and comes together in under half an hour. It’s a fresh and flavor-packed meal that your family will beg for.
Why You’ll Love Chicken Teriyaki Noodles
Restaurant-Quality Taste: These noodles easily taste as good as any takeout meal. Yet you can whip them up quickly without ever leaving the house.
Terrific Textures: Crisp-tender veggies like carrots, broccoli, and cabbage provide a satisfying crunch. In contrast, the chicken remains tender and the noodles chewy.
Lovable Leftovers: Chicken teriyaki noodles leftovers hold up well. They’re great for meal-prepping lunches or dinners for the week.
Quick & Easy: This dish is ready in about 30 minutes, making it perfect for busy weeknights and beginner chefs.
Ingredients
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs: Boneless, skinless thighs (or breasts) are best. They’re tender, juicy, and packed with flavor.
- Udon Noodles: These thick, chewy wheat noodles soak up the thick sauce nicely.
- Salt & Pepper: The classic seasoning combo. Add enough to suit your tastes.
- Vegetable Oil: It’s a high-heat oil that lets you stir-fry quickly without burning anything.
- Veggies: I use onion, carrots, broccoli florets, and cabbage. Together, they’re colorful, crunchy, and tender.
- Garlic & Ginger: No Asian meal is complete without these two aromatics. Use fresh ingredients for the best results.
- Green Onions: They add a nice color and extra umami flavor when added on top.
- Sesame Seeds: They add a nutty crunch to enhance the dish.
- Teriyaki Sauce: You can’t have teriyaki noodles without this key ingredient. This homemade sauce absolutely delicious and has the perfect consistency.
How to Make Chicken Teriyaki Noodles
Making this recipe is pretty straightforward.
1. Make the sauce. Whisk the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring the sauce to a simmer, mix in the cornstarch slurry, and stir until thick.
2. Marinate. Season the chicken, then pour 1/4 cup of the teriyaki sauce over and toss to coat. Let marinate for at least 15 minutes.
3. Cook the chicken. Heat oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and stir-fry it for about 5 minutes. Set aside on a clean plate.
4. Stir-fry the veggies. Add the onion and carrots to the same pan, stir-fry until they begin to soften, then add the broccoli, cabbage, garlic, and ginger. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Cook the noodles. Meanwhile, cook the udon noodles according to the package directions until al dente. Then, drain and rinse with cool water.
6. Combine Add the chicken, noodles, and remaining sauce to the pan with the stir-fried veggies. Toss gently and stir-fry for another 1 to 2 minutes until everything is well combined.
7. Garnish and serve. Serve the noodles garnished with sliced green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Tips for the Best Chicken Teriyaki Noodles
The following tips will help your recipe move even more smoothly. I’ve also included a few substitution options.
- Keep things uniform. You want bite-sized chicken pieces of similar shape and size. They’ll cook more evenly that way.
- Let it marinate. The recipe says to marinate the chicken for at least 15 minutes. However, the longer you marinate it, the better it will taste. I like to give my chicken at least 1 hour in the sauce before cooking it.
- Try a chopstick trick. When tossing the noodles with the sauce, chopsticks or tongs work best. You’ll likely crush or break the noodles if you try to do it with a spoon or fork.
- Vary the veggies. You can add as many veggies as you like. Try bok choy, snap peas, bell peppers, mushrooms, and more. You can also use different noodle varieties, such as soba, ramen, or rice noodles. Even spaghetti noodles will work in a pinch.
- Toss in protein and garnishes. Shrimp, chicken, beef, or tofu will give the meal more protein. Also, be sure to garnish generously with your favorite ingredients. Peanuts, sesame seeds, green onions, cilantro, and Sriracha are all good options.
- Take a shortcut. If you’re in a rush, you can use store-bought teriyaki sauce. Just be sure to get a high-quality brand for a delicious flavor.
- Make them a meal. These noodles taste great with lots of things. Try steamed rice, spring or egg rolls, miso soup, edamame, or cucumber salad.
How to Store
While you can technically freeze this dish, I don’t recommend it if you don’t have to.
After freezing and thawing, the veggies and noodles will lose a lot of their texture. Yes, it will taste good, but the texture will be quite soft.
Having said that, here’s how to store it:
To Store: Refrigerate cooled teriyaki noodles in an air-tight container for 3 to 4 days. Store the chicken, noodles, and veggies separately, if possible, for the best results.
To Freeze: Freeze cold leftovers in an air-tight freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
To Reheat: Reheat the noodles and veggies in a skillet or in the microwave. Add a splash of broth or water to prevent dryness. Heat the chicken separately until warmed through. If reheating all the leftovers at once, a skillet over medium heat is your best bet.
More Delicious Chicken Dinners You’ll Love
Chicken and Cornbread Casserole
Chicken Stroganoff
Moroccan Chicken
Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Chicken Teriyaki Noodles
4
servings15
minutes15
511
kcalThese tasty chicken teriyaki noodles are even better than takeout! With tender noodles, crisp veggies, and a savory sauce, they’re such a treat.
Ingredients
- For the Teriyaki Sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water (slurry)
- For the Chicken Teriyaki Noodle Dish
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
12 ounces fresh or frozen udon noodles
1 onion, sliced
2 carrots, julienned
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup sliced cabbage
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
2 green onions, sliced
sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Make the Sauce: In a small saucepan, whisk the soy sauce, water, mirin, brown sugar, honey, garlic, and ginger. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- Add the cornstarch slurry while whisking constantly. Continue to simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Make the Chicken: Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Pour 1/4 cup of the teriyaki sauce over the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and let marinate for at least 15 minutes in the fridge.
- Heat the oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and stir-fry until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
- In the same pan, add the onion and carrots. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until starting to soften. Add the broccoli, cabbage, garlic, and ginger. Stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes until the vegetables are crisp-tender.
- Make the Noodles: Cook the udon noodles according to package directions until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water.
- Add the cooked chicken, noodles, and remaining teriyaki sauce to the pan with the veggies. Toss everything and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until heated through and well combined.
- Serve the teriyaki chicken noodles garnished with sliced green onions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Notes
- The recipe says to marinate the chicken for at least 15 minutes. However, the longer you marinate it, the better it will taste. I like to give my chicken at least 1 hour in the sauce before cooking it.
Hi,
I enjoy your recipes and happy to make them. You should try a print option at the top. That would make it easy to shop and then mix your wonderful menu’s
Hi, Michael! If you jump down to the recipe card at the bottom and check out the picture, you’ll see a “print” button in the left righthand corner. That’ll allow you to print the recipe without all the excess info. 🙂 Hope that helps!
This was a excellent recipe and the flavor was great. My husband loved it. I must say however, that saying it would take 15 minutes of prep time is way off base. It would take that much time just to get all the ingredients out!
I feel you, Mary!
I’ve just grown to accept that the prep time I see on recipes is never going to be how much time it actually takes me. Haha. I don’t know if I’m just unnaturally slow or what, but yeah. I used to do HomeChef & HelloFresh meals. Some of them would say, “Prep time: 5 minutes.” Then, the directions would be to chop scallions, peel and slice carrots, wash, scrub, and dice potatoes, pat the meat dry and season, etc. And I’m just like, “Who in the Gordon Ramsey can do all that in 5 minutes?!”
I know there are people out there who can. Even at 81, my gramma is one of them. But it won’t EVER be me. Haha.