Weeknight Chicken Noodle Stir Fry
Weeknight Chicken Noodle Stir Fry with velveted chicken thighs, cabbage, carrots, and noodles tossed in a savory oyster sauce and dark soy sauce mixture. The baking soda marinade gives you restaurant quality tender chicken at home. On the table in under an hour and better than takeout.
Servings: 6
Calories: 465kcal
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce low sodium
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
Noodles and Vegetables
- 1 pound Asian style noodles or egg noodles or spaghetti
- 2 cups cabbage thinly sliced
- 4 green onions white and green parts separated
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced
- 1 medium carrot cut into matchsticks
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- cooking oil
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce low sodium
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or cooking sherry
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook 1 pound noodles until just al dente, about 1 to 2 minutes for fresh noodles or according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- In a bowl, combine 1 pound sliced chicken thighs, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and ¼ teaspoon baking soda. Mix well and let the chicken marinate for 15 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 2 tablespoons oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large wok or skillet over high heat. Add the marinated chicken and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan.
- Add another 2 tablespoons oil to the pan. Add the white parts of the green onions, garlic, and sliced onion and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add 2 cups cabbage and 1 sliced carrot and cook for 2 minutes until slightly softened.
- Add the cooked noodles and cooked chicken back to the pan. Pour the sauce over everything and toss well for 2 to 3 minutes until the noodles absorb the sauce.
- Add the green parts of the green onions, toss again, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Baking soda: Don't add more than ¼ teaspoon. It tenderizes the chicken beautifully but too much and you will taste it in the finished dish.
- Marinating time: 15 minutes is the minimum. Don't skip this step, it's what gives you that silky restaurant quality chicken.
- High heat: Stir fry needs high heat. Medium heat gives you steamed sad noodles instead of properly seared and caramelized everything. Crank it up.
- Prep everything first: Once the wok is hot there is no time to stop and chop anything. Have everything ready before you turn on the heat.
- Don't overcook the noodles: Cook them just to al dente, they finish cooking in the wok with the sauce. Overcooked noodles going into a hot pan equals mush.
- Cook chicken in batches: Overcrowding the pan drops the temperature and causes steaming instead of searing. If your pan is small, cook the chicken in 2 batches.
- Dark soy sauce: Don't substitute with regular soy sauce if you can avoid it. Dark soy sauce is what gives the noodles their deep color and richer flavor. Find it in the Asian aisle of most grocery stores.
- Shaoxing wine: Dry sherry is the best substitute. Mirin works but adds more sweetness. Most grocery stores carry Shaoxing wine now so check the Asian section first.
- Serve immediately: Stir fry is a right now food. The noodles absorb the sauce as they sit and the texture changes. Eat it hot.
- Sesame oil: Goes into the sauce, not the wok. It has a low smoke point and is there for flavor not for cooking.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 465kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 2470mg | Potassium: 477mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1829IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 4mg
