Stir-Fried Udon Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables (Yaki Udon)

These stir-fried udon noodles with chicken and vegetables is so easy to prepare and is ready in less than 20 minutes. 

 

Yaki udon is a Japanese stir-fry that includes udon noodles, a protein, veggies, and a simple sauce made with soy sauce (either light or dark depending on the region), plus mirin or sake. 

You can cook the dish in a 12 inch skillet or a wok. 

About Udon Noodles:

Udon noodles are a thick, chewy noodle made with wheat, water, and salt, not to be confused with soba noodles, which are made with buckwheat. You can buy them fresh, refrigerated and shrink-wrapped, frozen, as well as dried. 

They can be served in both hot and cold dishes and well as in soups. 

The udon noodles are not nearly as long as Chinese lo mein noodles, making incorporating everything together during the stir-fry process a little bit easier. 

Prepare your noodles according to the package instructions. Be sure to rinse them in cold water to stop the cooking before stir-frying. 

Ingredients in this Chicken and Vegetable Yaki Udon:

Udon Noodles: If you are using fresh noodles, you will need about 18 ounces. If you are using dried noodles, start with 7 ounces. 

Broth: You can use either vegetable or chicken broth. 

Soy Sauce: Use standard Japanese light soy sauce such as Kikkoman. 

Sake: Any brand will work. I used some of the sake I still had from making teriyaki chicken rice bowls.

Pantry Ingredients: Sugar, salt, pepper, and vegetable oil. 

For the Vegetables: Napa cabbage, snow peas, carrots, garlic, and scallions.  

Chicken: I used boneless skinless chicken thighs, but you can use chicken breasts if you prefer. 

To Make these Udon Noodles:

First, cook your noodles according to the package instructions. Rinse them in cold water and drain. Season your cut chicken with salt and pepper. 

Next, mix the sauce by combining the soy sauce, sake, broth, sugar, salt, and pepper. Also, set up your mis en place by combining the cabbage, carrots, and scallion whites in one bowl, and combining the snow peas and minced garlic in another bowl. Set the chopped scallion greens aside for sprinking over the cooked dish. 

After that, heat your wok over high heat and cook the chicken, undisturbed in a single layer or a couple of minutes. Flip it over, cook for another minute, and then remove it from the wok and set aside. Then, cook the veggies in the wok in steps before adding the noodles. 

Finally, add the chicken and the sauce mixture to the wok and stir fry for a minute or two, and then garnish with the scallion greens. 

This yaki udon is best served immediately. If you do have leftovers, they are still very tasty, but just not as pretty. In fact, I had leftovers for three more meals! They were even good cold. 

Alphabet Challenge: 

This year, we have been cooking through the alphabet, every two weeks. It's time for the letter "U."

U is for Utah, Udon, Urad, Ube, Upvasachi, Upside Down, Ukrainian, and Upma. Not sure what some of these "U" words represent food-wise? Be sure to check out everyone's recipes! 

• Blogghetti: Easy Homemade Peach Upside Down Cake 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Stir-Fried Udon Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables (Yaki Udon) 
• Food Lust People Love: Spicy Urad Dal 
• A Messy Kitchen: Ube Muffins
• Magical Ingredients: Ube Paratha 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Ukrainian Cod in Tomato Sauce
• Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Unsweetened Coconut Oatmeal Peach Crisp
• Culinary Cam: Udon Curry Soup with Shrimp
• Sneha’s Recipe: Upvasachi Shengdanyachi Usal/Peanut Sundal 
• Jolene’s Recipe Journal: Utah Buttermilk Scones 
• Mayuri’s Jikoni: Vegetable Upma 

Stir-Fried Udon Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables (Yaki Udon)

Yield: 4 servings

Author: Karen Kerr

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 30 Min

These stir-fried udon noodles with chicken and vegetables is so easy to prepare and is ready in less than 20 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of fresh or frozen udon noodles, or 8 ounces of dried udon noodles
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons sake
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, plus more to taste
• 12 ounces boneless, skinless, chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 head of Napa cabbage, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 scallions, white and green parts separated, and thinly sliced
• 1 cup snow peas, tips trimmed
• 6 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions

1. Cook the noodles according to the package directions, rinse with cold water, and drain. Shake out any excess water. Set aside.
2. Mix the broth, sake, soy sauce, sugar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.
4. Heat a wok or a 12-inch skillet over high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the oil. When the oil is heated, add the chicken and spread it out in a single layer. Cook, undisturbed, for 2 minutes.Turn the chicken over and and cook the other side for 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
5. Add the cabbage, carrots, and scallion whites and stir-fry for two minutes. Add the snow peas and garlic and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes.
6. Add the noodles and stir fry until combined with everything else, about 30 seconds to one minute. Add the broth mixture and stir-fry for one to two minutes more, until the noodles are coated and the broth is slightly reduced.
7. Divide among four bowls and garnish with the scallion greens.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

611

Fat (grams)

14 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

2 g

Carbs (grams)

86 g

Fiber (grams)

8 g

Net carbs

78 g

Sugar (grams)

15 g

Protein (grams)

36 g

Cholesterol (grams)

81 mg

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Karen's Kitchen Stories

Udon

dinner

Japanese

Recipe adapted from Food Network