Chicken Yaki Udon (Japanese Stir-Fried Noodles Recipe)
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Chicken Yaki Udon is a quick and easy Japanese stir-fried noodles dish that features chewy udon noodles, tender chicken pieces, crisp-tender veggies and a savory sauce with a hint of sweetness and tang. Ready in just 25 minutes, it’s perfect for easy weeknight dinners!
Love Asian stir-fried noodles? Try my Hoisin Chicken Noodles, Spicy Cumin Noodles with Salmon, this Stir-fried Black Pepper Chicken Noodles or Shanghai Style Fried Noodles next.
About This Recipe
I love a comforting big bowl of stir-fried noodles, and this takeout style Chicken Yaki Udon ticks all the boxes!
Chicken Yaki Udon is a Japanese stir-fried udon noodles dish made with chicken, garlic, veggies like onions, carrots, mushrooms and cabbage and a quick homemade savory-sweet and tangy sauce.
The term ‘yaki’ translates to “cooked over direct” heat and refers to grilled or pan-fried dishes in Japanese cuisine.
This recipe quick to make with simple ingredients and easy to stir-fry on any given weeknight!
My version is spiced up with chopped fresh red chili peppers but you can easily make it mild by leaving them out or using less chilies.
This dish is ready in 25 minutes, tastes better than takeout and I think you’ll enjoy the wok-fried flavors!
Table of contents
Why This Recipe Works
- Quick and easy. It’s ready in under 30 minutes, making it perfect for a quick dinner on any night of the week.
- Tasty flavors and amazing texture! The flavor profile of the stir-fry sauce is savory, sweet and slightly tangy. Paired with the bouncy and chewy udon noodles, this is an enjoyable stir-fried chicken noodles dish.
- Customizable. You can customize it with your favorite protein and veggies.
- Scalable. You can easily double the ingredients or halve them to make more or less servings.
- Comfort food at its best! It’s a comforting and satiating noodles dish that will leave you satisfied!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutes
- Worcestershire Sauce: Adds a hint of tang and umami. Japanese Worcestershire sauce can be used if it’s easily available to you. However, I used Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce as it’s what I have in my pantry.
- Oyster Sauce: A sweet and savory thick sauce that’s an Asian pantry staple.
- Low Sodium Light Soy Sauce: Low sodium so we can control the salt level better. Use a little less if using regular light soy sauce.
- Mirin: This is a Japanese sweet rice wine. It’s available at Japanese and Asian supermarkets and can sometimes be found in large mainstream supermarkets. Substitute with cooking wine or dry sherry and add 1 teaspoon to ½ tablespoon of sugar or sugar-free sweetener.
- Dark Soy Sauce: For color. If unavailable, use more low sodium light soy sauce or regular light soy sauce.
- Instant Dashi Powder: This is Japanese fish stock powder and can be used to make stock or sprinkled directly into stir-fries. It elevates the flavor with savory umami notes. It’s usually made from kelp, shitake mushrooms, anchovies (or sardines) and dried bonito flakes or a combination of these ingredients. Find it in your local Japanese or Asian supermarket.
- Toasted Sesame Oil: Although not typically used, I like adding sesame oil to infuse the dish with toasted sesame aromas.
- Marinated Chicken: I used sliced boneless and skinless chicken breast and marinated it with ground white pepper, kosher salt, low sodium light soy sauce and toasted sesame oil to flavor the meat. Sliced boneless and skinless chicken thighs can be used if preferred.
- Veggies: Yellow onion, carrots, shiitake mushrooms and Chinese cabbage (napa cabbage or wombok) are the typical veggies used in yaki udon and in yakisoba.
- Aromatics: Garlic, spring onion (scallion/green onion) and fresh red chilies. The chilies aren’t typically used but add tasty kick of heat to this chicken udon noodles dish. Feel free to use less or omit them if you’re not a fan of spicy food.
- Udon Noodles: I used vacuum sealed packs of pre-cooked udon noodles. They can be found online and in Asian or Japanese supermarkets. You can use frozen udon noodles too or par-cooked udon noodles from the fridge section. Dried udon can be used in a pinch but note that it won’t have the same bouncy and chewy texture.
- Peanut Oil: Or use any neutral cooking oil with a high smoke point. Canola oil, vegetable oil, grapeseed oil and rice bran oil are some good options.
- Black Pepper: Added at the end to season the noodles stir-fry.
Full ingredient list and amounts are in the recipe card below.
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How to Make Chicken Yaki Udon
Below is a step-by-step visual overview on how to make this recipe. The full recipe with detailed instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
Serving Suggestions
Chicken yaki udon is a well-balanced meal with protein, carbohydrates and veggies. While additional side dishes are not needed, you can serve with optional toppings such as pickled red ginger (beni shoga) and/or dried green seaweed flake (aonori).
The light salty flavor of the dried seaweed adds more umami to the overall flavor of yaki udon. The tangy and slightly spicy pickled red ginger cuts through the flavors of the sauce and acts as a palate cleanser.
You can also top with toasted sesame seeds.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
While chicken yaki udon tastes best when freshly cooked and hot off the wok, you can store leftovers in an airtight sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat on high in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through, until hot throughout.
Cook’s Tips
- Boil vacuum sealed packs of pre-cooked udon noodles. Some packs will state that the udon noodle cakes are ready to cook in any dish without any preparation beforehand. Ignore that as the noodles are too firmly stuck together and will not separate in a stir-fry dish without breaking. To prepare them, bring a pot of water to a boil, then lower the heat and add the udon noodles. Use tongs to grab onto the noodle cake (one at a time) and gently shake until the strands have separated and are tender. Drain into a colander and run cold water on the noodles to prevent sticking and halt the cooking process. The cold water also gets rid of any excess starchy flavors or oil coating that may have been applied by the manufacturer to preserve freshness.
- Toss the noodles with sesame oil. Instead of adding the sesame oil to the sauce, you can toss the noodles with it to prevent sticking after boiling and draining.
- Prepare all the ingredients before you start cooking. This is a quick stir-fried noodles dish and everything cooks very FAST. Have all your ingredients prepped and placed by the side of your wok before you start cooking.
- Double the recipe. The recipe as written is a hearty meal for two people, but you can easily double the ingredients to make dinner for four people or for meal prep. If you’d like to halve the recipe to cook for 1 person, simply half the recipe ingredients by clicking the ‘1/2x’ button in the recipe card below. If doubling the ingredients (click ‘2x’ in the recipe card), cook in two batches so that you don’t overcrowd the wok and the noodles don’t become soggy and stick together.
Variations
- Make it gluten-free. Use a gluten-free soy sauce (tamari or coconut aminos), oyster sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and gluten-free noodles such as rice noodles or brown rice udon noodles.
- Use a different protein. Shrimp (or prawns), squid, sliced pork tenderloin (pork fillet), pork belly or skirt or flank beef steak would all taste great!
- Use different veggies. Cooking yaki udon is a great way to use any stir fry friendly veggies in your crisper drawer. Some tasty additions include bell peppers, bean sprouts, bok choy, blanched broccoli florets, snow peas, asparagus and green beans.
- Make it vegetarian. Use a vegetarian mushroom flavored oyster sauce, vegetarian instant dashi powder made of kelp and/or shiitake mushrooms. Use crispy pan-fried tofu or tempeh for the protein or add additional veggies.
- Use different noodles. Egg noodles, ramen noodles, buckwheat noodles (soba noodles), any type of Chinese or Korean wheat noodles. Spaghetti or capellini (angel hair pasta) can be used in a pinch and it’d still taste great!
- Top with chili oil. Japanese La-yu, chili crisp, or or your favorite chili oil either with or without sediment (flakes and/or seeds). A small drizzle or spoonful goes a long way to add spice and flavor!
FAQs
The difference is the type of noodles used. Yaki udon is made with wheat-based thick udon noodles and yakisoba is made with steamed, yellow colored wheat-based noodles, which are thin noodles like ramen.
Any wheat-based Chinese noodles can be substituted, but Shanghai noodles are the most similar. They have a chewy and bouncy texture just like udon noodles. You can substitute with vacuum sealed packs of pre-cooked Shanghai noodles or dried Shanghai noodles.
Fresh or frozen Sanuki udon noodles have the best thickness and texture for stir-fried noodle dishes. They have a thick, chewy and bouncy texture and are known to have a bite to them, similar to al-dente pasta.
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More Stir-Fried Noodles with Chicken
More Japanese Recipes
Chicken Yaki Udon (Japanese Stir-Fried Noodles Recipe)
Chicken Yaki Udon is a quick and easy 25-minute Japanese stir-fried noodles dish featuring chewy udon noodles, tender chicken and veggies in a mouthwatering savory sauce with a hint of tang and sweetness!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stir-fry
- Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade:
- 9.2 ounces / 260 grams Chicken Breast, boneless, skinless – thinly sliced into bite-sized pieces
- ¼ TSP ground White Pepper (substitute with black pepper if unavailable)
- ⅛ TSP Kosher Salt
- 2 TSP Low Sodium Light Soy Sauce
- ¼ TSP Toasted Sesame Oil
- 1 TSP Peanut Oil, for cooking (or any other neutral oil with a high smoke point)
Sauce:
- 1 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce
- 1.5 TBSP Oyster Sauce
- 1.5 TBSP Low Sodium Light Soy Sauce
- ½ TBSP Mirin (Japanese Sweet Rice Wine – note 1)
- ½ TSP Dark Soy Sauce
- ½ TSP Instant Dashi Powder (Japanese fish stock powder – note 2)
- ½ TSP Toasted Sesame Oil
Chicken Yaki Udon Noodles Stir Fry:
- ⅓ medium / 80 grams Yellow Onion – sliced into ½-inch wide strips, then sliced in half
- 2 medium stalks / 20 grams Spring Onion (Scallion/Green Onions) – sliced into 2-inch pieces, white and light green parts separated from dark green parts
- 1 small / 50 grams Carrot – julienned
- 2 pieces / 60 grams Shiitake Mushrooms (or other Brown Mushrooms) – sliced
- 1 cup / 100 grams chopped Chinese Cabbage (Napa Cabbage/Wombok)
- 3–4 cloves / 20 grams Garlic– minced
- 1–8 pieces / 3-30 grams fresh Red Chilies (optional – I used Thai Bird’s Eye red chilies but any variety can be used, omit for milder dish – note 3*)
- 14 ounces (2 packs) / 400 grams Udon Noodles (I used vacuum sealed packs of precooked udon – note 4)
- 1 TBSP Peanut Oil, for cooking
- ⅛ TSP freshly cracked Black Pepper (or ground black pepper), to taste
- To Garnish (optional): Pickled red ginger (beni shoga), dried seaweed flakes (aonori) toasted sesame seeds, Japanese La-yu chili oil (or other chili oil), chili crisp
Instructions
Prep:
- Marinate the chicken: Thinly slice the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and add to a medium bowl. Add the white pepper, kosher salt, low sodium light soy sauce and sesame oil. Mix well to coat, set aside.
- Make the sauce: Whisk together the Worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce, low sodium light soy sauce, mirin, dark soy sauce, dashi powder and sesame oil in a small bowl or measuring cup (for easier pouring) until combined well.
- Prepare all the fresh ingredients: Prepare the yellow onion, spring onion, carrot, mushrooms, Chinese cabbage, garlic and fresh red chilies as indicated in the ‘ingredients’ section.
Chicken Yaki Udon Noodles Stir Fry:
- Prepare the noodles: Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and place the udon noodle cakes in the pot of hot water. Use tongs to hold onto the noodle cakes and gently shake until the noodle strands have separated and are tender – about 1-2 minutes. Drain into a colander and run cold water on the noodles to prevent sticking and halt the cooking process. (If using frozen or dried udon noodles, prepare according to package instructions.)
- Cook the chicken: Heat 1 teaspoon peanut oil in a large nonstick wok (or heavy bottomed deep skillet/frying pan) over high heat. Add the marinated chicken and immediately spread the pieces out in the wok. Allow to sear for 30-40 seconds, then flip the pieces and sear the other side for another 30 seconds. Stir-fry for a minute or until just cooked. Transfer to a clean bowl and set aside.
- Stir-fry the veggies and aromatics: Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of peanut oil in the wok over high heat. Add the yellow onion, spring onion white and light green parts, mushrooms and carrots and stir-fry for 30-40 seconds or until starting to soften and change color but are still crisp. Add the garlic and red chilies and stir-fry for 20-30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the cabbage: Add the Chinese cabbage and stir-fry until slightly wilted but it still retains some crunch.
- Add the chicken, noodles and sauce: Add the chicken and toss briefly to combine. Then add the noodles and pour the sauce on top. Stir-fry and mix until everything is evenly coated in the sauce.
- Season and toss through the spring onion: Season with black pepper and toss through the spring onion dark green parts. Switch off the heat.
- To Serve: Divide evenly in bowls or on plates and serve immediately with desired toppings.
Notes
- Mirin. This is a Japanese sweet rice wine. It’s available in Japanese and Asian supermarkets and can sometimes be found in large mainstream supermarkets. If unavailable, substitute with cooking wine or dry sherry and add 1 teaspoon to ½ tablespoon of sugar or sugar-free sweetener such as Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener.
- Instant Dashi Powder. This is Japanese fish stock powder and can be used to make stock or sprinkled directly into stir-fries to elevate the flavor with savory umami notes. It’s usually made from kelp, shitake mushrooms, anchovies (or sardines) and dried bonito flakes or a combination of these ingredients. Find it in your local Japanese or Asian grocery store or purchase online.
- Fresh Red Chilies. Chilies aren’t typically used in yaki udon but they add a tasty kick of heat to this dish. Feel free to use less or omit them if you’re not a fan of spicy food.
- Udon Noodles. I used vacuum sealed packs of pre-cooked udon noodles. They can be found online and at Asian or Japanese supermarkets. You can use frozen udon noodles too or par-cooked udon noodles from the fridge section. Prepare according to package instructions. Feel free to substitute with vacuum sealed packs of precooked Shanghai noodles or ramen noodles. Dried udon can be used in a pinch but note that it won’t have the same bouncy and chewy texture.
- Storing and reheating leftovers. While yaki udon tastes best when freshly cooked and hot off the wok, you can store leftovers in an airtight sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat on high in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through, until hot throughout.
- See the ‘Variations’ section in the post above if you’d like to customize this recipe and/or make it for specific dietary needs (i.e. vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free).
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 of recipe
- Calories: 612
- Sugar: 11.8g
- Sodium: 1755.9mg
- Fat: 15.1g
- Saturated Fat: 2.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12.3g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 76.8g
- Fiber: 5.1g
- Protein: 39.7g
- Cholesterol: 91.3mg
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made this several times and it’s a perfect week night dish!
So glad you love it, Kim! It’s one of my favorite weeknight go-tos too! 🙂 Thank you for coming back to leave a review and rating!