Stir-Fried Black Pepper Chicken Noodles
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Stir-Fried Black Pepper Chicken Noodles are quick and easy to make in under 30 minutes and full of the BEST spicy, savory and sweet flavors with a hint of tang! Tender chicken, fragrant garlic and chilies, colorful veggies, chewy and bouncy noodles get tossed in an irresistible sauce to make this mouthwatering weeknight meal!
My love for easy, spicy stir-fried noodles knows no bounds and today I’m bringing to you a delicious, peppery Stir-Fried Black Pepper Chicken Noodles dish!
We have here:
- Tender seasoned chicken pieces.
- Fragrant garlic and fresh chilies.
- Colorful veggies like onion, red bell pepper and Chinese broccoli.
- Chewy, thick and bouncy Shanghai noodles < — these are similar to udon noodles.
- And a delightful black pepper sauce with the BEST peppery, savory-sweet flavors and a hint of tang!
This is a humble dish that’s ready in under 30 minutes and requires minimal prep. It’s perfect for any night of the week and so much better than takeout!
Why This Recipe Works
- Quick and easy! This stir-fried black pepper chicken noodles recipe is a great main dish on any given weeknight and is ready in a matter of minutes!
- Delicious savory and peppery flavors. The stir-fry sauce is perfectly balanced with salty, sweet and spicy notes and a subtle hint of tang.
- Tender chicken pieces. Marinating the chicken breast pieces briefly with seasonings and corn starch keeps them juicy and tender on the inside.
- Customizable. This stir-fried noodles dish is very flexible and customizable with your favorite proteins, veggies and even type of noodles!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutes
- Marinated Chicken: I used diced boneless and skinless chicken breast and marinated with salt, white pepper, corn starch, low sodium light soy sauce and sesame oil. Boneless and skinless chicken thighs can be used instead if preferred.
- Veggies: We have yellow onion, red bell pepper and Chinese broccoli. Broccolini, tenderstem broccoli, blanched broccoli florets or other Asian leafy greens such as choy cum or bok choy can be used instead if Chinese broccoli is unavailable. Feel free to use any other stir-fry friendly veggies you have in your crisper drawer in these black pepper chicken noodles.
- Aromatics: Garlic and fresh red chilies. Any fresh hot red chilies such as Thai Bird’s Eye chilies can be used. Adjust the quantity to taste or omit them for a milder noodles dish.
- Shanghai Noodles: I’ve used a vacuum sealed pack of Shanghai noodles here. These are thick, white, wheat-based noodles that are typically used in a Shanghai Style Fried Noodles dish. They have a bouncy and chewy texture similar to that of Japanese udon noodles. Frozen or vacuum sealed packs of either Shanghai or udon noodles are preferred over dried noodles. Dry udon noodles do not have the same bouncy texture, but can be used in a pinch. Prepare them according to package instructions before using in this recipe. Alternatively, use any other dried or fresh noodles of your choice such as hokkien noodles, egg noodles, ramen, rice noodles or even linguini pasta.
- Peanut Oil: Or use any other neutral cooking oil with a high smoke point.
- Black Pepper: Freshly cracked tastes best but coarse ground black pepper will work too.
- Oyster Sauce: An Asian pantry staple with a sweet and savory flavor and thick, sticky texture.
- Low Sodium Light Soy Sauce: Low sodium so that we can control the salt level better. If using regular light soy sauce, use slightly less than indicated.
- Shao Xing Rice Wine: A Chinese cooking wine with a floral aroma that is used to marinate meats and in sauces for stir-fries. Substitute with chicken stock or dry sherry if unavailable.
- Dark Soy Sauce: A small splash for color. If unavailable, use more low sodium light soy sauce in its place.
- Brown Rice Vinegar: Substitute with distilled white vinegar or rice vinegar.
- Brown Sugar Replacement: I used Swerve Brown Sugar which is made of erythritol and allulose. However, any other sweetener of your preference, including regular light brown or white sugar, can be used instead.
- Sesame Oil: To infuse the noodles with toasted sesame aromas!
Full ingredient list and amounts are in the recipe card below.
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How to Make Black Pepper Chicken Noodles Stir-Fry
Prepare the noodles. If using vacuum sealed packs of precooked noodles, add them to a pot of boiling water and use tongs to gently shake the noodle cake until the strands have separate and are tender. If using frozen or dried noodles, prepare according to package instructions. Drain into a colander and run cold water on top to prevent sticking.
- Cook the chicken: Heat oil in a large nonstick wok over medium-high heat. Add the marinated chicken and allow to sear for a minute. Then flip and sear for another half minute or so until the chicken is almost cooked through and no longer pink.
- Add the onion, bell pepper, and spring onion. Just the white and light green parts of the spring onion. Stir-fry until slightly softened and glistening.
- Add the garlic and chilies. Stir-fry to combine until fragrant.
- Toss through Chinese broccoli. Just until the leafy dark green parts have slightly wilted.
- Add the noodles and sauce. Stir fry until the sauce thickens, clings onto the noodles and everything is evenly coated with it.
- Toss through the spring onion. Add most of the spring onion dark green parts (reserve some for garnish) and switch off the heat.
- Serve! Transfer to a plate or bowl and sprinkle with the reserved spring onion dark green parts. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Full detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cook’s Tips
- Adjust spice level to taste. Black pepper and fresh red chilies make this a spicy stir-fried noodles dish. If you are sensitive to heat, use less of both. You can also leave out the chilies if you are extra sensitive to heat.
- Prepare all ingredients before you start cooking. This stir fried black pepper chicken noodles dish is ready in minutes and cooks very quickly. Prep all the ingredients first and have them by your wok or pan before you switch on the heat.
- Double the recipe. This recipe makes one generous serving or can be divided into two servings if you have a smaller appetite. To make more servings, double all the ingredient amounts and use a large enough wok so that you don’t overcrowd it when stir-frying.
Variations
- Use different noodles. Hokkien noodles, udon, ramen, rice noodles or linguini, fresh or dry, can be used instead.
- Use a different protein. Shrimp/prawns, sliced pork tenderloin (fillet) or beef skirt or flank steak would all taste great in this dish.
- Add other veggies. Just about any stir-fry friendly veggies will work. Some ideas are snow peas, sugar snap peas, baby corn, diced zucchini, finely sliced carrots, sliced mushrooms (any variety), green beans, green peas, baby bok choy, choy sum, etc. You could also toss in ½ to ¾ cup of bagged frozen veggies if you don’t have fresh veggies on hand.
- Make it gluten-free. Use tamari, coconut aminos or other gluten-free soy sauce instead of both soy sauces and a gluten-free certified oyster sauce. In addition, use any other gluten-free noodles of choice or rice noodles.
- Make a lower calorie version. Use shirataki (konjac) noodles or zucchini noodles to make a lower calorie version of stir-fried black pepper chicken noodles.
FAQs
Linguini, spaghetti, fettuccini, bucatini or any other noodle-type of pasta can be used in this Black Pepper Chicken Noodles dish. You could also use a short-cut type of pasta shape in a pinch.
Use crispy pan-fried tofu cubes, tempeh or a plant-based meat substitute for the protein and a vegetarian oyster sauce such as a mushroom flavored oyster sauce.
The black pepper sauce used in this stir-fried noodle dish is medium spicy at the most with caramel undertones. It is well balanced with sweet and savory flavors from the oyster sauce, soy sauce and light brown sugar. The fresh chilies and garlic used in the stir-fry is what makes this dish spicy and pack a punch.
These stir-fried black pepper noodles taste best immediately after cooking. However, leftovers can be stored in a sealed airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave on high for 1-2 minutes, stirring halfway through, until hot throughout. You could also reheat leftovers in a wok or pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat.
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More Easy Weeknight Stir-fried Noodles
Stir Fried Black Pepper Chicken Noodles
Tender chicken, fragrant garlic and chilies, colorful veggies, chewy and bouncy noodles get tossed in an irresistible peppery, spicy-sweet sauce with a hint of tang in this mouthwatering Stir-Fried Black Pepper Chicken Noodles!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stir-fry
- Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade:
- 150 grams / 5.3 ounces Chicken Breast, boneless, skinless – cut into bite-sized pieces
- ⅛ TSP Fine Sea Salt
- ⅛ TSP ground White Pepper
- ½ TSP Corn Starch
- 1 TSP Low Sodium Light Soy Sauce
- ¼ TSP Sesame Oil
Sauce:
- ¾ TSP freshly cracked Black Pepper
- 1.5 TBSP Oyster Sauce
- ½ TBSP Low Sodium Light Soy Sauce
- 1 TSP Shao Xing Rice Wine (Chinese cooking wine – substitute with chicken stock or dry sherry if unavailable)
- ¼ TSP Dark Soy Sauce
- ½ TSP Brown Rice Vinegar (substitute with distilled white vinegar or rice vinegar)
- ½ TSP Brown Sugar Replacement (or use light brown sugar or other sweetener of choice – note 1)
- ½ TSP Sesame Oil
- ½ TBSP Water
Stir Fried Black Pepper Chicken Noodles:
- 50 grams / ½ medium Red Bell Pepper – thinly sliced, then sliced in half
- 50 grams / ½ medium Yellow Onion – sliced into ¼-inch wedges, then sliced in half
- 10 grams / 1 medium Spring Onion Scallion/Green Onion) – chopped, white and light green parts separated from dark green parts
- 17 grams / 3-4 Garlic cloves – minced
- 20 grams / 5-6 fresh Red Chilies (Thai Bird’s Eye or any other small hot red chilies – note 2), to taste* – finely chopped
- 45 grams / 1-2 pieces Chinese Broccoli (‘gai lan’, substitute with broccolini, tenderstem broccoli, or other leafy Asian greens) – stems peeled, sliced at an angle
- 200 grams / 7 ounces (1 pack) Shanghai Noodles (or udon noodles, I used a vacuum sealed pack – note 3)
- ½ TBSP Peanut Oil (or any other neutral cooking oil with a high smoke point)
Instructions
Prep:
- Marinate the chicken: Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to a medium bowl, followed by the fine sea salt, ground white pepper, corn starch, low sodium light soy sauce and sesame oil. Mix well to combine and set aside.
- Make the sauce: Mix together the black pepper, oyster sauce, low sodium light soy sauce, Shao Xing rice wine, dark soy sauce, brown rice vinegar, brown sugar replacement and sesame oil in a small measuring cup (for easier pouring) or bowl until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
- Prepare the fresh ingredients: Chop the yellow onion, red bell pepper, spring onion (separating the white and light green parts from the dark green parts), garlic, chilies and Chinese broccoli as indicated in the ‘ingredients’ section.
Stir-Fried Black Pepper Chicken Noodles:
- Prepare the noodles: Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and place the noodle cake in the pot. Use tongs to hold onto the cake and gently shake until the strands have separated and are tender – about 1-2 minutes. Drain into a colander and run cold water on top to prevent sticking and halt the cooking process. (If using frozen or dried Shanghai or udon noodles, cook according to package instructions.)
- Cook the chicken: Heat ½ tablespoon peanut oil in a large nonstick wok or deep skillet over medium-high heat and swirl to coat. Add the marinated chicken on one side of the wok and allow to sear for 1 minute. Flip the pieces and sear for another 30 seconds or until almost cooked through and no longer pink.
- Add the onion and bell pepper: Add the onion, bell pepper, and spring onion white and light green parts on the other side of the wok and stir-fry until slightly softened and glistening – 20-30 seconds. Then add the garlic and chilies and stir-fry to combine with everything until fragrant – about 30 seconds.
- Toss through the Chinese broccoli: Add the Chinese broccoli and toss to combine until the leafy dark green parts have slightly wilted – 20-30 seconds.
- Add the noodles and sauce: Add the cooked noodles back into the wok and pour the sauce on top. Toss for 1 minute or until the sauce thickens, clings onto the noodles and everything is evenly coated with it.
- Toss through the spring onion: Add most of the spring onion dark green parts (reserve some for garnish) and switch off the heat.
- Serve: Transfer to a plate or bowl and garnish with the reserved spring onion dark green parts. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Brown Sugar Replacement. I used Swerve Brown Sugar which is made erythritol and allulose but any other sweetener of your preference, including regular light brown or white sugar, can be used.
- Fresh Red Chilies. Use any type of hot red chilies that are easily available to you. Adjust the quantity based on your heat level preference or omit for a milder dish.
- Shanghai Noodles. I’ve used a vacuum sealed pack of Shanghai noodles here. These are thick wheat-based noodles. They have a bouncy and chewy texture similar to that of Japanese udon noodles. Frozen or vacuum sealed packs of either Shanghai or udon noodles are preferred over dried noodles. Dry udon noodles do not have the same bouncy texture, but can be used if in a pinch. Prepare them according to package instructions before using in this recipe. Alternatively, use any other dried or fresh noodles of your choice such as hokkien noodles, egg noodles, ramen, rice noodles or even linguini or other noodle-type of pasta.
- Leftovers and storing. These noodles taste best immediately after cooking. However, leftovers can be stored in a sealed airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave on high for 1-2 minutes, stirring halfway through, until hot throughout. You could also reheat leftovers in a wok or pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 676
- Sugar: 11.1g
- Sodium: 2243.4mg
- Fat: 15.3g
- Saturated Fat: 2.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12.8g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 86.2g
- Fiber: 4.5g
- Protein: 47.3g
- Cholesterol: 109.5mg
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