Stir-fried garlic noodles served with tender pieces of chicken and vegetables. This fast Asian-inspired recipe is perfect for weeknight meals or as a hearty side dish.
Recipe Science
- Use thick types of pasta that absorb flavors well and hold up against proteins and vegetables, ensuring a chewy, satisfying texture.
- This sauce blends soy, sugar, and sambal oelek with oyster sauce, ginger, sesame oil, and garlic for a savory, spicy, and sweet flavor.
- To achieve the best stir fry texture, sear the chicken first for more surface flavor, then add vegetables to keep them crisp.
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Featured Comment 13
“Made this last week with some leftover wheat pasta and it was delicious! Had enough for the next day too — even better once all the flavors evolved even more.”—Paula
Why It Works
This is a delicious stir-fried garlic noodles recipe mixed with flavorful chicken and vegetables. Do you have a wok in your kitchen cabinets? It’s time to break it out! If not, any large pan with high sides will work. If you’re considering buying one, I recommend it. It cooks food quickly, and it’s easy to clean afterward.
So how fast does it take to make this dish? It took less than 15 minutes to cook in the wok! While the noodles were boiling, I stir-fried the chicken thighs and vegetables, making sure the snow peas stayed green and crisp.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Pasta: Slightly chewy and thick garlic noodles are the key to this irresistible dish. I found some thick spaghetti at my local grocery store. They were just the right width to soak up all of the sauce’s yummy flavors and not fall apart once mixed with the protein and vegetables.
- Sauce: This is a savory soy sauce base with a hint of spicy and sweet flavor. I use a combination of soy sauce, brown sugar, oyster sauce, sambal oelek, grated ginger, sesame oil, and minced garlic.
- Chicken: To add protein to the dish to make a heartier meal, I add pieces of chicken thighs. Dark meat is more flavorful and stays juicy after stir-frying.
- Vegetables: I use a crisp and colorful combination of brown mushrooms, red bell peppers, snow peas, carrots, and cilantro.
See the recipe card below for all ingredients and measurements (US and metric).
Ingredient Substitutions
This delicious garlic noodle recipe is easy to customize! Try these tasty options:
- Protein Options: Use chicken breast for a leaner meat option, shrimp, beef, or firm tofu.
- Pasta Swaps: Use other wheat noodles, such as whole wheat spaghetti, regular spaghetti, or ramen noodles. Try fresh egg noodles or dried chow mein.
- Make it Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free pasta, oyster sauce, and coconut aminos or tamari.
- Oyster Sauce Substitutes: Use hoisin sauce, starting with half the amount and increasing to taste. Add a teaspoon of fish sauce to bump up the seafood flavor.
- Switch Up the Veggies: Try sugar snap peas, bok choy, zucchini, green beans, edamame, diced onions, or water chestnut.
How to Make Garlic Noodles
Step 1: Make the Sauce
Whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, oyster sauce, sambal oelek, ginger, sesame oil, and garlic. The minced allium will add a nice kick of garlic flavor when stir-fried with the noodles.
Step 2: Cook the Pasta
Cooking the noodles in salted boiling water will prevent a bland taste. Cook until the pasta has a slight chew, or “al dente.” Drain the noodles and set aside. They will be cooked for a few minutes longer with the sauce, absorbing more flavor and liquid.
Step 3: Stir-Fry the Chicken
I prefer to use my round-bottom wok to make stir-fried noodles. It gives a larger heated surface area and plenty of space to cook the ingredients. Add the diced pieces of chicken and a few tablespoons of the savory sauce. When cooked together, this will help to season the surface of the meat. Fully cook the meat, then side aside.
Step 4: Stir-Fry the Vegetables
After cooking the chicken and removing it from the pan, you now have space to cook the vegetables. Add the mushrooms, bell pepper, snow peas and carrots. Stir-fry until the vegetables are softened, but still retain and slightly crisp texture.
Step 5: Add the Sauce
Add the noodles, chicken, and the remainder of the sauce to the wok. Stir and cook until the ingredients are heated through. The pasta will absorb the sauce’s flavor, delivering fragrant garlic noodles.
Step 6: To Serve
Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro before serving. Fresh vegetables, savory chicken, and garlic noodles make for a hearty side dish. The addition of hot chili sauce gives just the right amount of heat to wake you up but not break a sweat. Balancing spicy and savory flavor with a hint of sweetness makes each bite so good.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are various styles of garlic noodles. My recipe uses a soy-based sauce combined with minced garlic, oyster sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and chili sauce to balance for balance and dimension. Other versions blend Asian and Western ingredients, adding butter, sugar, and parmesan cheese to the soy and garlic base. Minced garlic is central to all styles, adding earthy and fragrant aromas to the dish.
Yes! Select gluten-free long strands of pasta. Substitute the soy sauce with coconut aminos, which have a sweet taste, Bragg liquid aminos, or tamari. Use a gluten-free oyster sauce. Make sure to check the labels!
Woks are distinct for their rounded dome bottom, which provides a large surface area for quick cooking. It’s crucial to preheat the wok and oil over medium-high to high heat to ensure the food sears properly and remains warm. For even cooking, cut meat and vegetables into uniform pieces, about 1 to 2 inches in size. Since cooking happens rapidly, organize all ingredients in small bowls beforehand for easy access during stir-frying.
More Stir Fry Recipes
If you tried this Garlic Noodles Recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Garlic Noodles with Chicken
Ingredients
Sauce
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek, or sriracha
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
Garlic Noodles
- 8 ounces spaghetti, or thick spaghetti
- 4 quarts water
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1" pieces
- 8 ounces sliced brown mushrooms, ¼" thick
- 1 cup finely diced red bell pepper
- 1 cup snow peas
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Make the Sauce – In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, oyster sauce, sambal oelek, ginger, sesame oil, and garlic. Set aside.
- Cook the Pasta – Add the water to a large pot and bring to a boil. Stir in the salt to dissolve. Add the pasta and stir. Cook the pasta according to package directions, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain well in a colander and set aside.
- Stir-Fry the Chicken – In a wok or large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce mixture. Stir-fry until fully cooked, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the meat to a clean bowl.
- Stir-Fry the Vegetables – To the wok, add the mushrooms, bell peppers, snow peas, and carrots. Stir-fry until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the Sauce – Stir in the cooked noodles, chicken, and remaining soy sauce mixture until well combined. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes.
- To Serve – Garnish the garlic noodles with cilantro right before serving.
Notes
- Pasta Options: I recommend thick spaghetti for a chewier texture. You can substitute whole grain, gluten-free, chow mein, or ramen.
- Make it Not Spicy: Omit the hot chili sauce for a more savory sweet sauce.
- Storing: Store in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
Supriya Kutty says
Great recipe! I have prepared this from the last night leftover and everyone in the family just loved it. However, I have not used Oyster sauce. it was a bit different from your taste a bit but all I can say it was Yummy! thanks for sharing such a secret delicious recipe loved it.
Stephanie says
I love this recipe. I am wondering if there is a substitute for the oyster sauce. I have family members who are allergic to shell fish. Thanks.
Fergie says
Hi – made this last night, followed the recipe except I only had ground ginger and I don’t care for pea pods so I added celery & onion.
Very easy, very YUMMY! Just the right about of heat versus sweet.
Next time I better cut the recipe in 1/2, there’s only 2 of us.
Guess I’ll be trying some more of your recipes.
Thank you.
Jessica Gavin says
It’s always nice to have some leftovers the next day 🙂 Thank you for trying the recipe Fergie, so happy to hear that you liked it!
Olinda Taylor says
I would like to portion size related to the caloric value. Watching calories due to type two diabetes and I’ve weight, this is a very important me
like does 1 cup equal 480 calories?
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Olinda- It’s about 1/2 cup vegetables, 4 ounces of chicken and 2 ounces of pasta. I would estimate that to be about 1 1/2 cups.
Paula says
Made this last week with some leftover wheat pasta and it was delicious! Had enough for the next day too — even better once all the flavors evolved even more. Love your recipes because you don’t go crazy with a zillion ingredients and these are pantry staples NOT hard to find ingredients.
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you so much for your feedback Paula! So happy that you enjoyed the recipe. I haven’t used wheat paste before, what does it taste like?
Barbara Owens says
I made this tonight, perfect for rainy night in SoCal! Delicious!
I would love a tab on your blog for products you like, i.e. brand of Oyster sauce, brand of Hoisin sauce etc.
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you so much Barbara! Don’t forget to add a “star rating” if you have a chance 🙂 That is a great suggestion! I will brainstorm a guide with my favorite products that I use in my kitchen all of the time.
Carol Borchardt says
I am really loving all your recipes! This is all my favorite flavors again!
CakePants says
This looks delicious! My parents used to stir-fry a lot when I was a kid, but sadly it’s a technique I still haven’t quite picked up – possibly because I don’t have their written instructions to follow, so I’m glad to have such a straightforward recipe as this one. Gung hay fat choy!
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you so much CakePants! I hope you get a chance to try the stir-fry technique, it’s easy! Even if you don’t have a wok 🙂