Tender chicken, colorful crunchy vegetables, noodles, and a glossy sauce made with soy, teriyaki, and Pad Thai sauce create a quick meal full of bold flavors. Sriracha adds a gentle spicy kick, while rice vinegar and sugar balance everything out nicely.
This recipe is all about fast stir-frying in a deep pan or wok. Just prep all your ingredients ahead of time, because the actual cooking goes by quickly. You can use Asian noodles or classic spaghetti, and when serving, feel free to add sesame seeds or chopped peanuts to taste.
What You’ll Need
For the noodles, chicken, and vegetables:
- 250 g Asian noodles or classic spaghetti,
- 300 g chicken breast,
- 1 large fleshy red pepper,
- 2 carrots,
- 1 larger red onion,
- 1/3 leek,
- 3 cloves fresh garlic,
- salt,
- ground black pepper,
- dried garlic.
For the Asian sauce:
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce,
- 1 tablespoon teriyaki sauce,
- 2 teaspoons Pad Thai sauce,
- 1 teaspoon sriracha for a mild kick,
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar,
- 1 teaspoon sugar,
- 100 ml water,
- 1 teaspoon potato or corn starch.
For finishing:
- optionally toasted sesame seeds or chopped peanuts.
The original recipe does not specify exact amounts of salt, pepper, dried garlic, sesame seeds, or peanuts, so adjust these to your taste.
Step-by-Step Preparation:
1. Cooking the noodles: Place the Asian noodles or spaghetti in a pot of salted water and cook until tender. Then drain them thoroughly so they don’t add excess water to the finished dish.
2. Seasoning the chicken: Clean the chicken breasts and slice them into very thin strips so they cook quickly and evenly when stir-fried. In a bowl, season with salt, pepper, and dried garlic, mix well with your hands, and let rest to marinate for a bit.
3. Preparing the vegetables: Cut the red pepper into cubes, slice the fresh garlic, cut the red onion into thin half-moons, and slice the leek. Peel the carrots and grate them coarsely. Have everything ready before you start stir-frying, as the next steps move quickly.
4. Mixing the sauce: In a separate bowl, pour in 100 ml water, soy sauce, teriyaki, Pad Thai sauce, sriracha, and rice vinegar. Add the sugar and starch, and mix thoroughly with a fork so there are no lumps left in the liquid.
5. Searing the chicken: Heat a deep pan, ideally a wok, dry. Add the seasoned chicken strips and sear them quickly until golden. Once the meat is done, remove it from the pan and set aside in a bowl.
6. Sautéing the garlic: Add the sliced fresh garlic to the fragrant pan juices and sauté for exactly 1 minute. Then pour in a teaspoon of water, stir, and let it evaporate quickly to release any flavors stuck to the bottom of the pan.
7. Adding the vegetables: Immediately add all the prepared vegetables to the pan. Stir or toss constantly and stir-fry for about 5 minutes. Thanks to the short, intense heat, the vegetables will keep their bright color and pleasant crunch.
8. Combining everything: Add the cooked noodles to the stir-fried vegetables and return the seared chicken. Mix the prepared sauce again (the starch settles at the bottom), then pour it into the pan.
9. Thickening and serving: Stir and cook everything for about 1 to 2 minutes, until the sauce thickens, becomes glossy, and coats the noodles, meat, and vegetables. Serve immediately, and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds or chopped peanuts to taste.
How to Keep the Vegetables Crunchy
Slice the vegetables before you heat the pan and stir-fry them for only about 5 minutes. The pan must be well-heated, and keep tossing or stirring the vegetables as they cook. Prolonged simmering would make them lose their fresh color and desired crunch.
Why Mix the Sauce Again Before Adding
Potato or corn starch gradually settles at the bottom of the bowl. If you don’t mix the sauce again right before using, it won’t thicken evenly. After adding to the pan, just 1 to 2 minutes is enough for it to become glossy and cling nicely to all the ingredients.
Final Tip
For a milder result, stick to the amount of sriracha listed in the recipe, which gives just a gentle kick. Serve the noodles right after the sauce thickens, while the vegetables are still crunchy. Add toasted sesame seeds or chopped peanuts only when serving.
