This Chicken Stir Fry with Rice Noodles is a terrific QUICK fridge and pantry forage meal, made with your choice of dried noodles, a simple tasty stir fry sauce and whatever veggies you can scrape together.
This is loaded with veggies and light on the noodles so it’s nice and healthy. I love stir fried noodles like Chow Mein, Beef Broccoli Noodles and Pad See Ew because they’re a complete meal made in one wok – or skillet!
Quick Rice Noodles Recipe
I literally rummaged through my fridge to make this Chicken Stir Fry with Rice Noodles. Photographed it, ate half, gave the other half to the homeless guy at the dog park.
Smugly patted myself on the back for making a recipe I wanted to post on my site using things I already had – no special run to the grocery store to get specific ingredients.
Then I realised I needed to make it again for the recipe video. And so off I went to the grocery store. ?
#StoryOfMyLife
ANY DRIED RICE NOODLES
I wanted to share this recipe because I have a theory that almost everyone has some sort of dried noodles in the pantry. I made this with thinnish rice sticks which I’m fond of because they just need soaking in boiled water. But you can use any dried noodles you want – dried or fresh.
Many noodle stir fries tend to be heavy on the noodles and light on the veggies. This one is the other way round. It only uses 100g/3.5 oz of dried noodles for 2 servings. When you pull out the dried noodles, you’ll be doubtful that it’s enough. But it will be! Once the noodles are soaked, they expand, then when tossed in the sauce and loosened up, they increase in volume again. And also, there is stacks of veggies in this recipe. By volume, there is more veggies than noodles, but they shrink a lot during cooking.
Love spicy food?
Try this spicy Beef Hokkien Noodles!
Speaking of cooking – as with all stir fries, this Chicken Stir Fry with Rice Noodles cooks super fast. Actually, it cooks even faster than most because it’s made with dried rice noodles and if you toss rice noodles in the wok for more than a couple of minutes, they will start to break apart. It’s so disappointing when you dig into a big bowl of noodles only to find it’s just a pile of short broken strands!
That is pretty much the only rule with this recipe – it must be cooked super quickly! Any longer than 5 minutes and it’s been on for too long.
So next time you’re wondering what to make for dinner – if you can find some dried noodles and bits and bobs in your fridge, make this! – Nagi x
More really quick Asian recipes
- Pork Stir Fry with Green Beans
- Asian Beef Bowls
- Quick Beef Ramen Noodles and Chicken Vegetable Ramen Noodles
- Egg Foo Young (Chinese Omelette with Pork)
- Chop Suey (Chicken Stir Fry)
- All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce – Charlie! Yes I named it/him
- See all Asian recipes and 15 Minute Meals collection
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Chicken Stir Fry with Rice Noodles
Ingredients
Chicken (Note 1):
- 150 – 180 g/ 5 – 6 oz chicken breast , cut into thin strips
- 1 tsp cornflour / cornstarch (optional)
- 1 tsp oil (peanut, vegetable, canola) (optional)
Sauce (or use my Homemade Stir Fry Sauce, step 2):
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce (or sub with Hoisin)
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce (Note 2)
- 1/2 tsp each sesame oil, sugar (optional)
- 1 1/2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (Shoaxing wine) OR Mirin (Note 3)
- 1/4 tsp white pepper (or black pepper)
- 3 tbsp water
Stir Fry:
- 100 g / 3.5 oz dried rice noodles (Note 4)
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 garlic clove , finely chopped (Note 5)
- 1 small onion , sliced (white, brown, yellow)
- 1/2 bunch choy sum or other Asian greens , stems separated from leaves (Note 6)
- 1/2 red capsicum / bell pepper , sliced
- 1 carrot , peeled, cut in half lengthwise and sliced on the diagonal
- 5 – 7 mushrooms , sliced
- Sesame seeds and finely sliced green onions/scallions , optional
Instructions
- Mix chicken, cornstarch and oil in a bowl.
- Mix Sauce ingredients in a bowl. OR use 3 tbsp Homemade Stir Fry Sauce + 6 tbsp water.
- Just before cooking, soak noodles in hot water per packet directions, then drain. (Note 7)
- Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat.
- Add garlic and onion, cook for 30 seconds.
- Add chicken, cook for 1 minute until it changes colour from pink to white.
- Add carrot, Choy Sum stems and capsicum. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add mushrooms, cook for 30 seconds.
- Add noodles, Choy Sum leaves and Sauce. Toss for 1 minute until leaves have wilted and Sauce has evaporated. Don’t toss for more then 1 1/2 minutes – noodles may break.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions then serve immediately.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
CHICKEN STIR FRY WITH RICE NOODLES
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Chicken Stir Fry with Rice Noodles recipe video!
LIFE OF DOZER
Winter? What’s that?? (I took this photo bundled up in a fleece wearing waterproof pants and gum boots!)
This looks great! Nagi, have you ever soaked rice stick noodles in cold water? A recipe I used this week said to soak them in cold water for an hour before adding to the stir fry – it worked. The noodles went from transparent to a glassy white but did not stick together – my bugbear!
(I am reading your blog super early, Nagi – there is a slight typo in the directions – no. 9 – “coy” instead of choy)
Gosh really?? I haven’t tried but I will! And thank you for picking up the typo – seems my proof reader is on a holiday… (that would be my mother….. 😂) N xx
Really like this one Nagi. Looks simple to do which is what I like. Fast & easy! I follow you everyday to see what you’re up to! Oh, and don’t worry about your little hands as I have tiny hands also!!
FELLOW BABY HANDS! 😂 👶🏻 👊🏻
You got it!!
I’m so glad this recipe popped into my inbox. It sounds delicious and I have some rice noodles in the pantry I’ve been pondering what to do with. Yum! Thanks for the related tips in your cashew chicken recipe on “velveting” chicken. I will try this.
Try it try it! It is truly amazing, especially with chicken breast! N xx
Hi Nagi. This is one of the quickest meals I have ever seen; I imagine that it took longer to prep the ingredients than it did to actually cook them. I like the high veg ratio to noodles. Dozer and his friend don’t seem to mind the cold at all.
You are so right Dorothy! 🙂 Especially because I actually made an effort to chop them half neatly for the photos… How are you coping with Gary around?? 😂