Chicken Vegetable Ramen Noodles

Another one to add to your arsenal of ramen noodle recipes! Loaded with hidden vegetables, Chicken Vegetable Ramen Noodles is a super quick dinner idea that’s economical, versatile and healthy.

You’ll love the 4 ingredient Asian sauce, the juicy pieces of caramelised chicken, and how you can toss in virtually any vegetables you want into these stir fried noodles!

Another Ramen Noodle Recipe!

The popularity of the Asian Beef Ramen Noodles from last month caught me by surprise! Though of course, being of Japanese background, it makes me very happy that a ramen noodle recipe was so popular…… 😇

Given how much you liked the ground beef / mince one, it was inevitable that a chicken version would come out soon….. And here it is!

Ramen Noodles – or any Instant Noodles

I’ve been making variations of this Chicken Vegetable Ramen Noodles and the Beef version for more years than I care to admit (because a woman’s age should remain a mystery. Always.)

While I’m partial to making this with ramen noodles, it also works with other instant noodles, such as as Maggi 2 Minute Noodles. I’ve made this with pretty much every type of ramen noodles and instant noodles sold at everyday grocery stores here in Australia. Mainly because I’d usually get whatever was on sale at the time!

It doesn’t matter what flavour the packet says it is because we toss the soup seasoning packet and any other mysterious foil pouches that you find (dried “meat” anyone?😳).

Are ramen noodles bad for you?

If consumed in the intended manner of plonk-and-simmer using the provided seasoning mix, then no it’s not a well rounded meal by any stretch of the imagination. High in sodium with little to no nutritional value.

However! When we toss the seasoning mix, make our own sauce and jam pack it with vegetables, you CAN transform ramen noodles into a nutritious, well rounded meal!

Hidden Veg to the Max!

When you look at the photos and video, all you’ll notice are the masses and masses of noodles….

And yet, look at all the vegetables in this ramen noodle recipe!!! There’s just a measly little cup of chicken, and mounds and mounds of vegetables!

OK, so “mounds and mounds” is a slight exaggeration. But there’s alot! Probably 6 times more vegetables than there is chicken.

But they seem to mostly disappear once cooked because they’re “noodle shaped” vegetables so they kind of blend in. It’s a really good way to get tons of greens into veggie-adverse people (little or big). 😉

A quick, one pot dinner idea!

This Chicken Vegetable Ramen Noodle recipe is made the same way as the Asian Beef Ramen Noodles – in one pot!

I don’t do this to save on washing up. That’s a side benefit.

The reason I like to cook the noodles in the same skillet as the vegetables and chicken is because the gluten in the noodles helps thicken the sauce so it coats the noodles nicely. Unlike pretty much every other stir fried noodle recipe I’ve shared, the sauce for this recipe does not have cornflour / cornstarch or any other thickener. So I use the gluten in the noodles that releases when it cooks to help thicken the sauce. 🙂

Virtually foolproof!

Another nice thing about this recipe is that it’s virtually foolproof.

Instant noodles in all forms are basically designed to be dummy proof (think college students!). The noodles stand up fine even if cooked for way longer than they should be. If it’s undercooked, just add more water.

My only tip is to use a big skillet. Enthusiastic tossing of noodles comes with the territory (it’s impossible to resist) and if you use a small skillet like I did in the video, you’ll end up with more noodles around rather than in the skillet! – Nagi x

PS In case you are after actual real Japanese Ramen Noodle Soup, that’s my mother’s domain on RecipeTin Japan, the home of authentic Japanese recipes! Here is her Easy Ramen Noodle Soup or go all out and make your own homemade Ramen Broth!

Chicken Vegetable Ramen Noodles Recipe
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

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Chicken Vegetable Ramen Noodles

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5 from 17 votes

Recipe video above. A great quick Asian ramen noodle recipe that's jam packed with a surprising amount of vegetables! Caramelise the chicken well - makes all the difference. Switch veg as desired. Also see the ground beef / mince version - Asian Beef Ramen Noodles.

Prep Time:10 minutes

Cook Time:8 minutes

Total Time:18 minutes

Servings:3 people

Hover over "Servings" value to reveal recipe scaler

Author:Nagi

Course:Mains

Cuisine:Asian

Keyword:Ramen Noodle Recipe, Ramen Noodles

Ingredients

• 2 packets ramen or other instant noodles , discard seasoning (Note 1)
• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 garlic cloves , minced
• 1/2 onion , sliced
• 200g / 7oz chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces (Note 2)
• 1 1/4 cups (315 ml) water, plus more as needed
• 1 carrot , cut into matchsticks
• 1 small red capsicum / bell pepper , sliced
• 2 cups cabbage , finely sliced (any type)

Sauce:

• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce (Note 3)
• 1 tbsp Oyster sauce (or Hoisin, Note 4)
• 2 tsp Hoisin sauce (or more Oyster sauce)
• 1 tbsp Mirin (Note 5)

Garnishes (optional):

• Finely sliced green onion / shallots

Instructions

• Mix Sauce.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook for 1 1/2 minutes until starting to go golden.
• Add chicken and cook just until the outside mostly changes from pink to white.
• Add Sauce and cook for 1 minute until chicken is quite caramelised.
• Add carrot and capsicum, cook for 1 minute (chicken should now be nicely caramelised, see video).
• Push chicken and veg to the side to make enough space for the noodles. Add water, place noodles in water.
• When the water starts simmering on the edges, leave noodles for 45 seconds then turn.
  
• Leave for 30 seconds, then untangle the noodles, then toss through the chicken and veg.
• Add cabbage, toss for 1 minute until sauce reduces to coat the noodles and the noodles are cooked. (Note 6)
• Serve immediately, garnished with green onions.

Recipe Notes:

1. Instant or Ramen Noodles - Any brand or type is fine here, though avoid the extra large ramen packets because you'll struggle to fit two in the pan (you could break them). You can also buy just the noodle cakes in larger packets ie no seasoning.

Feel free to sub with fresh or other dried noodles (rice or wheat), but don't try this one pot cooking method. Just prepare the noodles per the packet, use about 2 packed cups and toss through the cooked chicken and veg with a splash of water.

2. Chicken thighs are my preferred chicken cut for this recipe because they are juicier so they caramelised better. But this recipe works great with breast and tenderloin too. If you want to use ground/mince chicken, use this recipe.

3. Dark Soy Sauce has a darker colour and more intense flavour than all purpose and light soy sauce. If you can't find it, any soy sauce is fine here but the sauce colour will be lighter. 

4. Oyster Sauce  - I've noticed vegetarian oyster sauce in the supermarkets lately!

5. Mirin - a sweet Japanese cooking sake that is a very common ingredient in Japanese cooking, also used widely by other Asian cuisines. Found in large supermarkets here in Australia, Asian section, or at Asian grocery stores.

Can sub with Chinese cooking wine, dry sherry. Otherwise, use 1/2 cup water + 3/4 cup low sodium chicken stock/broth (instead of 1 1/4 cups water) and skip the Mirin.

6. Total cook time for noodles should be per packet. Add a touch more water if noodles need longer.

7. SCALING recipe up (click servings and slide) - use a larger skillet. Can break noodle cakes if necessary to fit.

8. Nutrition per serving. Because of the volume of vegetables in this recipe, it should serve 3 even though only 2 noodle cakes are used.

Nutrition

Calories: 444kcalCarbohydrates: 49g (16%)Protein: 15g (30%)Fat: 14g (22%)Saturated Fat: 4g (20%)Cholesterol: 63mg (21%)Sodium: 675mg (28%)Potassium: 430mg (12%)Fiber: 2g (8%)Sugar: 7gVitamin A: 93.7%Vitamin C: 86%Calcium: 3.9%Iron: 6.3%

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Taken not even an hour ago on today’s surplus food delivery run. 🙂 He loves the attention – and always gets treats!