Chicken Yakisoba is a classic Japanese stir fry dish made with wheat noodles, crisp tender stir-fried vegetables, and browned chicken all in an easy-to-make mouthwatering sweet, and salty sauce. It is always a winning noodle dish with tons of flavor and one the whole family appreciates.
It is a hearty meal all by itself, but if company is coming, I like to serve it with Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts and Lettuce Wraps.
How to make Chicken Yakisoba
Start by whisking together all your sauce ingredients in a bowl. Then cut your chicken, chop all your vegetables, and shred the cabbage. Next, cook your chicken in a little vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat, getting it browned on both sides. While the chicken is browning, cook the noodles according to package instructions and drain well. Remove the chicken to a separate plate and then add the carrots, onion, bell pepper, and cabbage to the hot skillet cooking just until crisp tender. Then simply add the noodles, cooked chicken, and sauce to the skillet. Toss to coat, and for best results, serve promptly.
Recipe notes and helpful tips
- Cut your chicken into thin strips so it cooks all the way through quickly and easily.
- Substitute beef, pork, or shrimp for the chicken.
- The sauce can be prepared up to a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
- There are lots of different Asian noodles that work for this recipe, such as Yakisoba noodles, soba noodles, Chinese noodles made with wheat flour, and even ramen noodles. Follow the directions on the package for preparing the noodles to add to the stir fry.
- Other veggies to add or substitute include shiitake mushrooms, broccoli, snow peas, zucchini, bok choy, bean sprouts, and celery.
- If your family likes their stir fry with extra sauce, simply double the sauce ingredients.
- You can easily prepare this dish in a skillet or a wok, as both work well.
- Any color bell pepper works. I just like the sweet taste and bright pop of color from a red bell pepper.
- Sometimes, Napa cabbage is hard to find. If so, simply substitute green cabbage.
What are yakisoba noodles?
Yakisoba literally means fried noodles. You can use any kind of Asian wheat noodle. At my grocery store, there are several choices, but the one I like the most is simply Authentic Chinese Noodles. If you check the ingredient list, you will see that they are made from wheat flour. When I first started making yakisoba, I really thought that you needed a noodle that was named yakisoba, but that is not true. All you need is a wheat stir fry noodle. The name really refers more to the finished dish with noodles, stir-fried vegetables, meat, and that classic sweet and salty sauce. You can find different kinds of stir-fried wheat noodles both in the dry and refrigerated Asian food section of your local grocery store.
Other Asian recipes to try!
Chicken Yakisoba Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 pound chicken breast or chicken thighs cut in thin bite size pieces
- 6-7 ounces Chinese wheat noodles see notes
- 2 carrots peeled and cut in matchstick
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 1 red bell pepper cut julienne
- 2 cups shredded Napa cabbage or green cabbage
- 2 green onions thinly sliced garnish
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic.
- Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and brown on both sides. Work in batches and remove to a plate. Cover to keep warm. Add more vegetable oil if needed.
- Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to package instructions and drain well in a colander.
- Add the carrots, onion, bell pepper, and cabbage to the hot skillet. Cook just until crisp tender. Add the noodles, cooked chicken, and sauce to the skillet. Toss to coat and cook over low heat until everything is warm and coated with sauce. Top with green onions. For best results, serve promptly.
Notes
- Cut your chicken into thin strips so it cooks all the way through quickly and easily.
- Substitute beef, pork, or shrimp for the chicken.
- The sauce can be prepared up to a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
- There are lots of different Asian noodles that work for this recipe, such as Yakisoba noodles, soba noodles, Chinese noodles made with wheat flour, and even ramen noodles. Follow the directions on the package for preparing the noodles to add to the stir fry.
- Other veggies to add or substitute include shiitake mushrooms, broccoli, snow peas, zucchini, bok choy, bean sprouts, and celery.
- If your family likes their stir fry with extra sauce, simply double the sauce ingredients.
- You can easily prepare this dish in a skillet or a wok, as both work well.
- Any color bell pepper works. I just like the sweet taste and bright pop of color from a red bell pepper.
- Sometimes, Napa cabbage is hard to find. If so, simply substitute green cabbage.
Nutrition
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Melissa
I made this for dinner this evening. So easy, healthy, and tasty. The whole family loved it. Its a winner.
Richelle
Wow! This was absolutely delicious and tasty! My family really enjoyed it and they are a hard crowd to please. Thank you!
Sammy
This dish would be perfect for lunchtime. I love the combination of sweet and salty flavours in any dish, and this one seems to have it all. The addition of crisp-tender stir-fried vegetables and browned chicken sounds like the perfect balance of protein and veggies. And it’s great to know that it’s easy to make. I can’t wait to try this recipe and impress my family with a classic Japanese stir fry dish!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Sammy! I sure hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Olga
I love chicken, but my kids are obsessed only with chicken nuggets. I love this recipe because it has interesting sauce and noodles. I`ll try to make it next week.
Ned
This is one of my favorite chicken recipes. It is easy, dependable, and delicious every time. I think I have made it four times now.
Stephanie
I love stir-fried chicken meals. We have something similar at least a few times per month. This sauce was new to me, though, and it was delicious!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Stephanie! I am so glad that you liked it!
Richard Lowe
Japanese type foods are always delicious. This looks like a great recipe. I’ll add it to my recipe book.
Debbie
I love ordering Japanese cuisine for take out. This Chicken Yakisoba sounds so amazing, I can’t wait to try making my favorite take out order at home,
Bryan
Great yakasobi recipe. We all loved it. So much flavor and fairly easy to make.
Mary
I could see us also subbing out the chicken with tofu to make this a vegetarian dish. Sounds delicious, and easy. Plus I like how versatile this dish is.
Beth Pierce
Great idea. Thanks, Mary! Enjoy!!
Maureen
Yum yum! My dad makes this dish every now and then and it is so delicious. Even my son loves it because of the noodles!