Asian-Inspired Chicken Noodle Stir Fry with Lo Mein
When asked, “What is your idea of comfort food?” some people might say a creamy, cheesy mound of macaroni and cheese alongside crispy fried chicken. Others might say that it is a piping hot bowl of chili, chock full of hearty ground beef and beans.
As for us, we can never go wrong with a belly-warming bowl of stir-fried noodles. There’s something about saucy, slurp-worthy noodles, crisp vegetables, and [insert protein of choice], that make us feel super satisfied and, well…right at home.
“Wow! Cooksmarts has really been hitting it out of the park lately. This almost felt like one of those meals to trick your kids into eating their veg. My tomato-hater gobbled this down with no complaints.” -Sheilagh
What makes it even better is that stir-fries are quick and easy, making the time between prepping and eating more bearable. In about 30 minutes, the steaming bowl of deliciousness is ready to be gobbled down. (No need to show restraint – we understand.)
We pump up the flavor by using a tomato-based sauce, which adds a tangy flavor dimension to the dish. Chunks of tender chicken and wilted spinach round out this meal.
“We rate this 5 stars–incredible! Restaurant-quality dish.”
-Paige
And to save the best for last, we top the noodles with the spicy goodness of Sriracha hot sauce. The noodles have plenty of flavor on their own, but we can’t resist Sriracha every now and then!
No matter what your favorite comfort food is, we urge you to give this recipe a try. It might not beat your mom’s best chicken noodle soup or your favorite soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies, but it definitely hits the spot.
Prepping Smarts:
Tenderizing the chicken a day before makes this stir-fry even quicker to make. Here’s how:
How to Season & Tenderize Proteins with a Fork
Maximize flavor and tenderize proteins with this little trick.
Equipment Smarts:
A wok makes it easy and efficient to toss everything together.
For more kitchen and equipment and tool smarts, visit our ‘Essential Kitchen Cookware and Tools’
Ingredients
- Chicken breasts - 1 1/2 lbs., sliced (Or thighs if you prefer dark meat)
- Garlic - 3, minced
- Roma tomatoes - 4, chopped
- Lo-mein noodles - 1/2 lb. (Or sub linguine or other long thickish noodle)
- Soy sauce - 2 tbs.
- Fish sauce - 1 tbs.
- Brown sugar - 1 tbs.
- Corn starch - 1 1/2 tbs. + 2 tbs.
- Chicken stock - 1/2 cup
- Cooking oil - 1 1/2 tbs. + 1 1/2 tbs.
- Baby spinach - 8 oz.
- Lemon - 1/2, juice of
- Sriracha hot sauce - to taste (Or use your favorite hot sauce)
Instructions
Prep
- Chicken – Slice and then season with salt and pepper. Tenderize with a fork. (Can be done up to 1 day ahead)
- Garlic / Tomatoes – Prep as directed. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
- Cook noodles – Bring a saucepan of water to boil. Salt and add noodles. Cook according to package instructions and then drain. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
- Make sauce – Mix together soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, first part of corn starch, and chicken stock.
Make
- Heat a wok over medium-high heat. Toss chicken with second part of corn starch. Add first part of cooking oil and then chicken to heated oil with a dash of salt. Toss and saute until the exterior is golden, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove and set aside (don’t worry, chicken doesn’t have to be cooked all the way through).
- Return wok to heat and add second part of oil. Add garlic to heated oil, and as soon as you can smell the garlic, throw in the tomatoes. Saute until tomatoes have broken down and started to release liquids, ~5 minutes.
- Return chicken to wok and push everything to the side forming a donut in the middle. Stir your sauce and then pour into the donut. When it starts to bubble and thicken, toss in spinach and cooked noodles, and mix everything together. Finish with lemon juice and season with as much Sriracha as you want and salt and pepper as needed.
