Yaki Udon Recipe (Japanese Stir Fried Udon Noodles)

Chicken Yaki Udon Noodles

We're cooking up a comforting stir fried noodles dish in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen today, my friends. You're going to love it!

This is a Japanese dish of udon noodles that are stir fried with chicken and a mix of vegetables, including shiitake mushrooms, cabbage, carrot, and onion, until they tender and springy.

The noodles simmer just enough to absorb all that wonderful flavor from the stir fry pan.

It's called Yaki Udon, and it's incredibly satisfying.

It's a very customizable stir fry dish, allowing you to swap in your favorite vegetables as well as use other proteins, like shrimp, pork, beef, or tofu. I'm using chicken today, but you can also go vegetarian with this dish.

Yaki udon is similar to another Japanese stir fry dish called Yakisoba, which you may know, though there is a slight difference.

Yaki Udon Vs. Yakisoba

The primary difference between Yaki Udon and Yakisoba is in the type of noodles used to make the dish.

Yaki udon uses udon noodles, which are thick, white noodles made from wheat flour. Udon noodles are dense and cook to a soft and springy finish. They have more of a chewy texture in the final dish.

Yakisoba, on the other hand, uses soba noodles, which are made from buckwheat flour. They are nutty in flavor, somewhat grainier and more toothsome, more crispy when stir fried.

The different noodles make a big difference in the final dish.

Yaki Udon Ingredients

• Udon Noodles. Udon noodles are thick, smooth, and white in color, made from wheat flour.
• FOR THE YAKI UDON SAUCE
• Sake. Or use mirin as a substitute.
• Soy Sauce. I use regular soy sauce, though dark soy sauce is a nice addition for a deeper soy sauce flavor.
• Oyster Sauce.
• Dashi Powder. This adds a nice brininess to the final dish.
• FOR THE YAKI UDON
• Vegetable Oil. For cooking.
• Chicken Breast. Or use chicken thighs. You can also use pork loin, pork belly, seafood, or tofu.
• Vegetables. I'm using shiitake mushrooms, onion, carrot, cabbage, garlic, and scallions.
• For Garnish. Bonito flakes, sesame seeds, chili flakes, fresh chopped green onion

How to Make Yaki Udon - the Recipe Method

PREPARE THE YAKI UDON NOODLES

Cook/soften the yaki udon noodles per your package instructions. Set aside onto a plate. Drizzle with a bit of oil to keep the noodles from sticking if desired.

MAKE THE YAKI UDON SAUCE

Whisk together the sake (or mirin), soy sauce, oyster sauce, and dashi powder together in a small bowl until smooth.

Set aside until ready to use.

MAKE THE YAKI UDON

Stir Fry the Chicken. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a wok or large pan over high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then stir fry 2-3 minutes, or until cooked through. Set the chicken aside.

Mushrooms. Heat the remaining oil in the hot wok or pan. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes, stirring.

Remaining Vegetables. Add the onions, carrots and cabbage. Cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes to soften, or until the vegetables are softened to your preference.

Add the garlic and stir fry for 1 minute.

Stir in the Noodles. Add the udon noodles, cooked chicken, scallions (green onions) and prepared sauce. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes to heat through, until the liquid has evaporated.

Storage

This recipe will last up to 2 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. You can easily reheat in a microwave or gently tossed in a hot pan with a bit of oil.

Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes

• Spicy Ramen Noodles
• Chicken Ramen
• Drunken Noodles
• Dan Dan Noodles
• Lo Mein Noodles
• Spicy Noodles
• Chicken Lo Mein
• Chow Mein
• Mie Goreng (Indonesian Stir Fry Noodles)
• Japanese Curry