Ramen Stir Fry Noodles

Ramen stir fry noodles fried with seared chicken thigh meat, caramelized onions, carrots and cabbage in simple, light stir fry sauce.

These noodles are a one pan meal, that are done in less than 30 minutes with very few ingredients, making them a perfect weeknight dinner.

You'll be surprised how simple the stir fry sauce is to make, just a few ingredients whisked up in a few seconds.

Chicken thigh meat is inexpensive. The dark meat sears up perfectly leaving nice crispy edges and juicy meat inside.

Ingredients

Chicken thighs- Skin removed, and cut into pieces. Can substitute chicken breast, but dark meat is preferred.

Asian egg noodles- Found in the Asian grocery aisle. In a pinch, thin spaghetti or vermicelli can be used, or try my recipe for homemade ramen noodles.

Ginger- ground, or grated fresh ginger root.

Onion- sweet onion or yellow onion.

Rice vinegar- can substitute white vinegar in a pinch.

Brown sugar- can substitute granulated sugar, or raw sugar.

Vegetable oil- or other neutral oil with a high smoke point like canola oil, peanut oil, safflower oil or corn oil.

Instructions

Prep the veggies.

Peel and mince the garlic, and thinly slice the scallions (both for the sauce).

Cut the cabbage into 1-inch pieces.

Julienne the carrots (or shred using a cheese grater).

Peel the onion, and slice into slivers or wide petals.

Make the sauce.

The sauce only has a few simple ingredients in it. In a mixing bowl, whisk together, the soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, ground ginger, minced garlic and sliced green onion. Set it aside.

Cut the chicken.

Remove any skin from the chicken thighs. Cut into bite size pieces, and pat dry with paper towels to remove any extra moisture (for better caramelization).

Sprinkle the chicken thigh pieces lightly with salt and pepper.

Cook the noodles.

Cook the noodles first. If you made my homemade ramen noodles, they only need to boil for 1-2 minutes. For store bought noodles, follow the directions on the back of the package.

Drain the noodles in a colander, then shock them with cold water, tossing them while the water runs over them until they're all cooled.

Drizzle with a little vegetable oil, and toss to avoid sticking. You can just do that right in the colander. Set the noodles aside.

Heat the skillet.

If you have a cast iron skillet or cast iron griddle, this would be the best time to use it!

The sear that you get from cast iron, along with the caramelization just can't be matched with other pans.

However, if you don't have cast iron, use your favorite, shallow skillet.

Heat the skillet on medium high heat. Test that it's hot enough by sprinkling some water drops on it; they should sizzle right away and disappear within seconds.

Add the oil and spread it around with a flat spatula or tip the skillet to cover the surface of the pan. Once it ripples, it's ready. If it starts to smoke, it's too hot.

Cook the chicken.

Add the chicken to the hot skillet, in a single layer, with even space in between the pieces.

Don't immediately move it around, allow it to caramelize on the bottom completely. If the pieces are stuck to the pan, they're likely not browned enough, so allow to cook for another minute or two

Once a test piece of chicken easily pulls away from the pan and has a deep brown crust, add the onions and sauté until the chicken and onion is browned and caramelized.

Add the cooked noodles, cabbage and carrots and fry for 1-2 minutes. If necessary, drizzle in a little more oil to prevent sticking.

Pour in one third to one half of the sauce in the hot pan and toss the ingredients while frying until the noodles are coated.

Taste the noodles, and add more sauce if desired for stronger flavor, and fry for another minute after adding the sauce.

Turn off the heat and serve.

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