Get ready to delight your taste buds with this flavorful Chicken Yaki Soba! This quick and easy stir-fry dish combines tender marinated chicken, fresh vegetables, and savory noodles for a meal that's both satisfying and versatile. Perfect for busy weeknights, this recipe will quickly become a family favorite.
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Why This Recipe Works
- Quick and Easy: This Yaki Soba recipe is perfect for busy weeknights. With simple ingredients and straightforward steps, you can have a delicious meal on the table in no time.
- Flavor-Packed: The combination of marinated chicken, fresh vegetables, and savory soy sauce creates a burst of flavors in every bite. The addition of shrimp adds a delightful seafood twist.
- Versatile and Customizable: You can easily adapt this recipe to your taste by adding your favorite vegetables or proteins. It's a great way to use up leftover ingredients and make a wholesome, satisfying dish.
🥘 Ingredients
- Chicken Thighs: These provide juicy, flavorful protein that pairs perfectly with the other ingredients, absorbing the savory flavors of the sauce.
- Bean Sprouts: Adds a crunchy texture and a fresh, slightly nutty flavor, complementing the noodles and other vegetables.
- Chopped Onion: Brings a sweet and savory depth to the dish, enhancing the overall flavor profile.
- Red Pepper: Adds a vibrant color and a sweet, crisp bite, balancing the savory and umami flavors.
- Pickled Ginger: Provides a tangy and slightly spicy kick, brightening the dish and adding complexity.
- Green Pepper: Offers a fresh, slightly bitter crunch that contrasts nicely with the other sweet and savory ingredients.
- Shrimp: Adds a delicate, sweet seafood flavor and a tender texture, enhancing the protein variety in the dish.
- Soy Sauce: Infuses the dish with a rich umami flavor, tying all the ingredients together with its salty and savory notes.
- Egg: Adds richness and a creamy texture when cooked and mixed into the noodles, making the dish more hearty and satisfying.
- Green Onions: Adds a fresh, mild onion flavor and a pop of color, enhancing both the taste and visual appeal of the dish.
- Vegetable Oil: Used for cooking the ingredients, ensuring they don't stick to the pan and adding a slight richness.
- Sesame: Adds a nutty flavor and a bit of crunch, complementing the other ingredients and enhancing the dish's texture.
For the complete list of ingredients with measurements and instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
📖 Substitutions & Variations
- Beef Yaki Soba Swap the chicken for thinly sliced beef. Cook the beef the same way, ensuring it’s seared on high heat for a flavorful dish.
- Vegetable Yaki Soba For a vegetarian option, replace the chicken with a variety of your favorite vegetables like bell peppers, mushrooms, and snap peas. Add tofu for extra protein.
- Seafood Yaki Soba Try adding scallops, or a mix of seafood to your shrimp. Seafood cooks quickly, so add it towards the end to prevent overcooking.
- If you're missing any of the typical Yaki Soba sauce ingredients, try these substitutes:
- Oyster Sauce: Hoisin sauce or a mix of soy sauce and a bit of sugar can work in a pinch.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Substitute with a mix of soy sauce and a splash of vinegar.
- Mirin: Use a mixture of rice vinegar and a bit of sugar if mirin is unavailable.
🔪How To Make Chicken Yaki Soba
Step One: In a large bowl, mix the chopped chicken thighs, half the bean sprouts, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, salt, and pepper. Leave to marinate for half an hour.
Step Two: Heat a frying pan with the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add the regular onion, green onions, bell pepper, and the remaining bean sprouts. Stir-fry for 4-5 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
Step Three: Add the marinated chicken thighs and shrimp to the pan. Stir-fry until the chicken and shrimp are cooked through.
Step Four: Add the cooked egg noodles, beaten eggs and soy sauce to the pan. Mix everything together and continue to stir-fry until the eggs are fully cooked. When serving, sprinkle with sesame seeds and add pickled ginger for garnish.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
Follow these tips to make the best Yaki soba:
- Prep Ingredients First: Have all your ingredients prepped before you start. This dish cooks quickly, so being ready is essential.
- Use High Heat And A Large Pan: Cook on high heat using a large pan or wok for the best stir-fry texture. This helps sear the chicken and vegetables quickly.
💭 FAQs
Yes, you can substitute chicken with beef, pork, shrimp, or even tofu. Just make sure to adjust the cooking time based on your protein choice to ensure it's properly cooked.
For the most authentic flavor, use traditional Yaki Soba noodles, which are slightly thicker and a bit chewy. If you can’t find them, you can substitute with other types of stir-fry noodles or even ramen noodles.
Absolutely! To make the recipe vegetarian, you can skip the chicken and use tofu or other plant-based proteins. Be sure to adjust the sauce to taste, as some pre-made sauces may contain animal products.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. When reheating, add a little water or soy sauce to refresh the noodles, as they may dry out in the fridge.
🧂Serving Suggestions
- Gyoza (Japanese Dumplings): These savory dumplings filled with ground meat and vegetables are a perfect accompaniment, providing a crispy contrast to the noodles.
- Miso Soup: A warm, comforting bowl of miso soup with tofu, seaweed, and green onions complements the flavors of Yaki Soba beautifully.
- Edamame: Steamed edamame pods sprinkled with sea salt make for a simple and healthy side dish that pairs well with the noodles.
- Japanese Pickles (Tsukemono): These pickles add a refreshing crunch and tangy flavor that balances the richness of the Yaki Soba.
- Tempura Vegetables: Lightly battered and fried vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, carrots, and zucchini, offer a delightful texture and taste contrast.
🍽 Related Recipes
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Chicken Yaki Soba
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken Thighs
- 1 Cup Soy Sprouts
- 1 Whole Chopped onion
- ¼ Cup Red pepper
- 1 tablespoon Pickled Ginger
- ¼ Cup Green pepper
- 6 Whole Shrimp
- 2 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 1 Egg
- 3 tablespoon Green Onions
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
- 1 tablespoon Sesame oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the chopped chicken thighs, half the bean sprouts, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, salt, and pepper.
- Leave to marinate for half an hour.
- Heat a frying pan with the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
- Add the regular onion, green onions, bell pepper, and the remaining bean sprouts.
- Stir-fry for 4-5 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
- Add the marinated chicken thighs and shrimp to the pan.
- Stir-fry until the chicken and shrimp are cooked through.
- Add the cooked egg noodles, beaten eggs, and soy sauce to the pan.
- Mix everything together and continue to stir-fry until the eggs are fully cooked.
- When serving, sprinkle with sesame seeds and add pickled ginger for garnish.
