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Teriyaki chicken noodles recipe- how to cook to perfection

A quick and easy meal can be delicious too, and the teriyaki chicken noodles recipe is one great example.

Any meat that marinates with teriyaki sauce tastes remarkable. Pairing with vegetables of your choice and serving with noodles is nutritious and utterly mouthwatering.

Chicken is the meat of this recipe, but you decide to substitute it with beef, pork, or even tofu.

Most of the items are readily available. For example, you can purchase sake and mirin in most Japanese grocery stores or online.

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Teriyaki noodles with chicken and soba. Delicious one pot meal.

The chicken teriyaki noodles recipe – step-by-step instruction

Here is a detailed explanation of preparing chicken teriyaki noodles, using soba (Japanese noodles) as an example. Feel free to substitute the soba with noodles such as udon, ramen, or pasta.

1. Use chicken thigh meat for the best result

Chicken thigh meat has a better flavor and is juicier than chicken breast, which is always my choice. If you use breast meat cooked over low to medium heat to ensure that it is tender. 

Ask your chicken vendor to debone the chicken thigh to save you time working on this easy recipe. You can swap with beef or pork to prepare beef teriyaki with noodles (and pork). Cut down the cooking time for the beef to avoid overcooking it. A vegan version with tofu is the way to go for a change. As a reminder, use firm tofu to replace the meat since soft tofu can break easily. 

Remove the skin and any attached bones, then cut them into one-inch pieces. 

Marinate with teriyaki sauce and some salt for half to one hour. Teriyaki sauce is a simple combination of Japanese soy sauce, sake, and mirin.

You wouldn’t want the flavor to be only skin deep. Marinate the meat for half an hour to let the flavor penetrate the interior. 

2. Make your teriyaki sauce at home

The simplest way is to marinate the chicken with the store-bought teriyaki sauce

You can add each seasoning (soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar) separately to the chicken, which I did. Next, I sauté the vegetables with garlic and ginger to complete all the necessary flavors that will eventually be included in the teriyaki chicken. 

You can also make a batch of teriyaki sauce if you use it often. Preparing the teriyaki sauce is far quicker than your trip to the grocery store. Simply add the Japanese soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar, ginger, and garlic into some boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. That’s the homemade teriyaki sauce. Please refer to the note section in the recipe below for step-by-step instructions. 

3. What noodles should I choose for the teriyaki chicken noodles recipe?

The teriyaki flavor is suitable for any noodles. Besides the soba, ramen noodles, udon, and spaghetti are suitable. That means you do not need to hunt for specific noodles to prepare the chicken teriyaki noodles. 

Please refer to the instructions on the packaging to cook the noodles you pick, as the instructions for each type of noodle are different. 

4. Tips to make chicken teriyaki noodles

Here is the step-by-step guide to preparing chicken teriyaki chicken noodles. 

A. Cook the chicken separately

Marinate the chicken 

  • Remove the skin and any bones still attached to the boneless chicken thighs. 
  • Cut the chicken meat into small pieces, about one inch in length. 
  • Add the Japanese soy sauce, mirin, sake, salt, and sugar to the chicken. Rub the seasonings into the meat. 
  • Let it rest to marinate for one hour or longer. 

Stir fry the teriyaki chicken 

  • Heat some oil in a large skillet. Cast iron and nonstick pans require less oil, which is my choice. 
  • Pan-fried over low to medium heat, and flip the chicken meat occasionally. Low heat will keep the meat tender and not dry out. 
  • The teriyaki marinade will eventually dry up slowly.  Remove it from the heat when the chicken is fully cooked and golden brown. 

B. Cook the noodles

I use fresh soba (buckwheat noodles), which requires boiling in water for one minute. There is dried soba available, which takes about 3 to 4 minutes until al dente, according to the package directions. 

  • Stir gently to loosen the noodles. 
  • Remove the cooked noodles from the boiling water, and rinse with cold water immediately to stop cooking. 
  • You can serve soba cold with a dipping sauce (zaru soba). If you are preparing that, transfer the soba to a pot of ice water for 15 seconds, and then remove it to drain the water by gently tapping the strainer. 
  • Since I will serve the soba hot, drain the water after rinsing and reheat it in boiling water for 20 seconds before serving. 
Chicken teriyaki noodles rercipe, made with soba and homemde teriyaki sauce.

C. Prepare the vegetables 

What vegetables do you like to serve with the noodles? 

The choices are abundant and are not limited to what I use. However, I will go through all the ingredients I use and why I choose them.

  • Bell pepper is my choice because it is a crunchy vegetable. In addition, it has a contrasting texture against the soft noodles and the meaty mushrooms and chicken. 
  • The carrot is optional but adds color to the overall presentation. 
  • Dried shiitake mushrooms are packed with flavor. I pick it over other mushrooms because of the teriyaki noodles’ taste, texture, and Japanese theme. First, soak the dry mushrooms in water until soft, which takes about an hour. Then, squeeze out the water and cut them into halves.
  • Sesame seeds and scallion are common ingredients in Japanese food. The sesame seeds offer another layer of texture and mouthfeel, and the chopped scallion is refreshing as it is added raw as the topping. 
  • Other favorite veggies in my mind but not included in today’s teriyaki noodles are snap peas, broccoli florets, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, and edamame. You may want to use them in this recipe. 

D. Pan-fry the vegetables

Assuming you have cooked the noodles and chicken, it is only minutes away from enjoying the teriyaki noodles. 

  • Saute the garlic and fresh ginger with some oil. 
  • When they turn aromatic, add the carrot and shiitake mushrooms. Add some water to cook them for two minutes. 
  • Include the bell peppers, then season with Japanese soy sauce, sesame oil, and salt. The vegetables will mix with the unsalted noodles to make them slightly salty. 
  • You can add some red pepper flakes if you prefer it to be spicy.
  • Lastly, mix some cornstarch with cold water and add to the vegetables. The cornstarch slurry will turn the liquid in the pan to become gravy. 

E. Put it all together 

Now there is only one more step left, combine all the ingredients, garnish, and serve. 

Since soba is delicate and easy to break, I place it at the bottom of the bowl, pour the vegetables with gravy, and top it with the chicken meat. You can mix it in the pan if you are using other noodles. You can also make chicken teriyaki noodles stir-fry if you use udon or spaghetti, which will not break as easily as soba.

Either way, sprinkle toasted sesame seeds generously on top and garnish them with chopped spring onions (scallion). 

Other recipes that you would want to try

If you like this chicken teriyaki noodles recipe, you might like teriyaki and Japanese food. Below are some of the related recipes that you may want to try:

This easy teriyaki salmon recipe is surprisingly delicious, combining sweet, salty, and savory tastes. The teriyaki salmon recipe is prepared with homemade authentic teriyaki sauce and does not require lengthy marinating.  Serve with rice and vegetable of your choice to make it a complete meal.

This easy chicken teriyaki stir-fry results from the fusion between the Japanese flavor and some popular vegetables, such as portobello mushrooms and asparagus. The crunchy vegetables and mushrooms contrast sharply, making it a perfect one-pot meal.

Miso soup is a warm and comforting Japanese soup prepared with a soup stock (Dashi) and miso paste. Here is the step-by-step guide on how to make it from scratch.

Yield: 3 servings

Teriyaki noodles

teriyaki noodles square 200

A quick and easy meal can be delicious too, and teriyaki noodles is one great example.

Any meat that marinates with teriyaki sauce tastes remarkable, pairing with vegetables of your choice and serve with noodles is nutritious and utterly mouthwatering.,

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

For the chicken (A):

For the vegetables (B):

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1 inch ginger, chopped
  • 20g dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked and cut into halves
  • 100g (3 oz) red/green bell peppers, cut into long thin strips
  • 100g (3 oz) carrots, cut into long strips
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
  • 2 tsp cornstarch (with 4 tbsp water)

Others (C):

Instructions

For the chicken

  1. Remove the skin and any bones still attached to the boneless chicken thigh. 
  2. Cut the chicken meat into small pieces, about one inch in length. 
  3. Mix ingredients A. Let it rest to marinate for one hour or longer. 
  4. Heat some oil in a pan. Pan-fried over low to medium heat, and flip the chicken meat occasionally. When the chicken is fully cooked and slightly brown, remove it from heat. 

For the Noodles

  1. Boil the fresh soba in water for one minute. Stir gently to loosen the noodles. 
  2. Remove and rinse with cold water immediately.
  3. Drain the water by gently tapping the strainer. Set aside.

For the vegetables

  1. Saute the garlic and ginger with some oil. 
  2. When they turn aromatic, add the carrot and shiitake mushrooms. Add some water to cook them for two minutes. 
  3. Include the bell pepper, then season with Japanese soy sauce and salt. 
  4. Add the cornstarch slurry to thick the liquid in the pan to become gravy. 

Assemble

  1. Place the noodles, vegetables, and chicken in a bow. Mix gently.
  2. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds generously on top and garnish it with chopped scallion. 

Notes

Teriyaki sauce:

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup Japanese soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup mirin
  • 1/2 cup sake
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • Two slices ginger

Method:

  • Place all the ingredients in a pot.
  • Reduce the sauce until it is thick and glossy. (half of the original volume)
  • Discard the garlic and ginger.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

3

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 497Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 163mgSodium: 2286mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 3gSugar: 8gProtein: 42g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix on 5/30/2021

KP Kwan

Monday 31st of May 2021

Hi, this is KP Kwan. I am happy to see you in this comment area as you have read through my recipe. I am pleased to reply to any questions and comments as soon as possible.

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