Sesame chicken & veg noodle bowl

Asian inspired noodle bowls have been a staple in my diet ever since I met my partner Shiping, and I wanted to share a version with you all that I know y’all will love.

This sesame chicken and veg noodle bowl is inspired by those “egg roll in a bowl” type ordeals - honey sesame chicken, veg-packed noodles (we’re talking cabbage, carrots, and mushrooms), AND some easy roast broccoli. Very veg packed and very satisfying. Don’t be intimidated by all the different ingredients because the cabbage, mushrooms, and carrot all get cooked in the same pan.

The key to making a good noodle bowl comes down to a few different things:

• The types of textures you have in the bowl, which we get from all the different types of vegetables

• The sauce, which is just a combination of soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and scallions

• Chicken broth (or veg broth), that helps make saucy goodness

and…

• The noodles, which you cannot overcook and MUST rinse in cold water.

I can go into a lot of detail about each of these, but y’all probably don’t care that much. The only thing I really want to emphasize is to RINSE your noodles after cooking them, and to add a touch of chicken broth (or veg broth) to make your noodles extra saucy without making it feel oily.

I’m cooking the chicken here using my cast iron method, and then adding the broccoli straight to the cast iron with some of that same sauce to cook in the oven.

To simplify things, you could even skip the searing and just cook the chicken and broccoli directly on a sheet tray.

No matter how to you cook everything up, this is one of those comfort meals with great homey flavors that will make everyone happy and full <3

Table of Contents

• Ingredient Notes

• How to make this Sesame Chicken and Veg Noodle Bowl - Step by Step

• Storage and Reheating

• Cooking Tips

• Substitutions

• Video Tutorial

• The Recipe

• Looking for more similar recipes?

Ingredient Notes: 

Chinese wheat noodles - any wheat asian noodles work. I used asha noodles since that’s all I had in my pantry. These are common in most grocery stores now, and if you really can’t find chinese wheat noodles, you can also substitute ramen noodles. Fresh chinese wheat noodles would also work, you would just need about 6 ounces vs 4 ounces dried. 

p.s - I just tried these with the Trader Joe’s squiggly knife cut noodles, and THEY ARE SO GOOD. Don’t tell Shiping (or momofuku). they’re seriously such a steal and you should go stock up. Also just a note - I don’t use the sauce, just the noodles.

Dark soy sauce - different from the kikkoman soy sauce I usually use, dark soy sauce is used to bring a depth of flavor and color to dishes. I’ve usually only seen these at asian grocery stores, so if you don’t easily have access to this, just skip it. Don’t add more regular light soy sauce because it will throw off the sodium (dark soy sauce contains significantly less sodium). 

Boneless skinless chicken thighs - easy to eat and quick cooking, and very commonly found in all grocery stores. Feel free to use skin on, bone-in chicken thighs, you’ll just need to cook this for an extra 20 minutes. To make this vegetarian, you can substitute firm tofu and portobello mushrooms instead of chicken. 

Cabbage - one of those vegetables that sometimes live in your refrigerator for weeks, and that’s totally ok. Even if cabbage is looking very sad, you can still use it here. If it’s not enough, don’t worry. Throw in whatever you have left, and I promise it’ll still be good.

How to make the Sesame chicken & veg noodle bowl - Step by Step:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400F.

Step 2: Prep all the aromatics for the sauce - thinly slice all the scallions and mince the garlic. Set aside the garlic and half of the sliced scallions. Add the other half of the scallions to a medium sized bowl or glass jar for the sauce.