Let me first say that I’m sure this is probably not authentic Chicken Yakisoba. I’ve never actually eaten this classic Japanese street food on the streets of Japan, but I have seen Mark Bittman make this yakisoba on his show, The Minimalist, and I knew I had to make it myself. Those noodles looked so lip-licking good, were packed with vegetables, and it just looked so easy. In other words, it was just my style. ;)
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
What is Yakisoba Sauce Made Of?
Yakisoba sauce is a sweet, savory, and tangy mix of soy sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and other seasonings. Some yakisoba sauce recipes include oyster sauce, which has a more rich umami flavor. I also added sriracha to my yakisoba sauce because I like things a little spicy!
What Does Chicken Yakisoba Taste Like?
The addition of ketchup makes this sauce super tangy, and a splash of Worcestershire gives it a uniquely sweet-umami flavor. I used a whole tablespoon of sriracha in my sauce because I really like my food spicy, but feel free to reduce that to 1/2 tablespoon or even a teaspoon if you want the sauce a bit more tame.
Can I Use Different Noodles?
Yes. I used ramen noodles because they’re inexpensive and easy to find. If you can find actual “yaki-soba” noodles, those will be the best choice. You’ll get the best price for yaki-soba noodles at an Asian grocery store. If you can’t find yaki-soba noodles and prefer not to use inexpensive ramen noodles, udon noodles or any other straight Asian noodle will still taste great drenched in this sauce.
Can I Use Different Vegetables?
The wonderful thing about this recipe is that you can use just about any mix of vegetables that you have leftover in your fridge. Just stay away from very watery vegetables, like tomatoes. Also, to make life easier, you can replace the hand-shredded cabbage and carrots with a bag of pre-shredded coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots).
Homemade Chicken Yakisoba
Servings 6Ingredients
- 1/2 head green cabbage ($0.41)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.55)
- 2 carrots ($0.25)
- 1 crown broccoli ($0.70)
- 1 inch fresh ginger ($0.52)
- 1 large chicken breast ($1.66)
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil ($0.08)
- 2 3oz. packages ramen noodles, seasoning packets discarded ($0.50)
- 1 tsp sesame oil, optional ($0.19)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce ($0.24)
- 1/4 cup worcestershire sauce ($0.20)
- 2 Tbsp ketchup ($0.05)
- 1 Tbsp sriracha ($0.26)
- 1 Tbsp sugar ($0.02)
Instructions
- Before you begin, prepare the meat and vegetables for stir frying. Peel the ginger with either a vegetable peeler or the side of a spoon and then grate it with a cheese grater. Peel and grate the carrots with a large holed cheese grater. Remove the core from the cabbage and cut into thin strips. Slice the onion into thin strips. Cut the broccoli into bite-sized pieces. Slice the chicken into thin strips.
- Begin boiling a medium pot full of water for the noodles. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the grated ginger, saute for about 30 seconds to one minute (its okay if it sticks to the pan but don’t let it burn). Add the chicken strips and cook until they are no longer pink (about five minutes).
- Once the chicken is cooked through, add all of the vegetables. Stir and cook until wilted (about 5-10 minutes). Meanwhile, once the water boils, add the noodles and cook just until tender (2-3 minutes). Drain, return to the pot (with the heat turned off) and toss with the sesame oil to keep from sticking.
- In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, ketchup, sriracha, and sugar. Use only 1/2 tsp of sriracha if you don’t want it spicy, use up to 1 Tbsp if you like it hot. Stir until the ketchup and sugar are dissolved. Pour the sauce into the skillet with the chicken and vegetables with the heat still on medium high. Add the noodles, stir to coat everything in the sauce, and heat through (just a few minutes).
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Color Cutting Boards
- Chef’s Knife
- Stainless Steel Pots and Pans
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Want more ways to dress up your ramen noodles? Check out 6 Ways to Upgrade Instant Ramen, Vegetable Stir Fry with Noodles, Lime Shrimp Dragon Noodles, or Pork and Peanut Dragon Noodles.
How to Make Homemade Chicken Yakisoba – Step By Step Photos
Prepare the Yakisoba sauce first, so that it’s ready to go when you need it. In a medium bowl, stir together 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce, 2 Tbsp ketchup, 1 Tbsp sriracha, 1 Tbsp sugar, and 1 tsp toasted sesame oil.
This is the “toasted” sesame oil. It doesn’t always say “toasted on the bottle, but you can tell this is the toasted variety because of the deep brown color and because it’s sold in a tiny bottle. Toasted sesame oil has a much stronger nutty flavor and only a small amount is needed for a big impact.
Next, slice up your vegetables. Thinly slice one yellow onion and 1/2 a small head of green cabbage. Use a large-holed cheese grater to grate 1-2 carrots. Cut one crown of broccoli into small, bite-sized florets.
Slice one chicken breast (about 3/4 lb.) into very thin strips. I like to do about 1/4-1/2 inch wide and about 2 inches long.
Grate about one inch of fresh ginger. Heat a very large skillet (at least 12″ diameter) over medium heat, then add 2 Tbsp vegetable oil. Tilt the skillet to distribute the oil, then add the grated ginger. Sauté briefly (about 30 seconds), then add the sliced chicken and continue to cook until the chicken pieces are cooked through.
Add the sliced vegetables and continue to sauté until they are slightly wilted, but still bright in color.
Meanwhile, boil a pot of water and cook two 3oz. bricks of ramen noodles until tender, then drain in a colander.
Finally, pour the prepared yakisoba sauce onto the vegetables and stir to combine.
Then add your cooked and drained ramen and stir until everything is combined and coated in the sauce. THE END. Easy, right?
<3 Chicken Yakisoba!
Sweet, tangy, and a little spicy.
Thank you i gone tray look easy to make
We used udon noodles instead and not much sriracha but it was AMAZING!! I feel like I don’t have to go to a Chinese restaurant anymore now that we made this masterpiece. Thank you, Beth!
So Good!!! I cut this in half for two servings (plus a lunch) and based on other reviews I cut the sauce to about a third. Used less worcestershire sauce and will use still a bit less in the future. Used a full tablespoon of sriracha as we like things hot, but it wasn’t too spicy, and used honey instead of sugar. Used the suggested coleslaw mix, which worked out well. I’m not a fan of ginger but love garlic so used a large clove minced, plus used garlic olive oil. I cooked the chicken in it, then removed it. Then cooked the rest of the veggies, added the chicken and noodles and then a bit of sauce at a time until the desired amount. Do not like it too saucy, so this worked out well. . Very easy and quick so will definitely make again. Although I changed it up a bit to suit our needs and tastes, it is great recipe – Thanks!
You gave me an idea, Roxanne. Thanks!! :-)
Good enough, but wasn’t crazy about the sauce. Used a full tablespoon of Sriracha and it wasn’t too spicy, but had a sour / tangy flavor. I think the Worcestershire might have been the issue, combined with the Sriracha. Something was just a little off. On the plus side, I used up the cabbage in my fridge, and I was able to prep everything early in the day so dinner came together in 10 minutes when it was time to cook. Probably won’t make again, but okay enough where we will finish leftovers.
Website keeps deleting my ratings.
This recipe was phenomenal! Loved it. Made just as the instructions set forth added mushrooms.
I made this for dinner and the whole family loved it. The vegetables gave this dish a fresh taste . I will be adding this to our dinner options.
I just made this and it turned out GREAT! I didn’t read the comments until later about using coleslaw mix. It would’ve saved a lot of prep time, but doing things the long way still wasn’t bad. I like how you really didn’t have to stand there babysitting the dish during cooking. I used the method where you cooked the chicken, then the veggies, then mixed everything together at the end. Put in the chicken. When it was done, put in the veggies. Then, just let the veggies cook with a stir every now and again. The flavor was so awesome! I used just a half tablespoon of sriratcha, though. It was plenty. This recipe is definitely going into rotation and I don’t think I’ll ever buy Chinese food from a restaurant again. :-)
I wish that the recipe hadn’t called for so much sauce as I found that it was just slightly too much but other than that the flavor combo was ah-maxing!
Lots of flavor with minimal effort and with ingredients I usually have on hand. I used dry chinese noodles and Napa cabbage. It turned out great. This is a keeper!
Just made this- super yum! I used Quorn chik’n tenders. Added them after the veggies had started to get tender. Great recipe- thanks.
Forgot to rate it!
This one is a keeper. Husband likes it, daughter likes it, daughter’s-friend-who-is-spending-the-night likes it. And we all four had fun in the kitchen cooking it, so it’s a win all the way around.
Did it! Awesome! Great flavors. My husband and son loved it. Definitely keeping this recipe!
So, I just made Chicken Yakisoba using your recipe and let me tell you! Let me tell you! I’m in LOVE! I substituted sambal oelek for the sriricha hot sauce ’cause I was all out but DAYUM! 10/10!
Seriously, people. Make this! Eat it! Love it!
I love this recipe – make it quite often, thanks to finding your recipe on Pinterest! As a shortcut, I buy the packaged coleslaw with carrots in the produce aisle, which is just shredded cabbage and carrots!
That’s a great idea!
I wad intrigued by the worcesteshire/ketchup sauce. I wanted a late night snack, so I tossed the sauce with some rice noodles and a scrambled egg for protein. It’s really quite good! It’s different, and I love different. I really must make the full recipe when I have the chance.