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. ;)
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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).
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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.
Yakisoba uses a buckwheat noodle, so raamen just doesn’t cut it for me. Try boiling whole wheat spaghetti or small linguini, then frying in a bit of sesame oil. Not bad sauce or veggies, though.
The flavor was a bit too tangy for me but I can see how others like it. Sriracha is a must. I even added a little bit of sliced almonds for a crunch.
Made this tonight. The flavor was a bit too tangy for me but I can see how others like it. Sriracha is a must. I even added a little bit of sliced almonds for a crunch.
I am so glad I found your website. I tried this recipe last night and the whole family liked it. My husband just asked that I make more sauce with it, so just a note for myself going forward. I am excited to try more.
Funny, I had chicken to cook tonight, but wasn’t craving a particular way to make it. Then bam! Your recipe shows up on my FB feed just in time. Made this tonight. Overall, very simple to make. but the Worcestershire sauce gets a little strong tasting. I will try and reduce next time. Thx!
4/5 stars
I’ve made this so many times now and it’s so good. Last time i had a ‘clean out the veggies’ type day so instead of broccoli it was capsicum. Also I had only half the amount of Worcestershire sauce left so I had to sub in some hoisin sauce which worked really well! Ran out of ginger too lol so used some powdered ginger. This recipe is so versatile and adaptable.
I made this tonight and it is amazing! We love it. I swear, I am already thinking of making it again tomorrow. I think this may be the first recipe I have ever made and not changed a thing. It is perfect just the way it is.
I didn’t know there was an official recipe for this thing which looks a lot like the ramen stir fry that has been a lunch staple in my house for decades. My version is infinitely variable. I use any raw meat left over from some other recipe–a bit of boneless chicken, a lonely pork chop or cube steak, even ground meat which in my house would be lean hamburger or pork. A few slices of bacon minced up–use the fat to saute the veggies –can be delicious. If there isn’t much meat, a scrambled then shredded egg or tofu can make up the protein deficit. Veggies vary, too, although onion, cabbage, and grated carrot are standards always in my fridge. While broccoli is a natural, small amounts of sliced or matchstick cut squashes, sweet potato, sliced mushrooms, green beans, snow peas, bell pepper of any color–a sliced poblano can add some delicious spice. For my sauce, I haven’t used worcestershire, but hoisin steps in nicely instead of ketchup. If I haven’t used a poblano, some chili garlic sauce can build a little spice, and we like a bit of heat with something this bland and homey. Minced garlic and/or ginger are nice, too, while sesame oil is another optional flavor. I’m not kidding about how long we have been eating this dish–probably since the 1970s, and made up originally based on fried rice or lo mein.
This dish looks perfect for any lunch/dinner!!! Great combination of healthy and so inexpensive ingredients.
Delicious! I’ve made this twice this week already.
I didn’t have cabbage either time, but it was still very good. I halved the recipe and it was the perfect amount for me and my husband.
Okay…..I am officially in love with your recipes!! Made this tonight and used bagged broccoli and shredded cabbage and it was so easy and delicious. Thank you!
Easy, right? Yes! and so delicious! I found this recipe a couple years ago and have made it many times. I’m making this again tonight, but using shrimp instead of the chicken. First time I deviate from your original recipe.
I found your recipe through Pinterest and it was delicious!!! I made this tonight for my family and they loved it too. It’s definitely going in the dinner rotation. 😊 I’ve made a few of your recipes and they have all been well loved in my house!
Pretty good stuff here, Beth. You would be closer than you know to Yakisoba on the streets of Japan (yes, I’ve been there/done that) if you substitute real soba (buck wheat noodles) for the Ramen. A little wasabi and daikon radish for relish/garnish helps, too. Soba costs more, but it’s worth it for the health benefits. Doesn’t mean it will delight the Western palate more than the Ramen noodles, though. I like this recipe as well as with soba (I like ALL of your dishes I’ve tried, so far). I love your site, recommend it to others daily.
I made this ahead of time for work lunches, thinking it would keep in the fridge and it kept wonderfully. Didn’t add chicken, trying to stay away from meat. I heated it briefly in the microwave each day (just so it wasn’t really cold) and it tasted like leftover take out!
Made some alterations…
-I used regular spaghetti, about 1.5 lbs of it, and it worked great as the noodles
-My head of cabbage was over 3lbs, so using half was a lot of cabbage! But I had a lot of spaghetti
-I used these veggies: broccoli, cabbage, white mushrooms
-For sauce I used scant 1/3c worcester, 1/3c soy sauce, a few tbsp ketchup, 1-1.5 tbsp sugar (I don’t measure carefully). Only a heaping half tsp of sriracha since I don’t like spice and I thought that was a good amount, added flavor but not spicy. I also juiced half a lime into the sauce and highly recommend that!
I’m hoping next time to add a protein.. maybe chickpeas or tofu.
Chickpeas – good idea. Or maybe peanuts?