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. ;)
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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Nutrition
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.
I made this tonight and it was ABSOLUTELY delicious! You could taste all the individual flavors and my husband went up for seconds after I gave him a big plate!
Hooray! Happy to hear it!
Used this recipe with a few variations and it was delicious. I used frozen stir fry veggies for convenience but added the onion and ginger. Also used edamame noodles (because it’s what I had in the pantry). I will make it again!!
I was so excited for this so I doubled the recipe. Maybe it is just my taste preference, but the Worcestershire flavor was overwhelming and this did not have the flavor of yakisoba I was hoping for. It has potential, but I would use an entirely different sauce next time.
Just made it and it was delicious. I definitely have to buy a bigger skillet! Yum!
This looks awesome! Definitely will give it a try 😀
I fixed this recipe tonight for our dinner. My husband and I loved the crunchiness and melding of flavors. We used the full tablespoon of Sirachi sauce and it was just the right heat. This will be one of our go to recipes.
Made 12 servings for me and my boyfriend (first time meal preppers). The food was amazing and good portions. We left half out in the fridge and froze the rest (they froze well, which was a concern). This will definitely become a staple in our house!
Hi Adela, How long did your meal prep Yakisoba stay nice in the fridge? Would you recommend keeping in the fridge or freezing? I’m afraid the noodles won’t hold up.
If anyone else has experience with meal prepping this dish, I would love to hear from you!
So yummy and so simple. I used broccoli slaw and it worked out great!
Loved it!!! Ketchup and all!! Lol
Ate it all week long and making it again. Used purple cabbage and more chicken. Keeper.
I bought a bottle of sesame oil, per the list of ingredients. When I read through the instructions you had a picture of toasted sesame oil, which I always have. I made the recipe with toasted sesame oil and it was fun and lively. I substituted bok choy for the cabbage.
I was stationed on Kadena Air Base Okinawa in 1980. The Yakisoba there had a ketchup flavor and was great. I can’t wait to try it. I was just working in northern Japan and the Yakisoba had a totally different flavor. Not the same as Okinawan Yakisoba
This is a delicious recipe! I crave ramen a lot these days and your additions makes it somewhat healthy! Going into my repeat recipe folder.
This turned out really good! I added cabbage and mixed vegetables. Yummy!
HORRIBLE! This is the equivalent of boiling pasta, covering it with spam & ketchup & calling it “Italian food”. I should have trusted my instincts when an Asian dish called for non Asian ingredients (ketchup?! Worcestershire sauce??!) Sadly, I trusted the reviews who have clearly been written by someone who’s version of quality Asian food is 2min noodle packets & I’ve wasted a whole dinner. The sauce really ruined it. The recipie base is fine but use kecap manis sauce or any actually Asian sauce instead.
You must be fun at parties.
Because recipes have never, ever been modified to use locally available ingredients in human history. /s
In all seriousness though, your lack of knowledge of “Asian” cooking is showing. First off, there is no monolithic “Asian” cooking tradition where certain ingredients are and aren’t used. “Asian” cooking involves dozens of countries and hundreds, if not thousands, of cooking traditions.
Secondly, worcester IS used in various Japanese cooking traditions. Ketchup has its roots in Asia (possibly Malaysia, but the exact location is not clear). And frankly? I might swap out the 20 cent ramen for noodles I like more, but this is a budget oriented website. Of course they’ll use easy to find and inexpensive ingredients.
Very good. Did not put in cabbage for dietary reasons, and used gluten free rice Ramen noodles. My husband loved it and had seconds. Will certainly be making it again.
I LOVE this. I made it last Sunday night and had it for dinner, then lunch for the whole week and I’m already dreaming about making it again.
I used a bag of prepared stir fry veggies and a bag of broccoli slaw because I am lazy, and a little less than a teaspoon of sriracha because I am a wimp. I might bump that up just a bit next time but otherwise wouldn’t change a thing.