Student-friendly Chicken and Veg Noodle Stir‑fry
Fast, cheap and tasty stir‑fry: sliced chicken, colourful veg and egg noodles in a sticky soy‑honey sauce. Ready in 30 minutes.
This is the no‑fuss stir‑fry every student needs in their repertoire: quick prep, cheap pantry ingredients and big flavour. It’s the sort of dinner that teaches you confidence with a wok (or a large frying pan) and leaves enough leftovers for lunch.
Use whatever veg you’ve got — the point is speed and simplicity. The soy‑honey glaze sticks to the chicken and noodles so every forkful tastes like you actually tried.
Ingredients
- 300 g chicken breast
- 200 g dried egg noodles
- 30 ml vegetable oil
- 10 ml sesame oil
- 45 ml soy sauce
- 15 ml honey
- 10 g cornflour — use about half for the marinade and the rest as a slurry
- 2 garlic cloves — finely sliced or crushed
- 20 g fresh ginger — peeled and finely grated
- 1 brown onion — thinly sliced
- 1 red pepper — thinly sliced
- 1 courgette — cut into matchsticks
- 1 carrot — cut into matchsticks
- 100 g frozen peas
- 2 spring onions — thinly sliced, for garnish
- 5 ml sea salt — plus extra to taste
- 5 ml black pepper
- 50 ml cold water — for sauce slurry
Equipment
- wok or large frying pan
- saucepan
- colander
- tongs
Instructions
Prep everything first: thinly slice the chicken across the grain. Peel and finely grate the fresh ginger and crush the garlic. Slice the brown onion, red pepper, courgette and carrot into thin strips. Slice the spring onions lengthways and set aside the pale and green parts separately.
Marinate the chicken: put the sliced chicken in a bowl with 15 ml soy sauce, 5 ml sesame oil and half the cornflour (about 5 g). Mix until coated and leave to sit for 10 minutes.
Cook the noodles: bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add a pinch of sea salt and the dried egg noodles. Cook for about 4–5 minutes until just tender, then drain and rinse under cold water to stop them sticking.
Toss the drained noodles with 5 ml vegetable oil in the colander or a bowl so they don’t clump while you cook.
Heat a wok or a large frying pan over a high heat. Add 15 ml vegetable oil and when it’s smoking hot, add the marinated chicken in a single layer. Stir‑fry for 3–4 minutes until the pieces are just cooked through and lightly browned. Remove the chicken to a plate.
Add a little more oil if needed (about 5 ml). Add the brown onion, garlic and ginger and stir for 30 seconds, then add the carrot and red pepper. Stir‑fry for 2 minutes, add the courgette and frozen peas and continue to stir‑fry for a further 2 minutes until the veg is tender‑crisp.
Return the chicken to the pan with the noodles. Pour over the remaining soy sauce (about 30 ml), the honey, the remaining sesame oil and the cold water. Mix the remaining cornflour with a tablespoon of cold water to make a smooth slurry, then add that to the pan.
Toss everything together over a high heat for 1–2 minutes so the sauce glazes the noodles and chicken. Taste and adjust with a little sea salt or black pepper if needed.
Serve straight away scattered with the green parts of the spring onions.
Tips
- Slice the chicken thinly across the grain — it cooks faster and stays tender.
- Cook noodles just until al dente and rinse under cold water to stop them softening further.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan: cook the chicken in one batch to get a proper sear.
- Make the sauce slurry with cold water so it blends smoothly and thickens quickly when added.
- Leftovers keep in the fridge for 2 days; reheat in a frying pan over medium heat adding a splash of water to loosen the sauce.
Substitutions
chicken breast → firm tofu, pressed and sliced (same weight)
Stays closedried egg noodles → instant noodles or cooked rice noodles (200 g cooked)
Stays closesoy sauce → tamari for a gluten‑free option (same quantity)
Stays closehoney → brown sugar (15 g)
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 825
- Calories
- 60 g
- Protein
- 90 g
- Carbs
- 25 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 10 g
- Sugar
- 1400 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this vegetarian?
Yes — swap the chicken for firm tofu (pressed) or extra mushrooms. Use the same method but reduce cooking time for tofu to 3–4 minutes until golden.
How do I stop noodles going mushy?
Cook them to just tender, rinse under cold water immediately, then toss with a little oil to stop sticking. Finish in the pan briefly — don’t overcook there either.
Can I prepare this ahead?
You can chop the veg and marinate the chicken up to 24 hours ahead. Cooked stir‑fries are best eaten same day; store leftovers in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
My sauce is too thick or too thin — how to fix it?
If too thick, stir in a splash of cold water and reheat briefly. If too thin, mix a little extra cornflour with cold water and add gradually while stirring.
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