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Weeknight 20 Minute Spicy Udon Noodles! Extra saucy Asian inspired noodles with bell peppers, chicken, fresh basil, and an addicting sweet and spicy sauce. All made and ready for eating in just about twenty minutes. Doesn’t get better than these noodles on a busy night.
Welcome to my Super Simple Thursday night dinner, NOODLES! Salty, sweet, spicy, and veggie filled noodles…my favorite.
I just thought of this now, but should we make Super Simple Thursday a thing? Like every Thursday I share a new super simple dinner recipe? Maybe as a new series for the summer? Let me know your thoughts on this and what you might want to see too. I’m liking this idea though!
OKAY so it’s Thursday, and even though it’s been a short week, I am already very ready for the weekend. It’s just been one of those weeks in the kitchen where nothing is really turning out how I pictured it in my head. When I develop recipes, I expect them to be nothing short of delicious. I also expect them to photograph beautifully and create mouth wateringly good photos.
I am firm believer that we eat with our eyes first (this is why there is a photograph with every single recipe in the HBH cookbook) and if something doesn’t look good in the photo, it’s never going to see the light of day on the blog.
It can be a really, really hard thing to have a recipe that’s delicious and pretty, and this week it’s just been a struggle. I’m trying my hardest not to be discouraged and just keep working, working, working…well swimming is what I actually say in my head (you know, finding Memo)…
But sometimes it’s hard!
Anyway as much as I love rambling on with you guys, let me tell you about these weeknight udon noodles that I happen to LOVE…and find pretty too!
Not sure if any of you remember my better than takeout peanut noodles, but this recipe was semi-inspired by those noodles.
Well let me back up a bit. I love the the idea of takeout. It’s fun, it’s quick, it’s mess free, and it’s just EASY. What I don’t love about takeout? The fact that I am eating cartons full of food that’s most likely full of ingredients that are not good for me. Read mass amounts of salt, sugar, weird meats, and fats.
Um? No thank you to all of that.
Enter these udon noodles. They taste like takeout, look like takeout, but are better, healthier, and quicker than takeout.
Promise it’s not too good to be true.
Let’s talk details.
First things first, you (of course) need udon noodles. These are the ones I use and love (you can get them at Whole Foods and I have bought them from my local Kroger grocery store too). You boil them just like you would pasta and they’re delish.
While the noodles boil, make a quick soy, hoisin sauce and stir fry up some ground chicken (which you can omit if you prefer), lots of bell peppers, ginger, and fresh chilies. By the time the noodles are done boiling, this stir fry should also be done cooking. All you need to do is marry the two together and dinner is done.
Yes, it’s that simple and that easy.
And it’s SO GOOD. My favorite part of this dish? The bell peppers, 100%.
I personally love bell peppers, but for whatever reason I don’t use them enough in recipes. I realized this the other week and am now making a serious effort to include them in any recipe I see fitting, which as you can guess, is a lot of recipes!
Using peppers in Asian inspired dishes is my favorite though. They pair so well with the salty, gingery flavors, and I love the pop of color they add.
All that said, you can truly use whatever combo of vegetables you have on hand. It’s all about using what you got! Zucchini, broccoli, and mushrooms would all be great! With summer right around the corner, have fun and use all the farmers market veggies you can grab!
OH! And the other major bonus of this recipe is the fact that it requires zero oven time. This isn’t really a huge bonus for me since I don’t mind using my oven during the warmer months of the year, seeing as it rarely creeps above eighty degrees here (and dips into the 30’s at night), but for those of you who have hot, hot temps during the summer, this recipe is for you!
So to recap…
No oven, easy, 20 minutes, healthy, colorful, and delicious.
Yup, I think you guys needs this for dinner tonight. Give a try and then don’t forget to let me know what you think about the idea of Super Simple Thursdays in the comments!
Watch the How To Video:
If you make these 20 minutes noodles, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every one of you. Oh, and of course, if you do make this, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Weeknight 20 Minute Spicy Udon Noodles
Servings: 4 servings
Calories Per Serving: 503 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dried udon noodles
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 pound ground chicken or turkey (optional)
- 2 red or orange bell peppers, sliced
- 1 inch fresh ginger grated
- 1 fresno pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Instructions
- 1. Cook the udon noodles according to package directions. 2. Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, hoisin sauce, and 1/4 cup water in a bowl. 2. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the sesame oil and the chicken. Season with black pepper and brown all over, breaking it up as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Add the bell peppers, ginger, and fresno pepper, and cook another 2-3 minutes. Slowly pour in the soy sauce mixture and basil. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the sauce coats the chicken, about 3-5 minutes. 3. Stir in the noodles and remove from the heat. Add the green onions and sesame seeds. Serve the noodles warm, topped with green onions. Enjoy!
Noodles are always the best.
Super easy, and fed my hungry family of four with a salad and crusty bread. The only minor mods I’d make are reserving some udon (“pasta”) water in case it has to hold warm and you need to thin the sauce, and using something bigger than a skillet (maybe a Dutch oven). Super tasty, this will be a regular in the rotation!
Hi Lauren,
Awesome!! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for making it! xT
Very tasty! We like heat so increased the peppers— otherwise made exactly according to recipe and it turned out great. I was tired tonight so it was great to cook something that came together so quickly. Love the Udon noodles—had never tried them but they were perfect and soaked up the sauce—yum!
Hi Lucy,
Fantastic!! Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xx
Made this the other night. It came together really quickly and was a hit.
As suggested in the comments, I did not add any water, added some carrots (thinly sliced with a peeler) and used jalapeno peppers (easier to find).
Some in the family like it hot so a splash of Sriracha sauce added any heat while those who aren’t fans of heat had it as is. Rave reviews. I was hoping to have left-overs for lunches. Well, that didn’t happen!
Also halved the amount of vinegar because one person in our family doesn’t really care for the taste (somewhat sensitive to it – strange because this one loves it hot).
Hey Trevor,
Happy Friday!!☀️🐰 Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, love to hear that it was delish! xT
I wanted to love these but they were way too salty and lacked any other flavor because of that
Hi Meagan,
Thanks for giving this dish a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear they were too salty. Did you use low sodium soy sauce? If so, you might like tamari or coconut aminos better! xx
Flavors were off. Too much vinegar and lacking garlic and onions
Hi Ash,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
This not a good recipe as written, but it can be saved.
There are two main problems. First, this gets nowhere near “spicy.” I recommend substituting an equal amount of Thai hot peppers for the Fresnos, resulting in a 10-fold increase in the Scoville units, AND adding 1-2 TBSPs of Sriracha to the sauce. Second, the sauce is too thin. I recommend adding 1.5 TBSPs of cornstarch to the sauce.
Now you have a spicy udon.
Hey Kestrel,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you didn’t love it! xx
Hi ! May i ask if its possible to substitute the udon noodles? They are hard to find where I live . Thank you.
Hey there,
Totally, use any noodle that you enjoy! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Loved this recipe! It was quick and easy. We added some broccoli and mushrooms. Also some sriracha for a little kick which was fabulous. Next time I would love to try some peanut sauce as well.
Hey Cori,
Fantastic!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
Very tasty….. I didn’t have hoisin sauce so substituted with oyster sauce & some natural peanut butter & sambal oelek … I also added carrots for more veggies I didn’t have enough udon noodles ~ still all worked out delish.
Thanks for another delish recipe ~ M
Hi Mich,
Awesome! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
Loved the flavor and texture of this dish, but it wasn’t as spicy as I expected and I thought it could use some more veggies. I used hot sesame oil and added 1 chopped zucchini the next time I made it, and it was even better! May try with bok choy next time. Adding this one to the rotation!
Hey Annie,
Wonderful! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend! xTieghan
This was easy and delicious. A really nice balance of flavorful sauce and great textures. My only modification was adding shredded carrots and a few handfuls of spinach in with the peppers. Yum!
Hey Becca,
Thanks a lot for trying out this recipe. I love to hear that it was enjoyed and hope you have the best week! xTieghan
Leave out the water, vinegar, add the soy sauce to taste, some good ideas, some not so good.
Ok I don’t have a photo because we scarfed this delicious dish up as soon as we plated it! Such an easy recipe, so adaptable, and such a good sauce. I added cilantro and the juice of a clementine and used ground chicken. One of my favorites!!
Hey Susan,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you enjoyed it! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
So easy and delicious! These udon noodles are everything! After cooking the chicken, it may look wet, but don’t dump it! The noodles sop up the liquid and give it a divine flavor!
I am so glad this turned out so well for you, Isabelle! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
Do you think I could make this with boneless, skinless chicken cut into cubes? I bought it in bulk recently and I’m trying to use it up. If so, how would I add it in to the recipe?
Hey Jessica,
Yes I would just add the the recipe and follow the instructions as is. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan