This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.

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.

overhead photo of Weeknight 20 Minute Spicy Udon Noodles with chop sticks

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!

close up overhead photo Weeknight 20 Minute Spicy Udon Noodles in skillet

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.

angled photo of Weeknight 20 Minute Spicy Udon Noodles with chopsticks

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!

close up photo of Weeknight 20 Minute Spicy Udon Noodles

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!

side angled photo of Weeknight 20 Minute Spicy Udon Noodles with fork

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

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
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

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!
View Recipe Comments

overhead horizontal photo of Weeknight 20 Minute Spicy Udon Noodles

Noodles are always the best.

Add a Comment

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. 5 stars
    We loved this recipe! I used ground dark meat turkey which added flavor and protein for my two teenage sons. I just recently found your website and being a fellow Coloradoan, am enjoying all of your posts! Thank you!

  2. 5 stars
    This was delicious and easy. I added little spice to it and my husband said it absolutely hit the spot. Thanks for sharing!

  3. 5 stars
    This was amazing and beat all expectations I had for it. My wife and I are pescatarian so I used shrimp instead of chicken and put it in a bowl after cooking as shrimp can easily get overcooked. I added it back in the last step with the noodles. I also added water chestnuts a few cloves of chopped garlic and a jalapeno instead of fresno pepper since I couldn’t find one. If you want this dish very spicy (4 out of 5 heat level) use a good sized pepper and all the seeds in it. Thank you for the recipe I will certainly make it again!

  4. 4 stars
    I work so much that I don’t have much free time, and most things I cook have to stay under 30 minutes or start cutting into other time frames. This is a pretty quick, tasty dish I tried out for the first time last night. I can safely say it’s on a quick reference index card and will be used again before this month is out.

  5. I only had 3 ounces of udon so I halved the recipe. No chicken
    Used tofu, had only tiny basil seedlings, thinned the pot and used them. Forgot the sesame seeds and we had it for breakfast, wonderful, forgiving recipe. It was delicious!

  6. We went to Sushi Co which makes a Spicy Udon Noodle dish. This looks WAY familiar to it and am going to totally try this for dinner tonight!!!!

  7. 5 stars
    Tieghan – this was fantastic! What an awesome weeknight dinner. It was done so quickly and we loved it! Thank you for creating such amazing recipes!!

  8. 5 stars
    Loved loved loved this recipe – my boyfriend doesn’t usually like Asian noodle dishes but he loved this one – even went back for seconds – super quick to make after work and delicious

  9. 5 stars
    This was delicious!! I made it the other night and am making it again tonight- it is that good. I did substitute ground venison for the ground turkey/chicken. Yum!

  10. 4 stars
    Tried it and loved it. The flavors were so good, I got thumbs up from the family. Definitely making this again.

  11. 5 stars
    Made this & it was so good. I don’t eat meat so I substituted cubed marinated tofu for the chicken & added water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. I’m looking forward to having it for lunch all this week. I’m thinking it’s going to reheat really well. Really recommend!!

  12. 3 stars
    Very confusing. At the beginning of your message you describe one cooking method and then later a completely different method. ???