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Better Than Takeout Dan Dan Noodles. For those nights when you’re craving spicy, warming, Chinese inspired noodles, but don’t want to wait for takeout. Crispy caramelized ground chicken in a sweet, spicy, and tangy mushroom sauce atop egg noodles in steaming, spicy broth. These quick vegetable-filled Chinese inspired noodles can be made and ready in just about 30 minutes. Not only are they a touch healthier, but these noodles taste so much better than your average takeout!
Tuesday night just got better with these yummy takeout noodles. Yep, switching things up again this week and swapping out my usual sweet recipes for something a bit more savory. Not typical of me, but I was way too excited to share these Dan Dan inspired noodles with you guys.
First things first. I want to put it out there that I’m very well aware that these noodles are not authentic Chinese. I do know this, and I don’t mean to offend anyone by sharing this recipe. This recipe is just my take on Chinese style Dan Dan noodles. My easier, much, much simpler, “short cut” take. These noodles are saucy, spicy, so very warming, and beyond delicious.
Quick and easy enough for a weeknight, but fun enough for a Saturday night Halloween movie marathon.
Some background.
If you’re not familiar with Dan Dan noodles, they are spicy Chinese noodles with a dark sauce that usually contains preserved vegetables, chili oil, minced pork (I’m using chicken), and green onions. From everything I’ve read, the meat is caramelized and made crispy, then served over noodles. You can serve the noodles either dry or in a spicy broth…
I went for the spicy broth, because it’s been snowing here and it’s cold. So spicy broth wins. Always.
Here are all the details on making these noodles.
As I said, these are not authentic Dan Dan noodles. I took some short-cuts to make the noodles weeknight-friendly, but still delicious.
Start with the chili. You can buy this of course, but I’ve yet to find a great chili oil I love. Plus it’s so easy to make. Simply simmer sesame oil with garlic and red pepper flakes until the garlic is fragrant. This takes only five minutes. Simple.
While that’s happening, make the sauce. It’s s a simple mix of hoisin sauce, honey, rice vinegar, and peanut butter or tahini. Hoisin is not traditional, but it adds so much flavor without having to add a million and one ingredients to the sauce.
Side Note: I’ve yet to find a great hoisin sauce that doesn’t contain tons of sugar…so I began making my own. If this interests you, the quick sauce mix-up is in the recipe notes!
Next, boil the egg noodles. You can really use any kind of noodle, but a good egg noodle is probably best. If you are gluten-free, use your favorite rice noodles. Those will be great too!
Drain the noodles, then add the broth and some of the sauce mix to that same pot. This is your “spicy broth” to mix the noodles with. Keep this on low while you brown the chicken.
The final step is to brown the chicken in a skillet with the remaining sauce and mushrooms. Finely chop the mushrooms, as they add not only a vegetable, but also flavor. You don’t even realize they’re there, but they add SO MUCH. Trust me.
Once the sauce coats the chicken, let the chicken get a little crisp in the skillet and begin to caramelize around the edges.
To assemble, ladle the spicy broth into bowls, add the noodles, and toss with the broth. Then top with that crispy caramelized meat, spoon over additional chili sauce, and add fresh green onions.
Find a spoon, find chopsticks. ENJOY.
A couple notes…
Be sure to serve the noodles as soon as you toss them with the broth. The broth is minimal and really thickens up once you toss it with the noodles.
If you want to make these noodles vegetarian, just double the mushrooms. I haven’t tested that, but I’m sure it would be so delicious.
And that is it…simple, quick, and easy. The ultimate cold-weather Chinese style noodles. Not really a soup, more like extra saucy noodles. AND SO GOOD!
If you make these better than takeout Dan Dan noodles, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Better Than Takeout Dan Dan Noodles.
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 550 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or smashed
- 1-2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce (make sure to use GF, if needed)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter or tahini
- 8 ounces Chinese style egg noodles, or rice noodles
- 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1/2 pound ground chicken or pork
- 2 cups mixed mushrooms, chopped
- black pepper
- 1 medium shallot, chopped
- 4 green onions, chopped
Instructions
- 1. To make the chili oil. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the 1/3 cup sesame oil, the garlic, and chili flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally until the garlic is fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and very carefully transfer the oil to a heat proof bowl or glass jar. 2. Meanwhile, combine the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, honey, vinegar, peanut butter/tahini, and 1/3 cup water in a bowl. 3. Cook the egg/rice noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside. To the pot used to cook the noodles, add the broth and 1/2 of the soy sauce mixture. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stir in the spinach. Keep warm. 4. Place the skillet used to make the chili oil, over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil and the chicken. Season with black pepper and brown all over, breaking it up as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and shallot, and cook another 2-3 minutes. Slowly pour in 1/2 of the soy sauce mixture. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the sauce coats the chicken and the meat begins to caramelize and get crispy, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2-4 tablespoons chili oil. Remove from the heat. 5. Ladle the broth into bowls. Add the noodles and toss combine. Spoon the meat over the noodles. Top with green onions and additional chili oil. Enjoy!
Notes
Homemade Hoisin: in a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter, 2 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon molasses, 1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice powder, and a pinch of black pepper.
This came out great. Very easy to put together, excellent flavor, and just the right amount of heat. It was the perfect meal to have on a freezing, snowy night in Gunnison, CO. I’ll definitely make it again.
Hey Nick,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great day:) xxT
i love this one!! i actually make it vegan by using a store-bought plant-based ground and a beefless broth. it is PHENOMENAL, and a huge hit with my meat-eating friends and family. the homemade chili oil is so key, and I like to add a cinnamon stick to mine as well 🙂 thank you for this awesome recipe!
Hi Carmen,
Awesome!! Love to hear this recipe was a winner, thanks for making it. Have the best week:) xT
Made these tonight and they were delicious. I have fond memories of having this type of noodle dish at a Chinese restaurant near my work in my twenties and thirties. A group of us would go at least once a week. I haven’t been able to find them since then. Now I can make them myself. And my husband, who had never had anything like this dish, loved them too. Thanks so much, Tieghan!
Hi Susan,
Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am glad to hear that it was enjoyed. Have the best weekend!! xTieghan
Delicious!! Made these noodles vegetarian (doubled the mushrooms) and it was fantastic. Broth was flavorful and really balanced the sweet/salty mushrooms with noodles and sauce. I will absolutely make this dish again.
Hey Katie,
Fantastic!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
The chili oil on its own deserves 5 stars, so good!! We’ve been in the habit of keeping a jar in the fridge at all times and adding it to basically everything we make. The Dan Dan noodles are amazing too, I love how the mushrooms are chopped up small so my daughter doesn’t realize they’re in there 🙂
Hi Heather,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled to hear it was enjoyed. Thanks for sharing your comment! xTieghan
What can I substitute for rice vinegar? Apple cider vinegar?
Hi Sara,
Sure, that will work, but rice vinegar does have a distinct flavor that you aren’t going to get from the apple cider vinegar. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
Very delicious and pretty easy and quick! Thanks
Hey Nadine,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Another delicious dinner from HBH! I used ground pork and the hoisin recipe. My daughter dislikes the texture of mushrooms, so I just chopped them up small, and she didn’t even know they were there.
Hi Anne,
Fantastic!! I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try. Have the best week! xTieghan
Tieghan, honestly your recipes never disappoint, but this one was one level up, and even my sons who are super picky eaters wolfed these down (without the chilli oil). My husband rated this as the best meal I have ever made. Love this! So-ooooooo G-O-O-D! And Happy New Year!
Hey Pam,
Awesome! Thanks a lot for making this recipe. I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Thursday❄️ xxT
This was delicious but I am not sure I made the chili oil correctly. Are you suppose to drain the oil from the chili flakes? Mine came out very thick and not a lot of oil.
Hi Teresa,
Nope, no need to drain the oil:) Thanks for giving the recipe a try! xTieghan
This looks delish! I was wondering how long the chili oil will store for? And should it be refrigerated? Thank you!
Hey Lydia,
You can keep in the pantry for up to 2 weeks. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This was delicious – it’s a keeper! I used ground pork (set it out for 30 minutes before cooking), but was unable to get a crispy texture on pork – any suggestions? Thanks!
Hey Zoila,
Wonderful! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a go! I needs to brown in the skillet longer for the crispy texture. Happy New Year!? xTieghan
This is the most amazing recipe! I never leave comments like this but I just had to because I could not get over how good it turned out. Thank you!
Hey Kristine,
Awesome! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it. Happy Holidays!❄️ xT
I really enjoyed this recipe. A couple of comments… I used grind pork instead of chicken. As such, I’m not sure the extra 2 tablespoons of sesame oil were necessary because I ended up with a lot of oil. I also chose to use rice noodles. They didn’t soak up the broth much at all. I wish they had because your noodles with the soaked up broth looked amazing.
Hi Don,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed. Happy Holidays!? xx
I made a Dan Dan noodle recipe a week ago and it was a disaster. I was hoping to redeem myself with this one and I did. Absolutely delicious. We went with all mushrooms, no meat, and the flavor was amazing. Thanks!
Hey Aubree,
Fantastic! Thank you so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays!? xx
Looking forward to trying this asap. Does this call for “plain” sesame oil or the darker toasted variety?
Hey Jennifer,
I used the plain sesame oil. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan