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30 minute better than takeout Szechuan Noodles with Sesame Chili Oil. For those nights when you’re craving extra saucy Chinese inspired noodles, but don’t want to wait for take out. Szechuan style noodles with soy sauce, tangy rice vinegar, plenty of vegetables, and thick egg noodles…with the most addicting toasted sesame chili oil spooned over top. These quick and healthy vegetable-filled Chinese noodles can be made and ready in just about 30 minutes. Not only are they healthier, these Szechuan noodles taste so much better than your average take out!
When my oldest brother, Creighton is in town, my recipes tend to shift slightly. If it was just me eating, I’d probably be sharing roasted vegetable recipes, pizza, and pasta every other day. Because in my day-to-day life, those are my favorite foods. But the reason I love cooking so much is that I love cooking for others. I’ve said it many times, but I find the greatest joy in making others happy through food.
This means when friends and family are in town, I adjust. I make recipes that I know for a fact, they will find absolutely delicious.
Case in point, these noodles. My oldest brother is in town from Cleveland for a couple of weeks and staying with my parents. I’ve been getting multiple text messages throughout the day asking what I’m making…if he should stop by the studio and grab leftovers…what’s happening for dinner…did I make food…etc.
I mean, the messages are almost constant.
Clearly Creighton loves food. Actually, I think it might just be all he thinks about.
Anyway, I’ve been on a huge Chinese food kick lately, and Creigh LOVES any kind of saucy Chinese style noodle. So I had the idea to make some homemade spicy Szechuan noodles with a bit of ground chicken, vegetables, and sesame chili oil.
Turns out that my last-minute idea ended up being delicious. Plus, I love the fact that I actually got Creighton to willingly eat vegetables. Sure there are noodles and chicken involved, but if you know Creighton, then you know this is a step in the right direction!
Current goal in life? Get Creighton to eat and enjoy a completely vegetable filled meal with ZERO meat. Big goal.
I have been seeing multiple photos of thick-cut Chinese noodles all over Instagram recently from various restaurants. They look so good, but I have the hardest time finding anything like them here where I live in Colorado. Takeout options are very, very limited, so I often resort to making my own “fakeout” takeout.
It usually turns out pretty good. But you guys? These noodles? They are beyond good, and so simple too!
To start, you’ll have to make the chili oil. And while I know they sell chili oil in the store, this homemade chili oil is better. It’s full of peanut oil, garlic, ginger, chili flakes (use Sichuan or Korean chili flakes if you can find), and sesame seeds. It’s without a doubt my favorite sauce…at least of the moment.
Once you have the oil, the noodles come together in minutes. Brown up some ground chicken, which you can definitely omit if you prefer a vegetarian dish. Then add a little of the soy sauce mixture, red onion, baby bok choy, and thick-cut egg noodles. Toss it all up with some of that chili oil, and done! Simple, but SO flavorful and delicious.
If you wanted to omit the chicken and up the vegetable count, I would add chopped mushrooms and carrots along with the red onion. That will be so good.
And that’s kind of it.
These noodles will take you 30 minutes tops to make, and they’re truly a dinner everyone will love. The best part is that you can really adjust the recipe to your dietary needs. If you like eating vegetarian, opt out of the chicken. If you’re gluten-free, use rice noodles in place of the egg noodles.
Make the recipe work for you!
Love this Better than Takeout recipe and want to give another one a try? Try these 30 Minute Better Than Takeout Thai Drunken Noodles.
If you make these Better Than Takeout Szechuan Noodles with Sesame Chili Oil, 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 also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Better Than Takeout Szechuan Noodles with Sesame Chili oil.
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 353 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 peanut oil
- 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or smashed
- 1-2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 2 tablespoons raw sesame seeds
- 8 ounces Chinese egg noodles
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1-2 tablespoons chili paste (sambal oelek)
- 1/2 pound ground chicken or pork (optional)
- 1 red onion thinly, sliced
- 4 green onions, chopped, plus more for serving
- 4 baby bok choy or green cabbage, chopped
Instructions
- 1. To make the chili oil. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the peanut oil, garlic, ginger, and chili flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally until the garlic is fragrant, 5 minutes. Stir in the sesame seeds, cook 30 seconds to 1 minute more. Remove from the heat and very carefully transfer the oil to a heat proof bowl or glass jar. 2. Meanwhile, cook the eggs noodles according to package directions. 3. Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, honey, chili paste, and 1/3 cup water in a bowl. 4. Place the skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken. Season with black pepper and brown all over, breaking it up as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Add the red and green onions, and cook another 2-3 minutes. Slowly pour in the soy sauce mixture and add the bok choy. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the sauce coats the chicken, about 3-5 minutes. 5. Stir in the noodles and 2 tablespoons chili oil. Remove from the heat. Serve the noodles warm, topped with additional chili oil and green onions. Enjoy!
Wonderful !
Thank you Anne! xTieghan
This is AMAZING. I made it last night for dinner with a few ingredient substitutions to use up what I had on hand – rice noodles instead of egg noodles, thinly sliced chicken breast instead of ground chicken and string beans instead of bok choy. I also did half the amount of sesame seeds as suggested in some comments. It turned out so good! And the leftovers I had for lunch today are just as delicious! I can’t wait to make it again & to use up the rest of the sesame chili oil on other dishes. Any suggestions?
Hey Kimmi,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you enjoyed! Here are a few other recipes that use the chili oil:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/better-than-takeout-dan-dan-noodles/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/egg-drop-chicken-rice-soup/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/spicy-peanut-noodles/
I hope you love the recipes, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan, this sounds delicious ! Do ypu think this recipe would be a good candidate for meal prep ? Would it keep in the fridge for a few days ?
Hey Laura,
Yes, totally fine to do! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Just had my second bowl! Holy smokes this is delish. I was concerned that the chili oil was more of a paste, but it turned out devine. I love your asian inspired dishes and my 19yr old son gobbles up every recipe of yours I make. Thank you so much. I’m a follower!!
Aw so happy to hear that, Jaylyn!! Thank you so much for trying this! xTieghan
So flavorful. Hubby and I loved it. My mouth is still on fire, in a good way. I used 2 T of red pepper flakes. I’ll be making this again. Thanks, Tieghan.
Thank you so much Deborah! That is so great! xTieghan
Id give it a 10 star if I could! My whole family loved it!!! I Love all your recipes!
You are too kind! Thank you so much Lisa! xTieghan
This is the easiest, most delicious comfort meal for me. I grew up with these flavors but have always been afraid to recreate them myself because typically Asian dishes require a lot of different ingredients (and also I could never cook better than my aunties). Thank you for creating this amazing recipe!
I am really glad this turned out so well for you, Monterey! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Soooo good! Our family loves these noodles! Yum!
Thank you Amanda!! I am really happy to hear that! xTieghan
Another delicious recipe! Your Asian-inspired recipes are always so satisfying and flavorful. I couldn’t find any baby bok choy but added some carrots instead, and it turned out great. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you Kelly!! xTieghan
I made this yesterday and it is DELICIOUS! I love how the veggies soak up the sauce. It makes great leftovers too!
Thank you so much Kate!! I am so happy to hear that! xTieghan
Made this with rice noodles and added carrots in for extra vege and my husband loved it! (Didn’t have honey so used golden syrup and didn’t have chilli paste so used sriracha sauce instead)
I love all your recipes. Your blog is my go-to!
Love to hear that! Thank you so much! xTieghan
This was good but I think there was a little too much soy sauce.
Hi Jen! I am glad you enjoyed this, and I hope you love it more with less soy! Please let me know if there is anything I can help with! xTieghan
Thanks for the great recipe! I’ve made this dish twice already. It’s a big hit in our family. Everyone loves it!
Thank you Editha!! That is so great to hear! xTieghan
I made this a couple of days ago and it is hands-down one of my favorite things I’ve ever eaten. The best meal I’ve had in quarantine, and the leftovers keep getting better and better. So flavorful! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes! I’m glad I found this on Insta!
Wow that is so amazing to hear! I am glad you found this on Instagram as well! I hope you continue to enjoy my recipes! xTieghan
Made this today and wow, just wow. Looking forward to making more of your fabulous recipes.
Thank you so much Jacquelyn! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan