Coconut Chicken Noodle Stir Fry

Coconut Chicken Noodle Stir Fry

This is one of my go-to recipes for when I need to get dinner on the table quickly. Any by quick, we’re talking less than 30 minutes!

In fact, if you skip the chicken altogether to make this a vegetarian dish, dinner could be ready in less than 20 minutes!

This Coconut Chicken Noodle Stir Fry is perfect for a weeknight meal when time is short but you still want something substantial and full of flavour.

Simple Chicken Stir Fry

What makes this recipe for Coconut Chicken Noodle Stir Fry special is the use of coconut milk to add a creamy richness to the sauce.

And with the addition of classic Asian flavourings such as garlic, ginger, coriander (cilantro), chillies and fish sauce, you are moments away from a delicious home-cooked simple chicken noodle stir-fry.

Interestingly, I found that this recipe vaguely reminded me of a Vietnamese dish called Banh Tam Bi but which is served cold.

What Vegetables to Use in a Stir-Fry?

Generally speaking, crunchy vegetables work best in stir-fries to provide some contrast in texture against the soft noodles, but there are no hard and fast rules.

I shop at the farmers’ market at least twice a week for our fruit and vegetables, and this allows me to buy what is seasonal and local. Currently, fresh peas are still on offer, although they are coming to the end of their season. I love adding them to soups and pasta dishes, and they also work beautifully in stir-fries like this one.

But most of the time, stir-fries give me an opportunity to do a fridge raid to see what vegetables need to be used right away.

Other vegetables which I recommend in stir-fries include:

• Carrots, thinly sliced
• Green beans, trimmed and sliced
• Courgettes (zucchini), thickly sliced
• Baby corn, thickly sliced or halved
• Shitake mushrooms (or other mushrooms), thickly sliced
• Capsicums (peppers), sliced or diced
• Bok choy, the stems cooked first and the leaves added towards the end
• Bean sprouts

What Kind of Noodles to Use in a Stir-Fry?

For this chicken noodle stir-fry recipe, I like to use thick vermicelli noodles which have a similar thickness to regular spaghetti.

However, if you can only find thin vermicelli noodles, or even flat rice noodles (the type used for Pad Thai), they would also work well in this recipe.

This recipe is also delicious with udon noodles.

5 stars (1 review)

Coconut Chicken Noodle Stir-Fry

Thanh | Eat, Little Bird

Prep10 minutes mins

Cook20 minutes mins

Total30 minutes mins

Serves: 2

Serve dinner in less than 30 minutes with this incredibly tasty and easy Coconut Chicken Noodle Stir Fry using basic Asian ingredients which you can find at your local supermarket. 

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Ingredients

For the Stir-Fry

• 200 g (7 oz) medium or thick rice noodles
• 300 g (11 oz) chicken breast fillets
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 cm (1 inch) ginger, coarsely grated
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped
• 2-3 coriander roots and stems, finely chopped
• 1 small carrot, sliced at an angle
• 5 pieces baby corn, cut into short lengths
• 1 handful green beans, trimmed and sliced
• 1 handful fresh or frozen peas
• 400 ml (1 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons) coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• ½ lime, juiced

To Serve

• coriander, (cilantro)finely chopped
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions 

1. Cook the noodles according to packet instructions until they are cooked but still have a bit of bite. They shouldn’t be cooked completely as you will be cooking them again later.
2. Drain the noodles and rinse under cold water.
3. Meanwhile, proceed with the rest of the recipe.
4. Add a few tablespoons of oil into a large wok or frying pan and place on high heat.
5. Cook the chicken until it is cooked through and golden in colour on both sides.
6. Remove the chicken to a chopping board and let it rest while you proceed with the rest of the recipe.
7. Add the garlic, ginger, chilli, and coriander (cilantro) stems to the hot pan.
8. Stir until everything is fragrant.
9. Add the vegetables and cook for a few minutes.
10. Pour the coconut milk and fish sauce into the pan.
11. Turn the heat down to medium and allow everything to simmer gently for about 5 minutes until the vegetables have softened a bit.
12. Add the lime juice.
13. Taste for seasoning as you might want to add a splash more fish sauce.
14. Stir in the noodles until it is coated in the coconut sauce.
15. Cook for a few minutes for the noodles to absorb some of the coconut sauce.
16. If you find that the noodles have absorbed too much liquid, simply add some boiling water to the pan.
17. Remove the pan from the heat.
18. Slice the chicken breast fillets into thick medallions.
19. Serve with noodles with the sliced chicken.
20. Garnish with the remaining coriander (cilantro) and a squeeze of lime juice.

Kitchen Notes

• COOKING FOR CHILDREN
  If you are cooking for young children, I recommend omitting the chillies from the recipe. You can instead serve chopped chillies or Pickled Chillies on the side.
• VARIATIONS
  Other types of noodles which work well in this recipe include regular vermicelli noodles, flat rice noodles, and udon noodles.
• OVEN & STOVE TEMPERATURES
  All recipes on this website have been tested on an induction stove and/or with a conventional oven (i.e. an oven without fan). All recipes on this website use temperatures for a conventional oven, unless otherwise mentioned. Convection ovens (i.e. fan-forced ovens) are typically 20°C/70°F hotter than conventional ovens, but please check your manufacturer’s handbook.
• CONVERSIONS
  To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.

Nutrition Information Nutrition Information

Serving: 1g, Calories: 510kcal, Carbohydrates: 58g, Protein: 20.1g, Fat: 2.4g, Cholesterol: 54.8mg, Sodium: 441.2mg, Fiber: 3.1g, Sugar: 6.1g

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Update

This recipe was first published on 19 September 2011. It has been updated with new photos and more comprehensive recipe notes.

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