General Tso’s Chicken Stir-Fry Noodles

This is another recipe born from a need to clean out my fridge, as most stir-fry dishes in our house usually are. I wanted to try something a little different, so I turned to the menu of my local Chinese food delivery joint and took inspiration from there. We all know that General Tso’s chicken isn’t an authentic Chinese dish by any means, but its presence has been solidified over the years as a staple of Chinese-American cuisine in spite of its ambiguous origins. General Tso’s chicken is “traditionally” served with red peppers and broccoli, but I had neither on hand–which inevitably led this recipe spiraling into unknown territory. All and all, though, it was spicy and delicious, so I’m pleased to call this a success despite its unconventional nature.

This recipe makes four servings.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 4 cups noodles (instant, dry, fresh)
• 2 cups napa cabbage, thinly sliced
• 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 cup snow peas
• 1 cup baby corn
• 1 can (about 8 oz) bean sprouts
• 2 tbsp minced garlic, divided
• 2 tbsp minced ginger, divided
• 2 tbsp sesame oil, divided
• 1 tbsp light oil
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp red pepper flakes (adjust for spiciness)
• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce (see my recipe here!)
• 1 tbsp sriracha
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Cook noodles according to package instructions.
2. Thinly slice or chop carrot, cabbage, snow peas, and baby corn into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
3. Chop chicken into 1-inch bite-sized pieces.
4. In a small bowl, add soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, hoisin sauce, sriracha, cornstarch, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp minced garlic, and 1 tbsp minced ginger. Mix until combined.
5. Add chicken, light oil, salt, white pepper, black pepper, remaining 1 tbsp sesame oil, remaining 1 tbsp minced garlic, and remaining 1 tbsp minced ginger to a large pan or wok. Heat on medium-high heat until chicken is cooked through, about 7-10 minutes.
6. Remove chicken and set aside.
7. Add all vegetables (both chopped vegetables and canned beansprouts) to the hot pan or wok. Cook until colors have brightened and cabbage has begun to wilt, about 3-5 minutes.
8. Return chicken to hot pan or wok and add sauce mixture. Stir to combine all ingredients and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until sauce has begun to thicken.
9. Remove from heat and add cooked noodles. Stir to combine all ingredients, making sure the noodles are evenly covered with the sauce. Serve and garnish with sesame seeds and additional red pepper flakes.

This recipe keeps for a week in the fridge and reheats well in the microwave! Enjoy!

Print Recipe

General Tso’s Chicken Stir-Fry Noodles

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• 4 cups noodles
• 2 cups napa cabbage thinly sliced
• 2 medium carrots thinly sliced
• 1 cup snow peas
• 1 cup baby corn
• 1 can bean sprouts
• 2 tbsp minced garlic divided
• 2 tbsp minced ginger divided
• 2 tbsp sesame oil divided
• 1 tbsp light oil
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp red pepper flakes adjust for spiciness
• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 tbsp sriracha
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

• Cook noodles according to package instructions.
• Thinly slice or chop carrot, cabbage, snow peas, and baby corn into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
• Chop chicken into 1-inch bite-sized pieces.
• In a small bowl, add soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, hoisin sauce, sriracha, cornstarch, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp minced garlic, and 1 tbsp minced ginger. Mix until combined.
• Add chicken, light oil, salt, white pepper, black pepper, remaining 1 tbsp sesame oil, remaining 1 tbsp minced garlic, and remaining 1 tbsp minced ginger to a large pan or wok. Heat on medium-high heat until chicken is cooked through, about 7-10 minutes.
• Remove chicken and set aside.
• Add all vegetables (both chopped vegetables and canned beansprouts) to the hot pan or wok. Cook until colors have brightened and cabbage has begun to wilt, about 3-5 minutes.
• Return chicken to hot pan or wok and add sauce mixture. Stir to combine all ingredients and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until sauce has begun to thicken.
• Remove from heat and add cooked noodles. Stir to combine all ingredients, making sure the noodles are evenly covered with the sauce. Serve and garnish with sesame seeds and additional red pepper flakes.