Shanghai Stir-Fried Noodles With Chicken

Written by
Liv Wan
Liv Wan is a former professional chef who has published three cookbooks about Chinese and Taiwanese cuisine.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Liv Wan
Updated 07/02/19
Shanghai Stir-Fried Noodles
The Spruce
  • Total: 32 mins
  • Prep: 25 mins
  • Cook: 7 mins
  • Yield: 4 servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
689 Calories
31g Fat
47g Carbs
53g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 servings
Amount per serving
Calories 689
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 31g 40%
Saturated Fat 9g 46%
Cholesterol 158mg 53%
Sodium 931mg 40%
Total Carbohydrate 47g 17%
Dietary Fiber 3g 10%
Protein 53g
Calcium 114mg 9%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This stir-fried chicken dish uses Shanghai-style noodles. These are thick noodles that are packaged in plastic bags and sold fresh in Asian/Chinese markets. If you can’t find Shanghai noodles, feel free to replace them with Japanese udon noodles, or you can use thick Italian pasta such as linguini or tagliatelle. While this dish is usually served as a side dish, it is hearty enough to be a quick dinner in itself. You can adjust the seasonings to your taste.

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces chicken breast
  • For the Marinade:
  • 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Black pepper (or white pepper, freshly ground to taste)
  • Pinch cornstarch
  • For the Stir-Fry:
  • 1/2 pound Shanghai-style noodles
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil (or as needed)
  • 1 cup cabbage (shredded)
  • 1 large clove garlic (peeled and minced)
  • 1 spring onion (cut into 1-inch pieces)
  • 6 tablespoons oil (​divided, for stir-frying, or as needed)
  • 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce (mixed with 1 1/2 tablespoons water)
  • Optional: additional soy sauce, salt, or sugar (for seasonings, as desired)

Steps to Make It

Note: while there are multiple steps to this recipe for Shanghai stir-fried noodles with chicken, it is broken down into workable sections to help you better plan for preparation and cooking.

Prepare the Chicken

  1. Gather the ingredients. 

    Shanghai stir fry ingredients.

  2. Cut the chicken into 1-inch or bite-size cubes (or you can cut the chicken into slices or strips).

    Cut chicken into strips or cubes
     The Spruce

Marinate the Chicken

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a large bowl, mix together the dark soy sauce, rice wine, salt, pepper, and cornstarch. Add the chicken pieces, turning to coat them well, and allow to marinate for 20 minutes. 

    Combine marinade ingredients and coat chicken
    The Spruce

  3. While the chicken is marinating, you will prepare the remainder of the ingredients.

Make the Stir-Fry

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a large saucepan, cook the noodles in boiling water, stirring to separate, until the noodles are tender but still firm (al dente). Drain thoroughly. Rinse with cold water, drain again, toss with sesame oil, and set aside.

    Cook noodles and drain
    The Spruce

  3. Wash and finely shred the cabbage and set aside.

    Shred cabbage
    The Spruce

  4. Peel and mince the garlic. Cut the spring onion into 1-inch pieces and set aside; the onion will be used at the end of the preparation.

    Mince garlic and cut spring onion
    The Spruce

  5. In a wok or skillet, heat 2 1/2 tablespoons oil over medium-high to high heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic. Stir-fry until aromatic (about 30 seconds). Add the chicken cubes. Stir-fry until they turn white and are nearly cooked through. Remove from the wok.

    Cook garlic and chicken in wok
    The Spruce

  6. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in the wok. When the oil is hot, add the cabbage. Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Season with a bit of soy sauce and/or sugar while stir-frying, if desired. Remove from the wok.

    Cook cabbage in wok
    The Spruce

  7. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in the wok. When the oil is hot, add the noodles. Stir-fry quickly, stirring to coat the noodles in the oil and making sure they don’t stick to the pan.

    Cook noodles in wok
    The Spruce

  8. Add the hoisin sauce, again tossing to coat the noodles. Taste and add salt and/or soy sauce as desired. Add the cooked chicken and cabbage and mix well.

    Add hosin sauce to wok, and add chicken and cabbage
    The Spruce

  9. Add the spring onion and stir well, to make sure all the ingredients are heated through.

    Shanghai stir fried noodles with spring onion
    ​ 

  10. Serve hot and enjoy!

Variations

This recipe uses chicken as one of the main ingredients, but you can use pork or beef instead but marinate it in this mixture. Combine 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch, and 1/2 tablespoon rice wine or Shaoxing rice wine. Add the pork or beef and marinate 15 to 30 minutes before cooking.

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