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Hakka noodles are all the rage in India lately! At the time of writing this, I had recently just returned from India, and I had the opportunity to have some delicious hakka noodles for the first time! They were so good, and they really disappeared from the table quickly!
After returning home, my sister FaceTimed me and she was eating a delicious bowl of hakka noodles for dinner. She claimed they were so good and judging from the plate I seriously believed her! I said “Okay, I’m totally gonna make this tomorrow!” So I did exactly that, and if you follow me on Instagram, then you saw from my reel that it turned out amazing! It was so good that I ate two giant portions, and I was ready to record the recipe the next day! I just had to eat that deliciousness again! Are you like that when you discover something new that’s so delicious? Well, I hope you’ll feel that you can’t get enough of these hakka chicken noodles and crave more hehe!
To be fair I don’t eat or cook much Indo-Chinese food, but I really should do more! As I mention in my 5 Tips To Make Cooking Fun!- my ultimate free guide to expand your creativity in the kitchen and get motivated to create some deliciousness! - exploring a new cuisine is an awesome way to spark new meal options and learn new skills! After dipping my feet with this Hakka Noodles recipe, I really need to have more Indo-Chinese! If Indo-Chinese cooking is new to you too, then you totally wanna give this a try, and you can use this recipe as part of your Live to Cook one month challenge that you’ll receive if you sign up for my weekly newsletter!
The video will guide you through exactly how to get everything prepped and how to assemble this fantastic Chicken Hakka Noodles recipe! Please subscribe to me on YouTube if you haven’t already and hit the bell icon so you receive all the notifications of when my video recipes go live! With something as hands-on as this dish, I find that having a video recipe to complement the written one will give you a full picture of exactly what’s going on! Let’s get cooking!
About Chicken Hakka Noodles
This is an Indo-Chinese dish that is very popular street-side and in restaurants. The dish takes from the roots of Chinese stir fries with a protein source and veggies, and making a light sauce using soy sauce, sesame oil, chilli garlic sauce, and vinegar. The main difference between traditional Chinese stir fries and this variation is… the noodles!
Hakka noodles are actually a type of noodle that were created by the Hakka immigrants from Central and Northern China to North India. Hakka noodles are made with wheat flour, eggs, oil, and sesame seeds, and they are cooked in boiling water until al dente, then they’re added to veggies and protein. Ching’s hakka noodles are quite popular. Furthermore, hakka noodles are prepared drier, whereas other Chinese stir fries have a thicker savoury gravy or brothy soup. Finally, we have the Indian essence because these noodles pack on the heat Indian style! Don’t be intimidated though - you can tone it down if spice isn’t your strong suit! This recipe just turned out quite spicy!
Why Make This Chicken Hakka Noodle Recipe?
You’ll want to add this Indian chicken noodles recipe to your weekly rotation! There are plenty of reasons why this is a perfect meal to make on any occasion!
- Full of veggies: We’re loading up on our veggies here! It’s a delicious way to get in the veg, especially for your little ones! Kids can’t resist a good noodle dish! Furthermore, if you’ve got extra produce, you can customize the veggies so you can finish up whatever’s in your fridge - no waste is our motto here! Let me know in the comments what veggies you’ve added to your Hakka Noodles!
- Protein-packed: Chicken is an excellent source of protein. We’re creating a balanced meal by having lots of fibre and vitamins from the veggies, protein, and carbohydrates from the noodles, so you’ve got a satisfying and nutritious meal. If you don’t want chicken, you can add any other protein of your choice.
- Quick to make: The longest part of this recipe is just cutting up your veggies and getting the ingredients prepped. Once it’s actually time to get cooking, the actual process just flies by!
- (almost) a one-pot meal: Everything except the noodles cook in one pot, so you won’t have much clean-up after!
- Can be made in advance: Check out the bottom of this post to see instructions on how to store your Hakka Noodles and how to reheat! This is great to meal prep or just make your dinner in advance. Just a warning - both times I made this recipe I had the intention of making an extra portion for lunch the next day, but it was so good I couldn’t help myself from eating it all - it was so good! However, take it from my sister who has batch-cooked this that it still is just as delicious for lunch the next day! Furthermore, if you have some extra cooked chicken, you can save some time by adding the cooked chicken in after the veggies have cooked.
Tools to Make Hakka Noodles
The best 2 tools you can use to make an amazing stir fry of any kind is a wok and a gas stovetop. I love this Zwilling wok first and foremost because it’s massive! This will give you plenty of space to sauté your veggies and protein and to add in the noodles, so nothing is crowded. There’s another version of this with a long handle making tossing easier so there’s that.
Tips for the Best Hakka Noodles
- Prepare all of the ingredients for the dish before you begin cooking.
- Even though this is an Indo-Chinese dish, we follow the shape rule of Chinese cooking - basically, cut everything in a similar shape. For this dish, we will cut everything to strips (veggies) and slivers (chicken).
- Sesame oil is so flavorful that I used it for the entire dish. But you can use soybean oil, rapeseed oil or even Indian mustard seed oil for stir frying the veggies and protein and then finish with Sesame oil for added sheen and flavor.
Ingredients
Let’s review the ingredients we’ll need to make our Indo-Chinese noodles! Remember to scroll to the bottom of this post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card, with all ingredients and their quantities. The recipe card is great because it’ll also scale all quantities for you automatically based on how many portions you want to make - no calculations on your part!
Noodles: I’m actually not using the hakka noodles mentioned above! I couldn’t get my hands on them, so I substituted with thin egg noodles. They did the job just fine! Feel free to use any thin noodle of your choice, such as ramen noodles, or if you want to have a whole wheat option, you can use soba noodles. However, the authentic choice would be hakka noodles!
Vegetables: I’ll be using poblano pepper, red onion, and carrots, which will be thinly sliced.
Oil: I’ll be sautéing my chicken and veggies in sesame oil. You can use any oil with a high smoke point you’d like, but sesame oil adds a great flavour and it’s authentic to Chinese cooking. If using an alternative, I recommend peanut oil or vegetable oil.
Green chillies: Omit if you’re sensitive to spice, but the heat from the green chilies really give this dish the Indian flair and add some awesome heat!
Sauces: We’ll be adding soy sauce, rice vinegar and chilli garlic sauce. These sauces work together to add a nice sweetness and flavour with a touch of spice.
Ginger & garlic: Adds some fragrance to the dish.
Chicken: I’m using boneless, skinless chicken breast that’s thinly sliced. You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you want or only have dark meat on hand. Keep in mind chicken thighs have a different cook time than chicken breast.
Spices: Salt and pepper is all we need!
How to Make Hakka Noodles with Chicken
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the noodles and once the water comes to a boil, add about 1 Tbsp of salt. In the meanwhile, ensure all other raw ingredients are prepared.
Once the water has come up to a boil, add the noodles and cook for 4-6 minutes, or as per package directions. When the noodles are done, strain and coat them with 1-2 tsp of sesame oil.
Heat a wok or large pan on medium high heat and add the sesame oil.
Once hot, add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the sliced chicken and toss the chicken well with the oil and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.
Spread the chicken on the pan so that it is in a single layer. Sear the chicken until it is lightly golden brown and the garlic is roasted. To prevent the garlic from burning, make sure to stir the chicken and garlic every minute or so.
Then add the remaining veggies, onions, peppers, carrots and ginger. Toss well to coat the veggies with the oil. If you notice any browning on the pan, add a little splash of water to prevent it from burning.
Season with a small pinch of salt to help cook the veggies. Cook until the veggies are done halfway. They should have a shine still have some of their crispness.
Add the soy sauce, chilli garlic sauce and rice vinegar. Mix well.
Add the cooked noodles to the wok/pan and toss well to combine. Be gentle if using tongs while tossing to prevent the noodles from breaking. Alternatively, you can toss the pan and wok to combine the noodles with the rest of the ingredients.
Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve hot right away.
Variations of Hakka Noodles
You can really customize this recipe to your liking. For instance, you can switch up the protein. I’m using chicken, but if you want to use beef - such as stir fry strips - or pork - such as pork tenderloin - or even seafood then go ahead! When I first had this, I thought that some shrimp would be amazing here! For vegetarian protein options, you can use eggs, paneer, or tofu. You could also do egg and another protein source for even more body and tastiness! However, keep in mind that if you’re switching up the protein that you will have to account for different cooking times.
Additionally, feel free to use the veggies of your choice. For example, I used a poblano pepper, but you could use a combination of green and red pepper. Other veggies that would be delicious in this dish You could also use jalapeños instead of green chillies, or even use Thai red chillies! Furthermore, I feel some button mushrooms could add even more body and add a nice nuttiness to your noodles. The options are endless, and no matter what you do, you’ll get a healthy and tasty meal!
Storing Leftover Hakka Noodles
You can store leftover noodles in an airtight container in the fridge for about 2 days. Because we have chicken, we need to be careful that the chicken dries out. I would recommend you reheat in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring halfway through to ensure the noodles, veggies and chicken are all completely warmed through.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are hakka noodles?▼
Hakka noodles are thin, springy Indo-Chinese-style noodles tossed in a savoury, slightly smoky sauce with vegetables — and here, chicken. If you can’t find them, thin egg noodles work just as well in this recipe.
How long does it take to make chicken hakka noodles?▼
It’s quick — about 40 minutes total, with around 25 minutes of prep (mostly slicing everything thinly) and just 15 minutes of cooking. Like any good stir-fry, having everything sliced and ready before you start the wok makes it come together fast.
Can I make hakka noodles vegetarian?▼
Yes — leave out the chicken and add extra veggies, or toss in tofu or paneer. The flavour comes from the sauce (soy sauce, chilli garlic sauce, rice vinegar, ginger and garlic), so it’s just as delicious meat-free.
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