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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!
This post was originally published on February 27, 2019
I made this last night for my college age sons and they didn’t leave a noodle standing. This was absolutely delicious! The flavors are on point and perfectly balanced. Your pictures are really quite stunning.. I will be back to try many more of your beautiful looking dishes for my family. I am making your “Antipasta Pasta Salad with Herby Parm Vinaigrette” tonight for a block party we have tomorrow. I will be sure to tell everyone about your site. Thank you!!
Wow that is so great that they loved this Meagan!! Thank you for trying it out. Also I hope everyone loves the pasta salad! Let me know how it goes ? xTieghan
I’ve made these a few times- seriously so tasty.
Thank you so much Lauren! I am so glad you loved this! xTieghan
This looks delicious and I look forward to making it. The noodles do look thicker than normal. Can you provide a link? Wondering where I can get them. Thanks! jane
Hey Jane! Linked the noodles below. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
https://thrivemarket.com/p/bionaturae-organic-egg-pasta-pappardelle?utm_medium=pla_smart&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Shopping_Engagement_Smart_Members&utm_content=799210825021&utm_term=na&gclid=Cj0KCQjwz6PnBRCPARIsANOtCw1HUPv7fcz2Oqmu-cps4b3n3ebzHCPxAxZ-OgKA6oEI1lYSsETAMLMaAhHOEALw_wcB
In general, I enjoyed chow mein more than any Chinese takeout noodle dish, but man, do I love ANYTHING Szechuan. Szechuan eggplant, tofu, vegan chicken, bell peppers, broccoli, so much more! I’d have to try this with egg free noodles or maybe even vegan egg noodles (haven’t found them yet!) one day. My family loves noodles more than I do (on a scale of 1-10, I’m a 4 when it comes to noodle loving), but hey, this might convert me to an even more avid fan!
I hope you try this Cassie! And vegan egg noodles would be so good! xTieghan
Does the calorie count include the chicken/pork?
Hi Melissa, yes the chicken is included. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Loved this. Used toasted sesame oil in place of peanut oil. You inspire me to cook again, thanks so much.
Wow that is so sweet to hear! Thank you so much Sharon! xTieghan
This meal was a hit. Definitely on the spicy side, but the flavors and textures were amazing. We used one large bok choy and thinly sliced it, it worked just as well as 4 baby bok choy. Only feedback would be if you don’t want it to be as spicy to reduce the chili sauce in half as well as the red pepper flakes. But overall a solid dish.
Thank you so much Maxwell! I am so glad you enjoyed this! xTieghan
Just made this for dinner….OMG…loved it!! I know whenever I make one of your recipes, the flavors will always be spot on: complex, but easy to pull off. I used tofu and crumbled it up well, because my boyfriend is a vegetarian, but we still wanted a protein in it. I also couldn’t find the Asian egg noodles, but used the bagged ones found in the usual pasta aisle. I don’t think it mattered because we devoured it and can’t wait to make this again. Absolutely fantastic! Thank you!
Thank you so much Caitlin! I am so glad you loved this! xTieghan
Really good and very easy to make. I think I’ll add more veggies next time and cut back just a little on the vinegar. Your recipes are easy to follow and the visuals are excellent.
I am so glad you loved this Barbara! Thank you! xTieghan
Great recipe, easy to make, thanks!
Thank you Karen! xTieghan
Tieghan! This was absolutely amazing! I made it exactly as written with a few small changes- 1) I used toasted sesame seeds instead of raw. I didn’t have the issue that others have had with the oil thickening into a paste- and perhaps this is why? The chili oil was perfect! 2) I used grass fed organic ground beef in place of the chicken as that is what I had on hand. 3) I added sliced shiitake mushrooms. yum! 4) and at the end I added 1 Tablespoon cornstarch mixed with some of the soy sauce mixture to make a slurry and then I added in the final step. I felt it helped the sauce cling to the noodles a bit better.
We thought this recipe was better than any noodle dish we have ever eaten at a restaurant! Your recipes are always so fresh delicious creative and full of flavor! Thank you!!
Hi Andie! That is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much for trying this out and I hope you love other recipes of mine as well! xTieghan
Wow! So delicious! Such rich flavors (tangy, spicy, sweet) and the colors are bright and fresh. Definitely looks as good as it tastes. The papardelle noodles are a really fun choice. Can’t wait to make this again! I started following your recipes recently but this is the first I got a chance to try. I can’t wait to try more. All your recipes look so good! Thank you!
Thank you Randy! I hope you love all the recipes you try! xTieghan
I don’t have egg noodles but have some fresh soba noodles; do you think they would work?
Hi Kirsten! I am worried the soba noodles will turn mushy. I would recommend using an Italian pasta, that will be great and will hold up nicely! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Would these work as leftovers? Sometimes wide noodles don’t reheat well. Thanks!
Hey Carly! I have found the leftovers to hold up really well! I use a thicker noodle, so it heats nicely. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Currently pregnant and craving spicy noodles, I came across this recipe. It was didn’t disappoint! It was sooo good! I loved the spice! Full of flavour just like all your other recipes that I have tried! Thank you!
Thank you Bess! I am so glad you loved this and hope your pregnancy is going amazing! xTieghan