Martha Stewart Chicken Edamame And Noodle Stir Fry Recipe

This whole dinner takes 25 minutes and it all goes in one bowl. Martha Stewart’s Chicken, Edamame, and Noodle Stir-Fry is a quick chicken stir fry recipe made with thin strips of chicken breast tossed in cornstarch, stir-fried with napa cabbage, edamame, red onion, and garlic, then tossed with chewy udon noodles, soy sauce, and rice vinegar.

This chicken noodle stir fry is one of Martha Stewart’s fastest chicken stir fry recipes and I make it year round when I want dinner on the table before anyone even asks what we are eating. The cornstarch on the chicken is the small move that makes a big difference. It gives each strip a light coating that browns fast and holds the sauce. I make this on weeknights more than almost anything else in the summer and spring when I do not feel like turning on the oven.

Try More Chicken Recipes:

• Chicken Puttanesca
• Chicken Mushrooms
• Chicken Piccata

Why You Will Love This Chicken Stir-Fry:

• 25 minutes from start to eating: The noodles cook while you prep the chicken. The chicken cooks in 4 minutes. The vegetables cook in another 4. Then you toss everything together and you are done. I have ordered takeout that took longer to arrive than this takes to make from scratch.
• The cornstarch makes the chicken better: Tossing the strips in cornstarch before cooking gives them a thin coating that browns in the hot pan and holds on to the soy sauce and vinegar. Without it the chicken is just plain and slippery. I skipped it once to save 30 seconds and the difference was obvious.
• Everything ends up in one bowl: Noodles, chicken, cabbage, edamame, all tossed together in the sauce. No separate sides, no extra plates. I eat it right out of the bowl standing in the kitchen and I do not feel bad about it.

Chicken Edamame And Noodle Stir-Fry Ingredients

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 8 ounces udon noodles or linguine
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each), cut crosswise into thin strips
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/2 napa cabbage (about 1 pound), thinly shredded
• 2 cups frozen shelled edamame
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

How To Make Martha Stewart Chicken Edamame And Noodle Stir-Fry

1. Cook the noodles: Boil the udon noodles in a big pot of salted water until al dente, following the package instructions. Drain, rinse under cold water, drain again, and set aside.
2. Coat the chicken: While the noodles cook, toss the chicken strips with the cornstarch in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Cook the chicken: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Cook the chicken in two batches until light brown on the outside and cooked all the way through, 2 to 4 minutes per batch. Move to a plate.
4. Cook the vegetables: Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until they soften, 1 to 3 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook, stirring often, until it gets tender, 2 to 4 minutes.
5. Toss everything together: Add the edamame, rice vinegar, soy sauce, chicken, and noodles to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing everything together, until the noodles and edamame are heated through, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve in bowls.

Recipe Tips

• Cook the chicken in two batches: Martha says two batches and she is right. If you crowd the skillet the chicken steams instead of browning and you lose that light crust from the cornstarch. I tried all at once and the chicken turned grey. Two batches, 2 minutes each, done.
• Rinse the noodles under cold water: This stops the cooking and washes off the extra starch so the noodles do not stick together in a clump. I skipped it once and pulled out a giant noodle brick from the pot.
• Use linguine if you cannot find udon: Martha says to break the linguine in half before boiling. It works well as a stand-in. Udon is chewier and thicker but linguine gets the job done. I have used both and my family could not tell the difference.
• Add the soy sauce and vinegar at the end: They go in with everything else during the final toss. Do not add them to the vegetables while they cook or the soy sauce burns on the hot skillet and tastes bitter. I made this mistake once and the whole batch tasted off.

What I Add When I Want More Flavor

Martha’s version is simple on purpose. Soy sauce and rice vinegar are the only seasoning and that is enough for a fast weeknight dinner. But sometimes I want a little more and I have tried a few things that work.

• A teaspoon of sesame oil drizzled on right before serving. It adds a nutty smell that makes the whole bowl feel more like takeout. Martha does not call for it but it fits perfectly.
• A pinch of red pepper flakes tossed in with the cabbage. Not enough to make it spicy, just enough to add a little warmth. I do this when I am eating alone and nobody is going to complain.

The base recipe is so fast that I do not mind spending an extra minute adding something. But even without any changes, it tastes good enough that I have made it three times in one week before.

What Goes Well With This Stir-Fry

It does not need anything. The noodles, chicken, cabbage, and edamame are already a full meal in one bowl. If I want to set something else out I make a quick cucumber salad with rice vinegar to keep the Asian flavors going.

On a night when I am extra hungry I cook some plain rice on the side and put the stir fry on top. A few deviled eggs as a snack before dinner is something I do sometimes but that is just because I like deviled eggs.

How To Store Leftovers

Keep everything together in a covered container for up to 3 days. The noodles soak up the soy sauce and vinegar overnight so they get more flavorful the next day. The cabbage softens but the edamame stays firm. I would not freeze this because the noodles turn mushy after thawing.

Reheat in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water. It takes about 3 minutes and the noodles loosen back up. I eat leftover stir fry cold straight from the container and it tastes like the best cold noodle salad you have ever had. I actually look forward to the leftovers more than the first night sometimes.

FAQs

• What are edamame? Green soybeans. Martha says so in the recipe. You buy them frozen and shelled in bags. They are in the freezer section near the frozen vegetables. They do not need to be cooked ahead of time because they heat through in the skillet during the final toss.
• What are udon noodles? Thick, chewy noodles made from wheat flour. You find them in the Asian section of the grocery store. Martha says if you cannot find them, use linguine broken in half. I have used both and udon has a better chew but linguine works fine.
• Can I use chicken thighs instead of breast? Yes. Cut them into thin strips the same way. Thighs are fattier so they stay juicier and brown a little faster. I actually prefer thighs in this recipe because they do not dry out even if you overcook them a little.
• Can I add other vegetables? Yes. Broccoli florets, snap peas, bell pepper strips, or shredded carrots would all work. Add them with the cabbage so they cook at the same time. I have thrown in whatever was in the fridge and it always works because the soy sauce and vinegar tie everything together.

More Chicken Recipes:

• Chicken Alfredo
• Chicken Marsala
• Chicken Paillards

Nutrition Facts

(1 serving, serves 4)

• Calories: 480
• Total Fat: 14g
• Saturated Fat: 2g
• Cholesterol: 65mg
• Sodium: 680mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 50g
• Protein: 38g