This is my homemade chicken and vegetable pot noodle (instant noodles). This homemade pot noodle is really tasty and ready in less than 10 mins!
Have you ever tried a Pot Noodle? They're something of a student food icon in the UK. Pour some boiling water on, straight from the kettle, leave to stand for a few minutes and hey presto! Dried noodles and other...erm...things... suddenly transform into a meal for one.
To be honest I was never that keen. I could manage the beef & tomato variety (with a large extra squirt of ketchup) when I was a starving student, but I tended to stick to a diet of toast, beer and chocolate - supplemented by the 3-times-weekly free burger meal from my part time job at a fast food restaurant.
13 years later and I think my liver has just about recovered.
This homemade pot noodle however, is different. Fresh ingredients, lots of taste, and a shelf life that wouldn't take us to the next millennium.
This Homemade Chicken and Vegetable Pot Noodle (Instant Noodles) makes a great office lunch - even if you don't have a kitchen. Bring it into the office, store it in the fridge or a cool bag, then come lunchtime, pour on the homemade flavour paste and some boiling water from the kettle. Leave it to sit for a few minutes, then give it a stir and eat. The simplest soup you've ever made!
The preparation at home is pretty simple too. Make a flavour paste using some simple ingredients that you probably already have in the cupboard. Store it in a little tub. Then place your dried noodles, veg and finely chopped cooked chicken in a large mug, along with ½ a tsp of cornflour (this will help to slightly thicken the soup). Cover it and refrigerate (or store in a cool bag) until lunchtime.
I'd recommend using dried rice noodles for this dish. The ready-cooked rice noodles are ok, but they don't absorb the flavour quite as well. Also, vermicelli noodles are better than the flat rice noodles - because they take less time to soften in the boiled water (meaning your soup will be hotter by the time you come to eat it). Flat noodles - as you can see from my picture here - still work well though.
The Homemade Chicken and Vegetable Pot Noodle (Instant Noodles) Recipe:
Homemade Chicken and Vegetable Pot Noodle (Instant Noodles)
Ingredients
Flavour Paste:
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- pinch of ground ginger
- ½ clove garlic - minced
- ½ tsp sugar - caster or granulated
- juice from small wedge of lime - â…› of a lime
- 1 tsp sweet chilli sauce
Noodles:
- 50 g (¾ cups) dried rice noodles - ideally vermicelli, but flat noodles are ok. They take a little longer to soak, so the soup won't be quite as hot
- 1 spring onion/scallion - sliced
- 4 sugarsnaps/snowpeas - chopped in half
- ¼ of a red pepper - chopped into small chunks
- small handful of kale
- 2 tbsp cooked chicken - finely shredded
- ½ tsp cornflour
You will also need:
- 300 ml (1 ¼ cups) boiling water from the kettle
INSTRUCTIONS
- Mix all the ingredients for your flavour paste, and put into a little sealed tub or jar until you're ready to use it.½ tsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, pinch of ground ginger, ½ clove garlic, ½ tsp sugar, juice from small wedge of lime, 1 tsp sweet chilli sauce
- Put all of the noodle ingredients into a large mug. Cover and refrigerate until you're ready to eat.50 g (¾ cups) dried rice noodles, 1 spring onion/scallion, 4 sugarsnaps/snowpeas, ¼ of a red pepper, small handful of kale, 2 tbsp cooked chicken, ½ tsp cornflour
- When you're ready too eat, pour the flavour paste into the noodle cup. Pour on boiling water, stir and cover. Leave for 3 minutes (or longer if the noodle instructions suggest so) and then stir again before serving.300 ml (1 ¼ cups) boiling water from the kettle
✎ Notes
Nutrition
If you love noodle dishes why not try my amazing Ramen Noodle Soup.
Samantha Gleave says
Made this for my son's lunch yesterday - was struggling with finding healthy snack lunches that he likes during lockdown - this was given a big thumbs up. Thanks!
Chris Corbishley says
Thanks Samantha,
So glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Chris & Nicky
Tom says
Love this healthier, home made pot noodle.
Stephanie Junkin says
How long is the paste good in the fridge? Would love to make ahead for the week and later each jar daily
Nicky Corbishley says
Hi Stephanie, I think that should be fine. Although I'm no expert on best before info, I would expect the paste to be fine for 4-5 days.
Gem (Breakfast and salads) says
I just made my version of these noodle pots! So easy and delicious! I heaped it with lotsa of veggies too!
Here it is:
https://breakfastandsalads.wordpress.com/2016/09/12/miso-noodle-pots-to-go/
Ella says
This looks delicious! It'll be a little strange to eat a "pot noodle" and not feel that certain sense of guilt afterwards!
Nicky Corbishley says
ha ha
I know that feeling 🙂
Annie @ Annie's Noms says
Hahaha the pot noodle - the amount of people I knew at Uni who just lived off them! My partner still likes the odd one.... but I am not really keen, but I'm very interested in homemade pot noodles - this looks fab!
Nicky Corbishley says
Thanks Annie. Can you believe they're even doing 'choc noodles' now - pot noodles with chocolate. So weird!!
Amy says
My boyfriend lived off instant megoreng and ramen during his university days (he lived away from home, while I lived at home with Mum's good cooking!) and still has a fondness for those salty cups of "food". Instead of getting him to give them up completely, I am definitely going to substitute these for him 🙂 Someone has to protect his liver!
Nicky Corbishley says
Ha ha, hope he can cope with reduced saltiness 🙂
Julie is HostessAtHeart says
This looks delicious and so much better than what I ate in college or the noodles that my children lived on that had the salty flavor packet.
Nicky Corbishley says
I think it's the law to eat that kind of stuff in college isn't it? I still remember making a packet of dried noodles and a jar of sweet & sour sauce lasting me for 3 meals 🙂
april7116 says
I lived off Cup o' Noodles in college and I have to say they hold a special place in my heart (but not in my shopping cart these days). Love that you've recreated this instant comfort food - can't wait to try it!
Nicky Corbishley says
Ha ha I still have cravings for crispy pancakes and angel delight (both a UK thing only I think). Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Sallie Durette says
Crispy pancakes and angel delight? They sound amazing. I read the Redwall series to my son, and I always loved the names of the food. You wrote this post in January of 2015, so almost two years ago. Likely that you won't receive this, - but, if you do - could you tell me where i might find recipes? Thank you. Sallie Durette