I live in a household of two. Two people can’t eat a whole roast chicken in one sitting. I mean, we have friends over frequently but sometimes I want a roast and when there is only two of you you’re going to have leftovers. And leftovers are what these noodles are all about. Leftovers and flavour! Because there’s no point in trying not to waste things if it’s not going to taste good.

There are many different things that you can do with roast chicken and I’m sure you’ve got your favourites. It’s an easy addition to any rainbow salad bowl and makes for delicious sandwiches. But sometimes you want your leftovers to taste like a whole new meal and that’s what this recipe will do for your roast chicken.

You could buy a roast chicken to use in this if you can’t be bothered making your own! You could also use leftover grilled or poached chicken. Feel free to  use any vegetables you have on hand that are similar. If you don’t have lemongrass then just stick with the ginger, but only omit one or the other. If you’re not sure if you can substitute something feel free to leave a comment and I will get back to you ASAP.

You can easily double this recipe if you’re cooking for more people or just want leftovers (from your leftovers – you thrifty thing you).  But I would recommend prepping all ingredients then cooking in 2 person batches as you don’t want to crowd the pan. The noodles can be replaced with whatever your preference is, rice noodles would work well, so would buckwheat soba.

Basically you can make any number of variations of this to suit your tastes and what’s in your fridge. It’s meant to be one of those meals that uses up things that might otherwise go to waste.

Serves 2

Ingredients

90 grams udon noodles

1 Tbs neutral oil

1 cup shredded roast chicken

1/2 tsp grated ginger

1 clove of garlic, finely diced

1 tsp red chilli, finely chopped

1 tsp lemongrass, finely chopped

1 Tbs Coriander stalks, finely chopped

1.5 cups julienned carrots (time saver: use a spiralizer and roughly chop to make strands shorter)

1 cup (approx 10 per person) sugar snap peas, trimmed

1 cup spinach

1/4 cup spring onion

1.5 Tbs tamari or soy sauce

2-3 drops sesame oil

1/4 cup coriander leaves

1/4 cup vietnamese mint (if you have it on hand)

Directions

Get all your ingredients ready as per the above picture. Cook noodles according to instructions on the packet (usually about 8 minutes in boiling water for udon), drain and rinse in cold water.

Put a large fry pan or a wok on high heat, add the oil and once hot add the chicken, chilli, ginger, garlic, lemongrass and coriander stalks. Move round the pan, to make sure it does not stick and cook for 2 minutes.

Add carrots, spring onion, snow peas and spinach, cook for 30 seconds. Add noodles, soy/tamari and sesame oil. Continue to cook for 1-2 minutes, tossing frequently, until the noodles are heated through.

Serve with herbs scattered over the top.

HH. x