Description

This quick and spicy chicken noodles recipe transforms leftover chicken legs into a flavorful and satisfying meal. Featuring chewy pappardelle or flat Taiwanese noodles and a spicy, garlicky sauce, it’s topped with crispy chicken skin and fresh spring onions for a perfect blend of textures and flavors. Ready in under 30 minutes, this dish is ideal for a speedy dinner with a zesty kick.

Ingredients

Scale

Chicken and Noodles

2 leftover chicken legs
200g dried pappardelle or flat Taiwanese noodles

Sauce and Seasoning

4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 spring onions, white and green parts separated and finely sliced
1–1½ tsp chilli flakes, to taste
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
½ tsp golden caster sugar
2 tbsp rapeseed oil

Instructions

Prepare Chicken and Noodles: Remove the skin from the chicken legs and set aside. Cook the pasta or noodles according to package instructions, tearing in pieces of the chicken leg meat during the final 3 minutes of cooking. Drain thoroughly and set aside.
Make Sauce Mixture: In a large heatproof bowl, combine crushed garlic, the white parts of the spring onions, chilli flakes, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and golden caster sugar.
Cook Chicken Skin: Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add the chicken skin. Sizzle for 3-4 minutes until crispy, then flip. Using the back of a fish slice, press down on the skin and cook for an additional 2-4 minutes until very crispy. Transfer the crispy skin onto a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain excess fat and allow to cool slightly. Crumble into pieces once cooled.
Finish Sauce: Keep the pan with the rendered chicken fat over medium-high heat. Drizzle in the rapeseed oil and heat until almost smoking, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and pour the hot oil over the garlic and spring onion mixture in the bowl, stirring well to combine.
Toss Noodles and Serve: Add the cooked noodles and torn chicken meat to the sauce and toss well to coat evenly. Divide the noodles between bowls and garnish with the crumbled crispy chicken skin and the green parts of the spring onions.

Notes

Using leftover chicken legs adds a deep, rich flavor, but freshly cooked chicken can be substituted if needed.
Adjust the amount of chilli flakes to your preferred spice level.
Cooking the chicken skin until very crispy adds an excellent crunchy texture and savory flavor to the dish.
Rapeseed oil is chosen for its high smoke point and neutral flavor; you may substitute with vegetable or canola oil.
Using a heatproof bowl is important to safely pour the hot oil and create the sauce mixture.
This recipe serves as a flavorful, quick meal that can be customized with added vegetables like bell peppers or bok choy for extra nutrition.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Category: Main Course
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: Asian Fusion

Keywords: quick chicken noodles, spicy chicken noodles, leftover chicken recipe, pappardelle noodles, Asian noodle dish, crispy chicken skin, garlic chili noodles