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    Home » Recipes » Pasta Recipes

    Spicy Chili Garlic Noodles

    Published: Aug 3, 2023 · Modified: Aug 27, 2023 by Chef Dennis Littley

    130 shares
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    5 from 34 votes
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Pinterest image for spicy chili garlic noodles.

    If you’re a fan of bold flavors my easy spicy chili garlic noodles are just what you’re looking for. This delicious Asian-style noodle dish takes less than 20 minutes to make and is perfect for busy weeknights, yet fancy enough for date nights or dinner parties.

    spicy chili garlic noodles in a white bowl.

    My spicy chili garlic noodles recipe combines the mild flavor of rice noodles, with pungent garlic, savory shallots, and the fiery kick of chili, creating a dish that will kick your taste buds into high gear!

    Garlic chili noodles make a delicious side dish or add cooked shrimp, chicken, or pork to the sauce for a heartier main meal.

    spicy chili garlic noodles in a white bowl.

    Everyone loves noodles, and the heart of this dish is the noodles. They are the perfect canvas to absorb the spicy chili sauce. Just make sure to cook the noodles enough to achieve an irresistible chewiness that complements the fiery chili garlic sauce.

    If you love spicy noodle dishes try my Italian Arrabbiata Sauce.

    Table of Contents:

    • Ingredients to make Spicy Chili Garlic Noodles
    • What type of noodles should I use?
    • How spicy are chili garlic noodles?
    • How can I change up the recipe?
    • How to make Spicy Chili Garlic Noodles
    • Recipe FAQ’s
    • More Recipes You’ll Love!
    • Spicy Chili Garlic Noodles
      • Ingredients
      • Instructions
      • Notes
    • What type of noodles should I use?
    • How Spicy are chili garlic noodles?
    • How can I change up the recipe?
      • Nutrition

    Ingredients to make Spicy Chili Garlic Noodles

    ingredients to make recipe.

    Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make my Spicy Chili Garlic Noodles recipe. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”

    Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

    What type of noodles should I use?

    Traditionally spicy garlic noodles are made with wide rice noodles, but my grocery store didn’t stock them, so I used the linguine-style rice noodles they carried.

    Rice noodles should be your first choice, thick or thin noodles work equally as well. Wide noodles will hold more sauce and have a good appearance.

    You can also use ramen noodles, udon, or Chinese egg noodles to make this dish. Lo Mein and even fettuccine noodles can also be used.

    How spicy are chili garlic noodles?

    It’s easy to adjust the level of spiciness to your taste preference. The recipe typically calls for chili garlic sauce, which can range from mild to extremely spicy, and sriracha, which is very spicy. I used sweet chili sauce (which is less spicy) instead of sriracha and the dish had a good level of heat without causing any pain.

    You can always add more or less sauce depending on your tolerance for heat.

    How can I change up the recipe?

    • Up the spice level: For an amazing noodle & spice recipe idea, try adding some Szechuan chili flakes, red pepper flakes, or sriracha sauce for some super spicy noodles. You can also add a little brown sugar to the recipe to soften the heat from the chili sauce.
    • Adding protein is a great way to make this meal heartier and more filling. I love to add sauteed shrimp, cooked chicken, pork, or beef to this dish.
    • Add vegetables like bok choy, snow peas, asparagus tips, zucchini, or sliced mushrooms to the dish to add volume and flavor.
    • Use dark soy sauce instead of regular soy sauce for a deeper, richer flavor. You can also use Chinese black vinegar, which has a deeper more complex flavor than plain white rice vinegar.

    You may not find all of the ingredients in your grocery store, but your local Asian market will carry all of the ingredients.

    How to make Spicy Chili Garlic Noodles

    • Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the rice noodles according to package instructions for al dente.
    collage showing how to make sauce.
    • Add the olive oil and sesame oil to a large skillet (or small pot) over medium heat. When the oil is hot add the shallots and garlic to a pan.
    • Let the shallots and garlic cook for 4-5 minutes. Stir the ingredients often and make sure the garlic doesn’t burn. It will start to darken and almost look burnt so keep an eye on the process.
    • Add the ginger to the pan and saute for 1 minute, then add the white part of the scallions and continue to cook for another minute.
    • Add the low sodium soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, sweet chili sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar to the pan.

    I used sweet chili sauce instead of Sriracha. I like spicy food but that would have been a bit much for me, so I used sweet chili sauce. It has a nice flavor and kept the heat level tolerable.

    collage showing how to finish making recipe.
    • Stir the ingredients to combine and let the mixture cook for 60 seconds then remove it from the heat.
    • When the noodles have finished cooking, drain them thoroughly and add them to a large bowl.
    • Add the chili garlic sauce to the drained noodles and mix thoroughly, making sure to get a good coating of the sauce on the noodles.*I used tongs to mix the sauce into the noodles.
    • Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired. You can always add more heat, but you can’t make it less spicy.
    spicy chili garlic noodles in a white bowl.

    Garnish the chili garlic noodles with green onions and toasted sesame seeds. Serve with sauteed bok choy, collard greens, spinach, or your favorite sides.

    So, grab your chopsticks and prepare and let my spicy garlic chili noodles take you on a culinary journey that will leave you yearning for more!

    Recipe FAQ’s

    Is chili garlic sauce the same as Sriracha?

    It’s somewhat similar to Sriracha but has a thicker and chunkier texture. the flavor has always seemed a little brighter than Sriracha and has more depth of flavor.

    What can I substitute for chili garlic sauce?

    Sambal Oelek, chili paste, harissa paste, and chili-garlic paste can be used as substitutions.

    Can I use fresh garlic instead of chili garlic sauce?

    They are not the same thing, and while you can add more fresh garlic, you still need some type of chili sauce to make this dish. If you prefer a milder dish, substitute the chili garlic sauce with sweet chili sauce.

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    spicy chili garlic noodles in a white bowl.
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    5 from 34 votes

    Spicy Chili Garlic Noodles

    If you're a fan of bold flavors my easy spicy chili garlic noodles are just what you're looking for. This delicious Asian-style noodle dish takes less than 20 minutes to make and is perfect for busy weeknights, yet fancy enough for date nights or dinner parties.
    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Cook Time8 minutes mins
    Total Time18 minutes mins
    Course: Entree
    Cuisine: Asian, Asian-American
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 341kcal
    Author: Chef Dennis Littley

    Ingredients

    • 8 ounces rice noodles
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
    • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
    • 2 tablespoon shallot finely minced
    • 2 tablespoon garlic finely minced
    • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger paste or grated
    • 2-3 tbs green onions one bunch – chopped white only, the green tops will be used to garnish the dish
    • ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce or regular soy sauce
    • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
    • 2 tablespoon chili garlic sauce more or less to taste
    • 2 tablespoon sweet chili sauce or 1 tablespoon sriracha (more or less to taste)
    • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
    • 2-3 tablespoon green onion tops optional as garnish
    • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds toasted – optional as garnish
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the rice noodles according to package instructions for al dente noodles.
      *Just make sure they're soft enough for your taste.
    • Add the olive oil and sesame oil to a frying pan (or small pot) over medium heat.
    • Add the shallots and garlic to the pan and let them cook in the oil for 4-5 minutes.
      Stir the ingredients often and make sure the garlic doesn't burn. It will start to darken and almost look burnt so keep an eye on the process.
    • Add the ginger to the pan and saute for 1 minute, then add the white part of the scallions and continue to cook for another minute.
    • Add the soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, sweet chili sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar to the pan and stir to combine. Let the mixture cook for 60 seconds then remove from the heat.
      I used sweet chili sauce instead of Sriracha. I like spicy food but that would have been a bit much for me, so I used sweet chili sauce. It has a nice flavor and kept the heat level tolerable.
    • When the noodles have finished cooking, drain them thoroughly.
    • Add the noodles to a large bowl, then add the chili garlic sauce to the noodles and mix thoroughly, making sure to get a good coating of the sauce on the noodles.
      *I used tongs to mix the sauce into the noodles.
    • Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired.
      You can always add more heat, but you can't make it less spicy.
    • Garnish with the chopped tops of the scallions and toasted sesame seeds.
    • Serve with sauteed bok choy, collard greens, spinach or your favorite sides.

    Notes

    What type of noodles should I use?

    Traditionally spicy garlic chili noodles are made with a wider noodle, but my grocery store didn’t stock them, so I used the linguine-style rice noodles they carried.
    Rice noodles should be your first choice, thick or thin noodles work equally as well. Wide noodles will hold more sauce and have a good appearance.
    You can also use Ramen noodles, udon, or Chinese egg noodles to make this dish. Lo Mein and even fettuccine noodles can also be used.

    How Spicy are chili garlic noodles?

    It’s easy to adjust the level of spiciness to your taste preference. The recipe typically calls for chili garlic sauce, which can range from mild to extremely spicy, and sriracha, which is very spicy. I used sweet chili sauce (which is less spicy) instead of sriracha and the dish had a good level of heat without causing any pain.
    You can always add more or less sauce depending on your tolerance for heat.

    How can I change up the recipe?

    • Up the spice level: For an amazing noodle & spice recipe idea, try adding some Szechuan chili flakes, red pepper flakes, or sriracha sauce for some super spicy noodles.
    • Adding protein is a great way to make this meal heartier and more filling. I love to add sauteed shrimp, cooked chicken, pork, or beef to this dish.
    • Add vegetables like bok choy, snow peas, asparagus tips, zucchini, or sliced mushrooms to the dish to add volume and flavor.
    Is chili garlic sauce the same as Sriracha?
    It’s somewhat similar to Sriracha but has a thicker and chunkier texture. the flavor has always seemed a little brighter than Sriracha and has more depth of flavor.
    What can I substitute for chili garlic sauce?
    Sambal Oelek, chili paste, harissa paste, and chili-garlic paste can be used as substitutions.
    Can I use fresh garlic instead of chili garlic sauce?
    They are not the same thing, and while you can add more fresh garlic, you still need some type of chili sauce to make this dish. If you prefer a milder dish, substitute the chili garlic sauce with sweet chili sauce.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 341kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 983mg | Potassium: 143mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 61IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askChefDennis or tag #askChefDennis!

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    About Chef Dennis

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    Chef Dennis Littley is a classically trained chef with over 40 years of experience working in the food service industry. In his second career as a food blogger he has made it his mission to demistify cooking by sharing his time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen. Let Chef Dennis help you bring the joy of cooking into your home. For more details, check out his About page.

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    My name is Dennis Littley or “Chef Dennis” as I’m known both at work and across the blogosphere. As a classically trained chef with 40+ years of experience in the kitchen, I share my time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen.

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