10-Minute Garlic Chili Oil Noodles

 This easy garlic chili oil noodles recipe features thick noodles tossed in an incredibly flavorful sauce, ready in just 10 minutes! Topped with cilantro and green onions, these spicy and garlicky chili oil noodles are so simple to make but packed with scrumptious flavor. 

What are Garlic Chili Oil Noodles?

Nothing will ever beat my obsession with noodles and this dish truly combines everything I love in one bowl – without any hassle. This recipe was inspired by a Chinese dish called You Po Mian which is made by pouring hot oil over aromatics. 

Traditionally, this dish is made with handmade noodles, but I like to use Chinese wide noodles for a simplified version. The ones that I’m using for this recipe are Shanxi knife-cut noodles found at a local Asian grocery store, which are thick wheat noodles that can be prepared in just 3-4 minutes. 

I personally find that wide knife-cut noodles I find are the best at soaking up all the flavor, making each noodle burst with flavor on each bite. If you don’t have this type of noodles on hand though, please feel free to make the noodles from scratch (Biang Biang noodles are an incredible choice) or substitute it with your preferred type of noodles.

How do you make Garlic Chili Oil Noodles?

This recipe uses a simple method to create the most flavorful noodles in just minutes, using simple ingredients that you most likely have in your pantry!

Not to mention it is completely vegan with no meat (you can replace the chicken stock for some salt), but I can hardly tell the difference with how much it is packed with flavor. Here are the ingredients you will need:

• Thick wheat noodles. I recommend using wheat noodles as their dense texture works well to hold up the sauce, packing each noodle with flavor. Knife cut noodles like the one I’ve pictured above works best with this recipe.
• Green onion and minced garlic for the aromatics. 
• Sichuan chili flakes, light and dark soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar, and chicken stock powder (or salt) to flavor the noodles.
• A few tablespoons of sizzling hot oil to pour over the sauce. Any cooking oil would work. The key is to aim at the chili flakes and garlic for that beautiful sizzle of spices. 
• Cilantro, green onion, and sesame seeds for garnish. You can also add some blanched greens to the bowl, but the taste is pretty much complete with these standard toppings.  

The key highlight of this recipe is its sheer simplicity and how flavorful they are in such a short span of time. I truly love the simplicity of this dish, but that’s not to say it wouldn’t taste amazing with other additions.

Some optional toppings could be your choice of ground meat, tofu, onions, mushrooms, julienned carrots, or blanched greens such as bok choy or Chinese broccoli. You may need to increase the amount of sauce based on your extra toppings, so please keep that in mind. 

How do you serve Garlic Chili Oil Noodles?

These noodles can also be served hot or cold depending on preference. Both ways taste incredible, and the choice is all yours. For cold noodles, you would just need to use a colander to rinse the noodles in cold water for about a minute or two, then drain them of any excess water. 

If you are serving the noodles warm, please ensure they are prepared right before serving to maintain their texture. If they need to be prepared in advance, I recommend tossing them with a little bit of oil to prevent the noodles from sticking. 

I highly recommend topping the noodles up with chopped green onions (or scallions) and cilantro, as the flavors harmonize beautifully, as well as adding that delicious crunchy texture. 

I hope you enjoy this easy and delicious recipe, and please feel free to leave a comment below or message me on Instagram for any questions!

Other easy Dinner recipes you may like:

• Korean Marinated Eggs (Mayak Eggs)
• Easy Teriyaki Chicken
• Chinese Tomato Egg Stir Fry
• Easy Chicken Pad Thai
• Bibim Guksu (Korean Spicy Cold Noodles)
• Easy Shrimp Fried Rice