Ginger chicken with udon noodles – Wagamama on a diet!!

The Hairy Dieters’ might get all the adulation for their healthy eating recipes but Justine Pattison is an absolute legend and I’d urge you to buy her Without the Calories series of books. Ginger chicken with udon noodles is from Justine’s ‘Takeaway Favourites’ book and OMG this recipe is absolutely amazing – try it, try it, try it!

This is a great Friday night dish to produce as it can be ready in about 20 minutes and is very quick to cook once you have prepped all the ingredients. The only fiddly bit is trimming the fat off the chicken thighs, but this is a doddle if you’ve got a good pair of kitchen scissors.

So tuck in, close your eyes and imagine you’re in Wagamama! And better still, this belter of a ‘fakeaway’ dish is only 475 calories! Who says you can’t enjoy top-notch food on a diet?

Recipe: Ginger chicken with udon noodles

Calories: 475 per serving

Serves: 2

Book: Without the Calories – takeaway favourites by Justine Pattison

Prep time: Approx 20 mins

Cooking time: Approx 10 mins

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 325g)
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
• 2 x 150g ready-to-stir-fry cooked udon noodles
• 1 tsp sunflower oil, 6 spring onions (cut into 2cm lengths)
• 2 garlic cloves (very thinly sliced)
• 1 ½ long red chillies (very thinly sliced)
• ½ tsp dried chilli flakes, 1 egg (beaten)
• 25g pickled ginger (drained)
• 15g fresh coriander leaves (roughly chopped, plus extra to garnish)
• Flaked sea salt
• Ground black pepper

Cost per portion: Approx *£3.19 *cost based on Tesco prices – December 2022

Method: Trim the chicken of all visible fat and cut it into 1.5cm wide strips. Put the chicken in a large bowl and add the soy sauce, lemon juice and Chinese five-spice powder. Stir well and leave to marinate.

Meanwhile, put the noodles in a heatproof bowl and cover with just-boiled water from the kettle. Leave to stand for 10 minutes, stirring to separate the strands. Drain well in a colander.

Heat the oil in a large wok or non-stick frying pan over a high heat and stir-fry the chicken for 1 minute or until lightly coloured all over. Add the drained noodles, spring onions, garlic, fresh and dried chillies to the pan and stir-fry for a further 2 minutes.

Push the chicken and noodles to the side of the wok. Add the egg and cook for 30-40 seconds or until almost set, before breaking it into strands and tossing it through the other ingredients.

Scatter the pickled ginger and chopped coriander over the top and continue to stir-fry for 2-3 minutes more. The noodles will be lightly browned in places and the whole dish should smell slightly toasted when it is done. Pile into shallow bowls and garnish with a few more sprigs of coriander.