This Homemade Pot Noodle post was originally published in 2012 and has been newly updated for 2024.
One of our favourite quick meals or after-school snacks is this Homemade Pot Noodle. We’ve made this healthy, easy pot-noodle-style dish hundreds of times — it’s perfect for unexpected playdate guests or hungry kids arriving home from school.
Instant pot noodles are convenient, but making your own gives you control over ingredients, flavour and nutrition. This homemade version is fast, inexpensive and easily adapted to suit dietary preferences.
Why this Homemade Pot Noodle is useful
Great flavour – Far more interesting than oven chips and nuggets, with a tasty mix of soy, sesame and herbs.
Store-cupboard friendly – Uses mostly pantry staples plus frozen veg, so it’s easy and cheap to prepare.
Vegetarian adaptable – Swap cooked chicken for tofu or extra vegetables to make a meat-free version.
Healthy – Bulk it out with vegetables and lean protein, control salt and additives, and avoid preservatives found in some instant mixes.
Quick – Ready in around 10 minutes from start to finish.
Economical – Extremely low cost per portion while still being filling and satisfying.
Ingredients
Noodles – Medium or fine egg noodles work best. Vermicelli or rice noodles are good alternatives. Fresh egg noodles cook fastest if you need extra speed.
Vegetables – Frozen peas and sweetcorn are convenient. Mixed frozen veg also works; for fresh options try diced red pepper and small broccoli florets.
Chicken – Cooked chicken is ideal for a speedy meal and is a great way to use leftovers from a roast or rotisserie bird.
Stock – Use vegetable or chicken stock (powder, cube or liquid)
Herbs – Dried or fresh herbs such as parsley or a mixed herb blend.
Garlic – Half a clove finely chopped, or a pinch of garlic granules.
Soy sauce – Adds salt and umami.
Sesame oil – Used as a finishing flavour rather than a frying oil.
Optional extras – Ginger (grated), sesame seeds or chopped peanuts for texture and extra flavour. These can be omitted for children who prefer simpler tastes.
Substitutions
- Prawns – swap the chicken for cooked prawns for a seafood version
- Beef and sliced green peppers
- Bacon – chopped small and added briefly
Other vegetables
- Pak choi
- Chopped mushrooms
- Sugar snap peas
- Green beans
- Tenderstem or regular broccoli cut into small florets
- Chopped spring onions
Substitute condiments and flavours
- Chopped fresh chilli or chilli flakes
- Nam Pla (fish sauce) – about 1 tsp added when cooking for extra depth
- Soft-boiled sliced egg
- Squeeze of lime juice just before serving
Method for making your own Healthy Homemade Pot Noodle
A full ingredient list and quantities are included in the recipe card below.
1. If not using pre-cooked chicken, either roast it or cut into pieces and sauté in a frying pan until cooked through.
2. Chop any fresh vegetables into small pieces and lightly sauté in a little vegetable or sunflower oil until just tender.
3. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the noodles and cook until just soft (fresh egg noodles only take a couple of minutes; dried may take about 5).
4. Drain the noodles, return to the pan and add the cooked chicken, vegetables, peas or sweetcorn plus the stock. Stir and simmer for 2–3 minutes to combine and warm everything through.
5. Stir in soy sauce and sesame oil, adjust seasoning and heat for a final minute.
6. Serve immediately, garnished with sesame seeds or chopped peanuts if using.
How to serve Homemade Pot Noodle
You can recreate the classic “pot noodle” feel by serving in disposable cartons, or simply use bowls. Chopsticks are a fun option for kids, though many switch to a fork and spoon.
Can Homemade Pot Noodle be made in advance or frozen?
This dish is best eaten fresh. You can prepare the vegetables and meat ahead of time, but cook the noodles and combine them with stock and sauces just before serving. The finished dish doesn’t freeze well.
Other after-school recipes you may enjoy
Chorizo, Red Pepper and Chutney Pastry Pinwheels
Brazilian Cinnamon Pineapple
Other chicken recipes you may enjoy
Chicken, Cheese and Rocket Falutas
Balsamic and Honey Chicken Salad
Italian Basil Chicken with Black Rice
Chicken Casserole with Herby Dumplings
Homemade Pot Noodle
Ingredients
- 50 grams Medium Egg Noodles My kids eat approx 3/4 of a dried strip each
- 100 grams Cooked Chickenchopped into cm pieces
- 25 grams frozen garden peasor sweetcorn (or both)
- 150 ml vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tsp Dried HerbsParsley or Mixed Herbs are best
- 1/4 Clove Garlic
- 1/2 cm Fresh GingerOptional
- 1 tsp Sesame SeedsOptional
Instructions
-
If you are not using pre-cooked chicken, cook it in the oven or fry chopped pieces in a pan until done.
-
Chop fresh vegetables into very small cubes so they cook quickly.
-
Place the noodles in a large pan of boiling water and cook until just soft (about 5 minutes for dried noodles).
-
Drain the noodles, then return them to the pan. Add peas or sweetcorn, and the vegetable stock, and simmer for 2–3 minutes.
-
Add the chopped cooked meat at the last minute and stir through to warm it.
-
Stir in soy sauce and sesame oil, taste and adjust seasoning.
-
For fun, serve in a disposable carton to recreate the pot-noodle experience.
Nutrition
- Sign up to our newsletter for occasional updates.
- Please leave a comment if you try one of our recipes to tell us how it went.
- We run a number of Casa Costello Facebook groups related to books and baking for readers who want to join the community.
- Sharing is caring — tell friends and family about recipes they might enjoy.
- Follow Casa Costello on social channels for more recipes and updates.