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Easy Gochujang Noodles with Vegetables and Chicken (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)

These incredibly tasty gochujang noodles require just a handful of ingredients and are bursting with flavor. It’s a healthy, comforting dish with lots of vegetables and chicken in a delicious umami flavored, slightly spicy sauce. Gluten free, dairy free and a vegan option.Easy Gochujang Noodles with Vegetables and Chicken in bowl with chopsticks

Back-to-school season is upon us, so whether or not youโ€™re sending kids to the bus stop it’s a good time to make easy comfort food recipes that take under 30 minutes to prepare.

I got the inspiration to make a Korean dish from watching the Amazing Attorney Woo on Netflix. It’s a story with kindness and heart about the first autistic Korean lawyer working at a large law firm. She’s brilliant with an incredible memory. The show is delightful and will make you smile.

This Korean dish has the slightly spicy, sweet/salty and deep savory flavor of Gochujang sauce and rich creaminess of almond butter, twirled around noodles with vegetables and chicken.

The gluten free rice noodles are mixed with spinach, broccoli and chicken, topped with fresh cilantro and scallions. The recipe is versatile, use any vegetables you like, and can be made vegan with tempeh instead of chicken (recipe included).

Easy Gochujang Noodles with Vegetables and Chicken in pan with tongs

Ingredients for Gochujang Noodles

Most of the ingredients for this dish are probably in your pantry. You can order gluten free Gochujang sauce online or get it in your supermarket or health food store.

I use stir fry rice noodles but if you’re mostly grain free, cassava noodles or zucchini noodles would also work here. It won’t be completely grain free since the gochujang sauce has a little brown rice in it.

For the Sauce

  • gluten free tamari
  • gochujang sauce (Korean chili sauce) – this brand is gluten free and not very spicy. Some brands are more spicy. If your sauce is spicy use less. The gochujang sauce is vegan.
  • tomato paste – I buy it in a tube so I can use 1-2 tablespoons and the rest can stay for months in the refrigerator.
  • almond butter – makes the sauce nice and creamy.
  • coconut sugar – just a little to balance the flavor.
  • sesame oil – expeller press, unrefined. It has a nice nutty flavor, don’t use toasted sesame oil.
  • garlic – grated on a microplane or minced.
  • broth or water for thinning.

For the Vegetables, Noodles and Chicken

  • humanely raised ground chicken
  • rice stir fry noodles – rice noodles have a sticky texture and hold the mildly spicy gochujang sauce.
  • fresh spinach – baby spinach is easy.
  • broccoli – cut into florets.
  • cilantro, scallions, and sesame seeds for topping, basil or mint would be good too!

What isย Gochujangย 

Gochujang (gowยทchooยทjang) is a staple ingredient in Korean cooking with a deliciously strong umami flavor, slightly sweet and a bit spicy.

Gochujang paste is made with Korean red chili peppers that have been ripened on the plant until glossy and cardinal red. The peppers are sun-dried, crushed, and fermented with soybeans, red chile pepper flakes, sticky rice, and salt and it is commonly used to flavor meat dishes, soups and stews, and sauces. You can read a little more about how itโ€™s made over at Bon Appetit.

In this recipe we use a gochujang sauce which comes mixed with other ingredients because it’s less less potent than the paste. It’s easier to use.

We add a few more ingredients (as shown above) to round out the flavor.

How to Make Easy Gochujang Noodlesย 

This dish is very easy to make since there isn’t much chopping. It comes together in about 20 minutes and tastes so good. It’s super healthy, full of vegetables and protein.

  1. Whisk the sauce ingredients (minus the extra broth) in a small bowl until thick.
  2. Boil the noodles in water for 4-6 minutes until tender but firm, rinse and drain.
  3. Brown the chicken in a little sesame or avocado oil 2-3 minutes. Stir to break it apart. Add broccoli after one minute.
  4. Once the chicken is done, add the noodles and sauce. Mix into the sauce and toss everything over medium heat to combine.
  5. Add add the fresh spinach, cook until wilted, 1-2 minutes.
  6. Add extra broth as needed to get to your optimal sauciness.

Easy Gochujang Noodles with Vegetables and Chicken close up in pan with tongs

Substitutions

This dish is very versatile and can be made vegan. Here are some substitutions to make it your own.

  • You can swap ground pork or ground turkey for the chicken.
  • For vegan use tempeh crumbles (recipe included).
  • The rice noodles can be wide or thin. You can also use zucchini noodles or cassava noodles.
  • Avocado or refined coconut oil can be used instead of sesame oil. It will have a slightly different flavor.
  • Skip the protein and make it with lots of vegetables. Mushrooms, peppers, cauliflower, baby kale would all be great.

Easy Gochujang Noodles with Vegetables and Chicken bowl with chopsticks twirling

Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The sauce gets thicker and stickier when it sits, so you may need to add some water or broth to make it saucy again.ย  It’s great for lunch the next day!

Enjoy these quick and easy Gochujang Noodles with Vegetables often. They’re incredibly tasty, comforting, super satisfying and slightly spicy.

For vegan, skip the ground chicken and make it with tempeh or just vegetables.

Since they come together in just 20 minutes they’re easy enough to make for a fast weeknight meal. Also a fabulous dish when you have a few friends over for dinner.

This recipe was inspired byย these Gochujang-Sesame Noodlesย by Zaynab Issa at Bon Appรฉtit.

Easy Gochujang Noodles with Vegetables and Chicken pan and napkin

If you like this recipe, try these other delicious Asian recipes:

Asian Spaghetti Squash Noodle Stir Fry

ย  ย  ย Asian Meatballs with Thai ‘Peanut’ Sauce

ย  ย  ย Egg Roll In A Bowl (Vegan or Paleo)

Would you like to have more of these delicious healthy recipes sent to you each week?ย CLICK TO SIGN UPย for my weekly email newsletter of recipes and tips for you to eat well and enjoy your wonderful life.

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Easy Gochujang Noodles with Vegetables and Chicken (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)

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This is a healthy, comforting dish with lots of vegetables and chicken in a delicious umami flavored, slightly spicy sauce. Gluten free, dairy free and a vegan option.

  • Author: Ingrid DeHart
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Saute
  • Cuisine: Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan Option

Ingredients

Scale

Sauce

Noodles Chicken and Vegetables

  • 7 ounces rice noodles (1/2 package) or cassava noodles
  • 1 Tablespoon sesame or avocado oil
  • 1 pound humanely raised ground chicken or 8 ounces tempeh crumbles (instructions below)*
  • ย sea salt
  • freshly groundย black pepper
  • 3 cups broccoli cut into florets
  • 4 cups spinach, tightly packed
  • cilantro,ย scallions or whateverย herbsย you like for topping
  • sesame seedsย for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  1. Prepare noodles. Boil water in a large pot, add noodles. Cook 4-6 minutes until tender but firm, drain, rinse, and set aside.
  2. Whisk the sauce ingredients (except the extra broth) in a small bowl. It will be thick.
  3. Heat oil in a large sautรฉ pan over medium high heat.ย  Add chicken. Season generously with salt and pepper.
  4. Stir to break the chicken apart and sautรฉ 1 minute. Add broccoli. Sautรฉ 2-3 minutes until chicken is no longer pink.
  5. Add sauce and cooked noodles, to the pan, mix to coat with the sauce. Keep over medium heat.
  6. Add spinach, mix until the spinach is wilted, 1-2 minutes. Add water or broth to thin the sauce, a little at a time, to get the sauciness that you like (I usually add about 1 cup)
  7. Serve in bowls topped with cilantro, scallions, and sesame seeds.

Notes

Tempeh Crumblesย 

  1. Bring a medium pot of shallow water to a simmer.
  2. Add the block of tempeh and simmer for 10 minutes.
  3. Drain the tempeh and pat it dry.
  4. Allow the block to cool, and when it’s cool enough to handle, crumble it into pieces (whatever size you likeโ€”they can be big crumbles or smaller crumbles).
  5. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large sautรฉ pan over medium heat.
  6. Add the tempeh, season with salt and pepper. Cook the tempeh for about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often, or until it’s lightly browned, adding a little extra oil as needed. Continue with the recipe as written above.

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