Recipe: Winner Winner, Adam Liaw’s Speedy Chicken Noodle Dinner

Former lawyer, current cook, columnist, TV host and author Adam Liaw is a busy human. On top of his long list of jobs, he develops up to 800 recipes every year. The result? He’s mastered weeknight dinners that are both speedy and delicious.

Take his quick chicken noodles, which uses a fast braising method that delivers maximum flavour output with minimal effort. “The simplicity of the process means it’s something you’ll repeat again and again,” writes Liaw in his latest cookbook, Time for Dinner. “This style of fast braising is my preferred way of making noodles. The ingredients are first cooked into a flavourful braise, and then the noodles (that have been microwaved to speed up the process) are added to soak up the sauce as they cook.”

Beyond the bird, Liaw’s latest book includes more than 80 recipes designed to reduce your cooking time – like traybakes and a 10-minute “carbonara” fried rice.

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Adam Liaw’s quick chicken noodles

Serves 4-6
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

⅓ cup (80ml) vegetable oil
600g boneless chicken thighs, cut into 3cm pieces
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 bunch choy sum, cut into 3cm lengths
1 tsp chicken stock powder
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1kg Hokkien (egg) noodles
Salt and white pepper, to season
6 spring onions (scallions), finely sliced
3 cups (270g) bean sprouts
Chilli sauce, to serve

Method

Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat and add the oil. Add the chicken and fry for about 3 minutes until browned. Add the garlic and fry for about a minute, then add the choy sum and mix well. Add the stock powder, sauces, sugar and 1½ cups (375ml) water. Bring to a simmer. Taste the liquid. It should taste strong and salty (see tip, below).

While the chicken is simmering, poke a few holes in the pack of noodles and microwave for about 4 minutes. (Check your noodle packet is microwave-safe first.) Massage the bag to break up the noodles, then add to the braising chicken. Toss to coat in the sauce while the noodles absorb the flavour.

Cook for about 3 minutes until the noodles have absorbed all of the liquid. Season with salt and white pepper (if needed). Stir through the spring onion and bean sprouts and serve with chilli sauce.

Tip

The key is to make sure the braising liquid is flavourful. It should taste too strong and salty before adding the noodles so when the unseasoned noodles go in, it all ends up seasoned correctly.

This is an edited extract from Time for Dinner by Adam Liaw published by Hardie Grant Books, out October 1, 2024.

Want more time-saving meal ideas? Check out Broadsheet 's 30-minutes-or-less dinner ideas. Or for more affordable meals, consult our round-up of budget-friendly recipes.