Weeknight dinners don’t get much easier than these dump-and-bake sesame chicken noodles! You don’t even have to boil the pasta or sauté the veggies — everything cooks together in a single dish with just 10 minutes of prep. A family-favorite meal!
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If you love Chinese take-out inspired dinners, be sure to try this baked General Tso’s chicken, a pan of dump-and-bake Kung Pao chicken, this reader-favorite dump-and-bake sweet and sour chicken, sweet and sour meatballs, and a skillet of moo shu pork, too!
Of all of the dinner recipes that I’ve made over the years, these sesame chicken noodles are one of my younger two boys’ all-time favorites! They request them regularly, and can finish off the entire dish on their own in a matter of minutes. File this one away, because I know that your family will love the recipe, too!
Why You’ll Love these Sesame Noodles with Chicken
- Easy. This recipe takes advantage of my favorite dump-and-bake method to eliminate tedious prep work. There’s no need to boil the pasta in advance or to pre-cook the vegetables in a skillet. Instead, all of the ingredients mingle, share seasonings, and simmer together in one dish in the oven. The pasta absorbs the flavor of the sauce, and releases starches that thicken the sauce as it cooks.
- Simple Ingredients. Some Asian-inspired dishes require hard-to-find or expensive ingredients that can be difficult to come by in a rural grocery store like ours. Instead, these noodles utilize a handful of basic kitchen staples (no extra trips to a specialty grocer required).
- Flavorful. This meal satisfies all of your cravings — from sweet and salty to savory and a little spicy — the noodles are packed with delicious flavor.
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for these easy sesame chicken noodles. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Low-sodium chicken broth: the liquid that the noodles absorb as they cook.
- Less-sodium soy sauce: for salty umami flavor.
- Hoisin sauce: this is like a Chinese version of barbecue sauce, with a thick texture and a sweet-and-salty taste.
- Toasted sesame oil: gives the dish that classic nutty Asian sesame flavor, so don’t substitute with other types of oil. You can find this in the International or Asian foods aisle at almost any grocery store.
- Brown sugar: for a hint of sweetness that nicely balances the salty, umami flavors in the sauce.
- Garlic and ginger: for a quick-prep shortcut, look for bottles of pre-minced fresh garlic and pre-minced ginger.
- Crushed red pepper flakes: for a little bit of spicy kick. Add more red pepper flakes if you like your noodles really spicy.
- Spaghetti: this recipe is specifically designed and tested with regular spaghetti. Do not substitute with rice noodles, gluten-free pasta, or different varieties of pasta, or you’ll need to adjust the total cooking time and/or amount of liquid.
- Red bell pepper: for sweet, fresh flavor and texture.
- Chicken: I use the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken for convenience, but you can also cook your own chicken at home if you prefer. You will need about 1 lb. of raw, boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs) to equal about 2 cups of cooked, shredded meat.
- Green onions: for savory, mild onion flavor.
- Peanuts and toasted sesame seeds: for a crunchy, flavorful garnish.
How to Make Warm Sesame Chicken and Noodles
These sesame noodles with chicken and peanuts make the perfect weeknight meal! You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Arrange the uncooked pasta and red bell pepper in a baking dish.
- Whisk together the sauce.
- Pour the sauce over the noodles.
- Cover with foil and bake until the noodles are al dente, about 40 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Toss in the chicken and green onions.
- Return to the oven (uncovered) for a few more minutes, just until the chicken is warmed through.
- Garnish with remaining green onions, chopped peanuts, and sesame seeds.
Serving Suggestions
Pair the sesame noodles with a simple side salad, ramen noodle coleslaw, sesame ginger snap pea salad, roasted broccoli, steamed broccoli, or baked store-bought egg rolls.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: You can assemble the pasta dish a few hours in advance, or even leave it covered in the refrigerator overnight before baking. The pasta will start to soften and absorb some of the liquid as it sits, so you may need to decrease the baking time slightly. You don’t want to overcook the casserole or you’ll end up with gummy, mushy noodles.
- Storage: This meal is best enjoyed immediately from the oven. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- I do not recommend freezing this recipe because noodles have a tendency to get gummy and mushy when thawed.
Recipe Variations
- For a convenient shortcut, use jars of pre-minced fresh garlic and pre-minced fresh ginger.
- To feed a larger family, double all of the ingredients and bake the noodles in a 9 x 13-inch dish. The rest of the instructions remain the same.
- For spicy sesame noodles with chicken and peanuts, use more crushed red pepper flakes.
- Add extra vegetables. Other good options include sliced mushrooms, frozen baby broccoli florets (thawed and drained before adding to the dish), corn, and grated carrots.
- A splash of rice vinegar would be a nice addition to the sauce.
Tips for the Best Sesame Chicken NOodles Recipe
- This recipe is specifically designed and tested with regular spaghetti. Do not substitute with rice noodles, gluten-free pasta, or different varieties of pasta, or you’ll need to adjust the total cooking time and/or amount of liquid in the dish.
- Do not omit the hoisin sauce or sesame oil. These are essential to the unique flavor that we know and love in this type of Asian noodle dish.
- Total cooking time will vary depending on the type of pan that you use and on your individual oven. A glass or ceramic casserole dish will take longer than a metal pan, for instance. To know when your noodles are done, taste a bite of the pasta. The noodles should be tender and much of the liquid should be absorbed.
- Be careful not to overbake the dish or the noodles will become mushy.
- Do not season with salt until you taste the finished dish. The soy sauce, chicken broth, and hoisin all include sodium, so you likely will not need anything more.
- Garnish with the green onions, fresh cilantro, chopped peanuts, or toasted sesame seeds for extra flavor and crunchy texture.
More Dump-and-Bake Chicken Noodle Recipes to Try
Dump-and-Bake Chicken Parmesan Casserole
50 minutes mins
Dump-and-Bake Chicken Alfredo Casserole
45 minutes mins
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Dump-and-Bake Sesame Chicken Noodles
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 55 minutes
Sesame noodles with chicken bake together in a single dish for an easy dinner with just 10 minutes of prep!
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups low-sodium or unsalted chicken broth
- ¼ cup less-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
- 6 ounces uncooked spaghetti, broken into small pieces
- ½ of a red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
- 2 cups cooked and shredded or diced chicken (such as the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken)
- ½ cup sliced green onions, divided
- Optional garnish: coarsely chopped dry roasted peanuts; toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Spread the uncooked spaghetti and the red bell pepper in the bottom of the prepared dish.
- In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the chicken broth, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Pour over the pasta. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Uncover; stir again. At this point, you should check the pasta to make sure that it is al dente (firm but just about finished cooking). If it’s still too hard, cover the dish and return to the oven until pasta is al dente. Then, move on to the next step.
- Stir in the chicken and half of the green onions. Return the dish to the oven and bake, uncovered, for about 5 more minutes, until the chicken is warmed through and the pasta is tender. Give the pasta another stir, and then allow the dish to rest for a few minutes before serving.
- Garnish with the remaining green onions, chopped peanuts, and/or toasted sesame seeds just before serving.
Notes
- This recipe is specifically designed and tested with regular spaghetti. Do not substitute with rice noodles, gluten-free pasta, or different varieties of pasta, or you’ll need to adjust the total cooking time and/or amount of liquid in the dish.
- Do not omit the hoisin sauce or sesame oil. These are essential to the unique flavor that we know and love in this type of Asian noodle dish.
- Total cooking time will vary depending on the type of pan that you use and on your individual oven. A glass or ceramic casserole dish will take longer than a metal pan, for instance. To know when your noodles are done, taste a bite of the pasta. The noodles should be tender and much of the liquid should be absorbed.
- Be careful not to overbake the dish or the noodles will become mushy.
- Do not season with salt until you taste the finished dish. The soy sauce, chicken broth, and hoisin all include sodium, so you likely will not need anything more.
- Garnish with the green onions, fresh cilantro, chopped peanuts, or toasted sesame seeds for extra flavor and crunchy texture.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/3 of the recipeCalories: 487kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 42gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 80mgSodium: 1056mgPotassium: 673mgFiber: 3gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 808IUVitamin C: 29mgCalcium: 61mgIron: 3mg
Can this recipe be doubled and cooked in a 9×13 inch dish? 3 servings isn’t enough for my family. Thank you.
Hi, Holly! Absolutely! That’s what I do for my family. Enjoy!
Do you adjust the cooking time when doubling it for the 9 x 13 baking dish?
Hi, Lynn! You might need to add 5-10 minutes, but in my experience, I haven’t found that to be the case with this recipe. Cooking with the regular instructions has worked well!
Blair,
Can I add diced raw chicken in with the noodles to cook?
Hi, Karen! Yes, that should work well!
Made this last night. It reminded me so much of lo mein. Out west here, you cannot get good lo mein. Problem solved with this recipe. Needs no change. I will adjust very little next time I make it more like a lo mein, but remember it stands on its own as a wonderful recipe. My wife has very little appetite, but she sure scarfed this down. And I didn’t do too bad either lol. Will use this over and over. Thank you
Thank you, Ray! I’m so glad that you both enjoyed it. My kids say the same thing: “just like lo mein!” 🙂
This was really good! Mine turned out a little on the soupy side but I eyeballed the 6 oz of pasta based on the amount in the box. I may add shredded carrots and broccoli next time. Do you think that would turn out ok if added at the same time as the bell pepper?
Yes, that should work well!
Wow, just wow. This truly is restaurant quality. Unbelievably good and flavorful. I used boneless chicken breasts and sliced them, coated them in more toasted sesame oil, and cooked in the air fryer. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Thank you so much, Andrew! We appreciate such a kind review and are so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Loads of flavour! Added raw chicken and it turned out great
Thank you, Lisa! We’re so glad you enjoyed it.
Delicious and super easy! I might add a little more broth or bake for a little less time to make it more “saucy”.
Thank you for the feedback, Kathleen! We’re glad you enjoyed it.