Name: Spicy Buckwheat Noodles With Chicken
Yield: 4 lunch main-course or side-dish servings
Ingredients: 3 cups chicken broth or water (24 fl oz); 1 lb skinless boneless chicken breast halves (2); 1/2 lb dried buckwheat noodles such as soba noodles; 1 tablespoon peanut oil; 3 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar; 1 tablespoon light soy sauce; 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce; 1 tablespoon chile oil containing sesame oil (such as Chiu Chow Chili Oil from Lee Kum Kee) plus some of sediment from jar; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1/2 teaspoon sugar; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 3 scallions (green parts only), thinly sliced; 2 tablespoons soy nuts (roasted salted soybeans)

Spicy buckwheat noodles with chicken in two bowls.

Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Frances Boswell

Liu Shaokun's delicious recipe for buckwheat noodles with poached chicken and scallions, one of Ruth Reichl's favorite recipes from her Gourmet years.

Recipe notes

See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips

53 Chicken Breast Recipes for Flavorful, Juicy (Yes, Juicy) Dinners
Reinvigorate your weeknight dinner routine—and finally use up that pack of poultry in your freezer—with our best recipes for chicken breast.
35 of Our Favorite Pasta Salads
These cold noodles and modern pasta salads make the perfect summer meal.
Scallions Not Optional
In these 73 recipes, green onions aren't just a garnish—they're integral to the dish.
What to Cook This Weekend: April 12–14
Swordfish steaks, spicy buckwheat noodles, and the cinnamon-cardamom buns Paris is going nuts for.

Smoked Mackerel Udon

Chewy noodles, tinned fish, and hardy greens in an umami broth.

Kung Pao Chicken

The salty, sweet, sour, spicy flavors of classic kung pao are easy to create at home. Let this recipe show you how.

Pad Kee Mao (Drunken Spaghetti)

Spaghetti is a common variation in modern Thai cooking. It’s so easy to work with and absorbs the garlicky, spicy notes of pad kee mao well.

Zaru Soba (Cold Buckwheat Noodles)

Cool off with this easy zaru soba recipe: a Japanese dish of chewy buckwheat noodles served with chilled mentsuyu dipping sauce, daikon, nori, and scallions.