Gordon Ramsay’s egg-fried rice noodles with chicken is a fast stir-fry of butterflied chicken, tenderstem broccoli and flat rice noodles with scrambled egg. The recipe comes from Ultimate Cookery Course and takes under 15 minutes once the noodles have soaked.
Ramsay shows the full method in a YouTube video linked to Fit Food. The secret is butterflying the chicken, flattening it with a rolling pin and slicing into thin diagonal strips. He says the thinner you cut it, the crispier and quicker it cooks.
The other key detail is the ratio. In the video, Ramsay says to aim for one-third noodles, one-third vegetables and one-third chicken so every forkful has all three. That balance keeps the dish light instead of a heavy pile of starchy noodles.
Gordon Ramsay’s Egg-Fried Rice Noodles with Chicken
Course: DinnerCuisine: AsianDifficulty: Medium2
15
minutes8
minutes490
kcal23
minutesA fast weekday stir-fry from Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Cookery Course. Butterflied chicken strips, tenderstem broccoli and flat rice noodles tossed with scrambled egg, soy sauce and fresh lime. One-third noodles, one-third veg, one-third protein for a balanced bowl under 500 calories.
Ingredients
200g (7 oz) flat, wide rice noodles
250g (9 oz) chicken breast fillet
Groundnut or vegetable oil, for stir-frying
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
200g (7 oz) tenderstem broccoli, halved lengthways
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 eggs, beaten
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lime wedges, to serve
Directions
- Soak the noodles: Place the rice noodles in a bowl and cover with hot water. Leave for 12-15 minutes until softened, then drain.
- Butterfly the chicken: Slice through the breast horizontally, leaving it joined on one side. Open it out, flatten gently with a rolling pin, then cut diagonally into thin strips.
- Stir-fry the chicken: Heat a wok over a high heat with a dash of oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add to the wok and stir-fry for about 3 minutes until golden but not quite cooked through.
- Add garlic and broccoli: Add the sliced garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds until crispy. Add the broccoli and stir-fry for a few minutes until tender. Pour in the soy sauce, toss well, then remove everything and set aside.
- Cook the eggs and noodles: Wipe out the wok, add a dash of oil and heat. Add the beaten eggs, season lightly and stir over the heat, letting the bottom set. Add the drained noodles and toss well, breaking up the egg as you go.
- Bring it together: Return the chicken and broccoli to the wok and stir-fry over a medium heat until everything is hot and combined.
- Serve: Plate immediately with lime wedges to squeeze over the top.
FAQs
Why does Gordon Ramsay butterfly the chicken for this stir-fry?
Butterflying means slicing the breast in half horizontally so it opens like a book, then flattening it with a rolling pin. This gives you thinner, more even pieces that cook in the same 3 minutes as the garlic and broccoli. Thick chunks would still be raw in the centre by the time the outside burns.
In the video, Ramsay says “the thinner we’re slicing the chicken, the crispier it gets, the quicker it cooks.” He also points out that one butterflied breast serves two or three because the strips spread further. His sticky lemon chicken uses a similar quick-cook approach with thin chicken pieces.
What is Ramsay’s one-third rule for stir-fries?
In the video, he says to build the dish with one-third noodles, one-third vegetables and one-third protein. This keeps the bowl balanced rather than a heavy pile of noodles with bits of chicken hidden underneath. If you want a similar ratio with rice instead of noodles, his egg fried rice from the same cookbook follows the same approach.
The broccoli does double duty here because it adds bulk, colour and crunch without extra calories. Tenderstem works best since you just halve it lengthways, but regular broccoli cut into small florets works too.
Why does Ramsay add the broccoli raw instead of blanching it?
In the video he says it “might feel strange putting raw broccoli in” but he wants that crunch. Blanching in boiling water softens broccoli too much for a stir-fry where everything cooks fast. Adding it raw to the hot wok with the soy sauce gives you tender stems with a bite, not soggy florets.
The soy sauce also helps here. Ramsay adds it during the broccoli stage because it “stains beautifully,” giving the broccoli a rich golden colour while it cooks. For a cold noodle option that skips the wok entirely, his soba noodle salad dresses the noodles with sesame and mirin instead.
Why does Ramsay cook the eggs separately in the wok?
He removes the chicken and broccoli, wipes the wok clean, then adds fresh oil and the beaten eggs before the noodles go in. The eggs cook on the base of the wok first, then the noodles go on top. Everything gets tossed together, breaking the egg into ribbons throughout.
This is different from his egg fried rice where he scrambles the eggs in a well in the centre of the rice. Here the egg “almost brings the dish together” as he describes it, coating the noodles rather than sitting in separate chunks. The result is silky rather than scrambled.
Does this stir-fry store well?
Not really. Rice noodles absorb moisture and go soft within hours, and the broccoli loses its crunch overnight. This is best eaten straight from the wok, which is the whole point of a 15-minute dish.
If you do have leftovers, reheat in a hot wok with a splash of oil rather than microwaving. The high heat can bring back some crispness. For Asian dishes that hold better as leftovers, his chilli beef lettuce wraps keep the filling and shells separate until serving.
