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If you’ve ever made a glass noodle stir fry, you know the drill: soak the noodles, cook the meat and veggies, then toss everything together at the end. Tasty, but a little fussy for a weeknight.
This recipe flips that method on its head. These one pan glass noodles with ground chicken and vegetables steam together in a single skillet, then get a quick stir fry with sauce. The result is light, flavorful, and done with almost no mess. Think of it as a cozy weeknight dinner with all the comfort of glass noodles, but none of the extra steps.
How this recipe came together
I grew up eating classic bean thread noodle stir-fries, but I wanted to see if there was an easier, one-pan way to enjoy them on busy weeknights. Out of that love for cellophane noodles, this recipe came together.
Cooking everything in one pan makes the noodles soak up amazing flavor, and cleanup is a breeze. The only things to watch are using a wide enough pan, measuring the stock carefully, paying attention to the timing, and giving the noodles a quick toss at the end. Follow those steps and the dish turns out light, flavorful, and so easy — with noodles that stay springy and just the right texture.
Key Ingredient Notes
- Glass noodles (mung bean cellophane noodles): These are thin, translucent noodles made from mung bean starch. Unlike rice vermicelli, they turn glossy and springy once cooked. Look for them in bundles at Asian grocery stores or online.
- Ground chicken: I tested this dish with both pork and chicken. Pork is richer, but for this one-pan style of cooking, ground chicken works better — it keeps the dish light, clean-tasting, and lets the vegetables and noodles shine. Choose chicken with a little fat (about 93% lean, 7% fat) so it doesn’t dry out.
- Shiitake mushroom seasoning (or bouillon/dashi powder): A little shortcut ingredient that boosts umami without needing extra sauces. If you don’t have it, you can use chicken bouillon powder, dashi powder.
- Japanese cooking sake: Adds depth and a subtle sweetness. If you don’t have sake, you can use dry sherry or Chinese shaoxing wine.
How to make one-pan stir fried glass noodles
- Get your veggies prepped first
Since this dish is all about layering and letting the pan do the work, chop your mushrooms, onion, carrot, zucchini, ginger, and scallions before you start. Once everything is ready, you just add them straight into the pan — no extra steps needed. - Use a big, wide pan
A 14-inch pan is ideal. Anything smaller and the noodles and vegetables pile too high, which makes it harder for the steam to circulate evenly and cook everything evenly.
- Layer in the right order
Sprinkle a little salt in the pan, then add the mushrooms, noodles, ginger, onion, scallion whites, carrot, and zucchini — in that order. Finish by spreading the ground chicken in a thin, even layer on top. The order matters: mushrooms and noodles soak up the stock at the bottom, while the vegetables and meat steam gently on top. This keeps the flavors balanced and helps everything cook evenly. - Steam, don’t boil
Add the stock and sake, cover, and let the pan do the work. You’re not boiling here — just steaming until the noodles soften and the meat cooked through. Keep the liquid measured (about ¾ cup stock) so the noodles don’t get mushy.
- Toss to even out the noodles
The noodles on the bottom always soften first. Use chopsticks to gently lift and loosen them, mixing with the ones on top. This quick toss evens out the texture and keeps the strands from sticking together. - Break up clumps as you stir-fry
Once the lid comes off, drizzle in the sauces and stir in the greens. If the ground chicken has clumped, press it apart with a wooden spoon. Then give the whole pan a quick stir-fry — just 4 to 5 minutes — until the noodles are tender but still springy. - Serve it fresh
Transfer to a big serving bowl, scatter scallion greens and crispy shallots on top, and serve right away. Glass noodles are best freshly cooked, when they’re still springy and light.
What to serve with bean thread noodles
This dish is a complete meal on its own, but it pairs beautifully with a light soup and a few small sides if you’re putting together a family-style spread.
- For soups, try it with my daikon soup, bok choy soup, or a cozy bowl of wonton egg drop soup. They’re all light and comforting, perfect for balancing the noodles.
- For sides, I love adding soy sauce eggs or a bite of crunch from pickled daikon or pickled garlic. If you want something more filling, my rice paper chive dumplings make a fun and crispy addition.
FAQs
For this recipe, nope! In this recipe the noodles steam directly in the pan with the broth and aromatics. That way, they soften as they absorb flavor instead of plain water. It saves you a step and makes the dish more flavorful.
I use mung bean glass noodles, also called cellophane noodles. They’re made from green beans and turn translucent and springy when cooked. These are different from Korean sweet potato noodles (made from yam), which are much thicker and need to be boiled in water or cooked in a lot of liquid. They won’t work well in this recipe, so make sure to grab mung bean noodles for the right texture.
Glass noodles are at their best right after cooking — light and bouncy. Leftovers will soften as they sit, but they’ll still taste good for 1–2 days. I like them chilled or at room temperature the next day. If you want to reheat, do it gently on the stovetop with just a splash of broth or oil.
Try these cellophane noodle dishes next!
If you love this recipe, there are plenty more ways to enjoy cellophane bean thread noodles. Each one brings a different flavor and texture to the table.
- Glass noodle salad – light, refreshing, and with creamy Asian dijon mustard dressing.
- Pad woon sen – a quick, cozy Thai-style stir-fry.
- Winter melon soup with meatballs – comforting and nourishing with added glass noodles.
One pan glass noodles recipe
Ingredients
- 4 oz. fresh shiitake mushroom caps sliced (3 large caps)
- 4 oz. yellow onion thinly sliced (¼ medium)
- 5.2 oz. carrot julienned (1 medium)
- 6 oz. zucchini julienned (1 medium)
- 0.5 oz. fresh ginger finely minced (about 1.5-inch knob)
- 3 scallion
- Sprinkle Coarse salt to taste
- 2.43 oz. dry mung bean glass noodles cellophane noodles (2 bundles)
- ½ lb ground chicken (93% lean; 7% fat)
- A few rounds Ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tsp shiitake mushroom seasoning or bouillon powder, or dashi powder
- ¾ cup chicken stock
- 2 tbsp Japanese cooking sake
- 2.5 oz pea shoots or sunflower microgreens, or baby spinach (large handful)
Seasoning Sauce
- 1 ½ tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp mirin
- ½ tbsp toasted sesame oil
To Garnish
- Sprinkle Crispy fried shallots optional
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables: Slice the shiitake mushrooms and onion. Julienne the carrot and zucchini. Mince the ginger. Make a slice to separate the scallion white and green parts. Slice the white parts length wise into long thin strips for cooking; dice the green parts to small rounds for garnish.
- Layer in the pan (in order). Sprinkle 2 pinches of salt into a wide pan. Add the mushrooms, glass noodles, ginger, onion, scallion whites, carrot, and zucchini. Break the ground chicken into small bits and spread it in a thin, even layer over the top. Season with another 2 pinches of salt, a few grinds of black pepper, and the shiitake mushroom seasoning.
- Steam everything together: Pour in the chicken stock and sake. Cover with a lid and cook over medium heat until steam rises, about 10 minutes. Then lower the heat and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Season: Remove the lid, stir-in the pea shoots, drizzle in the soy sauce, oyster sauce, mirin, and sesame oil.
- Quick toss: Use chopsticks to toss and loosen the bean threads. The noodles at the bottom will soften faster than those on top, so tossing helps even out the texture. If the ground meat clumps, use a wooden spoon to break it into smaller bits. Give the pan a quick stir-fry and toss for 4–5 minutes, until the noodles are just tender (slightly undercooked for a springy bite) and the sauce is well combined.
- Serve: Transfer to a large serving bowl. Garnish generously with green scallion parts and crispy fried shallots (if using) before serving. Serve warm.
Notes
- Breaking up the meat: Spread the ground chicken into a thin, even layer. If it clumps together, it won’t cook through properly during the steaming step. Use your hands to separate the meat as much as possible when layering.
- Pan size & liquid ratio: Use a wide pan (12-inch minimum, 14-inch ideal) and add just enough liquid to create steam. Too much stock will make the noodles soggy, too little and they won’t soften evenly.
- Noodle texture & leftovers: Glass noodles absorb liquid quickly, so don’t overcook them — they’ll keep softening even after you turn off the heat. Leftovers are best within 1–2 days; I like them cold or at room temperature.
- Vegetarian swap: Smoked tofu (my favorite is five-spice smoked tofu) makes a great substitute. Dice it into thin strips before adding to the pan.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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