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Weeknight style 20 Minute Honey Garlic Cashew Chicken and Coconut Noodles. The super-fast chicken bowl that looks restaurant-style, but tastes even better…and is healthier too! Quick-cooking chicken tossed in a sweet and spicy honey soy sauce with mango jam, cashews, and lots of fresh basil. Serve this chicken over creamy coconut rice noodles and top with plenty of lime juice. Every bite is spicy-sweet, and the cashews add a nice little crunch. It’s delicious, healthy, and so darn easy. Perfect for busy weeknights.
One of the questions I get asked most often is where I draw inspiration from. Unfortunately, the answer isn’t always that simple. I get inspiration from almost everything. The littlest things can inspire an entirely new idea. Maybe it’s a brother recommending his favorite T-Bell menu item. Or a pretty color palette that inspires everything from the recipe creation to the way I style the dish. Honestly, there are so many things, which is why I feel like I’ll never fully run out of new ideas. You just never know where new inspiration will come from.
But for today’s recipe? The inspiration was simple and so easily explainable. A couple of fresh Thai basil plants found at Whole Foods. Along with some pretty champagne mangos picked up there as well. Two, simple ingredients inspired this quick-cooking honey garlic cashew chicken. And while it’s simple, it’s so flavorful and fun too!
Since it’s such a quick dish, let’s jump into the details…
With Thai basil being my inspiration, the flavors within this chicken are heavily Thai influenced. I always start out with the noodles. I like to use vermicelli rice noodles, but you could use any variety of rice noodles or even angel hair pasta. Cook them according to the package directions, and while that’s happening, start prepping the chicken. By the time the water has come to a boil you should be able to have everything prepped and ready for the chicken.
Next, drain off those noodles and start in on the chicken. For the sauce, there are just three ingredients…low sodium soy sauce (though I prefer to use low-sodium tamari – but either works), honey, and sweet mango jam. If you don’t have mango or pineapple jam on hand, try using apricot preserves. Mango jam is ideal, but apricot will work in a pinch!
I grab my mango-pineapple jam from The Little Market. I’ve worked with the Little Market for years. I love all the incredible things they do for women. They’re a fair trade organization that supports dignified income opportunities for women in need. They sell exclusive hand-crafted, ethically sourced, products from over 70 women-led artisan groups and social enterprises. Right now I am obsessed with their new line of jams and hot sauces. Every last one is so flavorful and delicious, yet made with simple, real ingredients. The Little Market jams actually come from women artisans in Eswatini Africa!
Alrighty…next, cook up the ginger and garlic, then add the chicken and a splash of soy sauce. The key is to caramelize the chicken and get the garlic nice and crispy, but not burnt. So, make sure to watch it closely as the chicken cooks.
Once the chicken has caramelized, pour in the sauce and simply simmer until the sauce glazes the chicken. This happens quickly, about five minutes or so.
While that’s happening, finish up the noodles
I toss them up in a hot pan full of sesame oil and garlic. Yes, noodles, oil, and garlic…but then add a touch of coconut milk for a little more sauce and additional creaminess. These are SO GOOD. A little unusual I guess, but so good.
By the time the noodles have cooked, the chicken should be done as well. The noodles are meant to be saucy, so once you toss them with the coconut sauce, be sure to serve them right away.
Spoon the noodles plus the sauce into bowls, then add the chicken. Finish each bowl off with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and Thai basil. Then, toss in some mango chunks too. Only if you’d like of course, but I wouldn’t skip them. I love mango…and spicy-sweet + fruity recipes are the best.
Now enjoy…immediately, it’s that simple, and that quick-cooking. Honestly, this will take you no time at all to make and it uses mostly pantry staples too.
And most importantly, this is just a really delicious, fresh, flavorful, and healthy dinner that you can mix up any night of the week. You might even already have all of the ingredients on hand too!
Pretty hard to beat that.
Looking for more super fast dinner recipes, try these…
15 Minute Cajun Hot Honey Butter Shrimp
15 Minute Garlic Butter Ramen Noodles
20 Minute Orzo Carbonara with Crispy Prosciutto and Burrata
Lastly, if you make this 20 Minute Honey Garlic Cashew Chicken and Coconut Noodles, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
20 Minute Honey Garlic Cashew Chicken with Coconut Noodles
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 531 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
- 5 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons mango or pineapple jam (or apricot preserves)
- 1-2 tablespoons honey
- 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 1/2-1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1 cups fresh Thai basil or regular basil, roughly chopped
- 8 ounces rice noodles
- 1/3 cup canned coconut milk
- 1 mango, diced
- lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Cook the rice noodles according to package directions. 2. In a glass jar, whisk together 4 tablespoons soy sauce, the mango jam, and honey.3. In a large skillet over medium-high, cook 2 tablespoons oil, 4 cloves garlic, the ginger, and red pepper flakes until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the chicken and 1 tablespoon soy sauce, cook 5 minutes until lightly caramelized. Stir in the cashews. Add the honey-soy sauce and cook until the sauce glazes the chicken and is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil.3. Meanwhile, set a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil and 1-2 cloves garlic. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, until golden. Stir in the coconut milk, cook 3 minutes until warmed through. Remove from the heat and toss the noodles with the sauce.4. Divide the noodles between bowls and spoon the chicken over. Serve with basil, mango, and limes.
This post was originally published on April 15, 2021
Made the recipe and it was delicious! I added some kale sauteed with miso, honey, and butter, and it was a really great savory addition! I recommend using very thin noodles – i used a flatter brown rice noodle which was fine, but not as aesthetically pleasing 🙂
Hey Lauren,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am it was enjoyed! xTieghan
I made this tonight and it was INCREDIBLE. I did use a tablespoon of pineapple juice instead of the jam because that’s what I had. But so dang good.
Hey Sacha,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This recipe is amazingly delicious. I made it with extra firm tofu (that I drained & pressed) & it came out really yummy. Thanks for another great recipe!
Hey Monica,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am it was enjoyed! xTieghan
I made this tonight. My dad loved it and my mom and I liked it. First, how do you carmelize the chicken? I’m wondering if I need a different type of pan (cast iron maybe?) Next, mine was a liquidy sauce. I added cornstarch but yours looks like it stuck to the chicken and wasn’t saucy. Do you have any thoughts as to why this wasn’t the case for mine? It seems like other people had the same issue. I ussd an apricot spread not a jam because that’s what I had. It has less sugar than jam and I wonder if that was art of the problem. Any thoughts?? All in all it had a nice flavor.
Hey Lori,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try. I really feel like my cast iron pan create the thick, sticky sauce that people are missing. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan
Love this recipe! Just made it tonight and added mushrooms for even more umami flavor. I wasn’t able to get the chicken to caramelize in the sauce, though, which I was really hoping for. How do you get yours to be “stickier” instead of just the sauce splashing over the chicken? Thanks!
Hey Emma,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am it was enjoyed! I feel like my cast iron pan helps get the sauce thick and sticky. xTieghan
As always – absolutely amazing! Loved switching it up and trying this cuisine. So delicious & easy to make! Definitely will become a regularly requested meal in our house.
Hey Alyssa,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am it was enjoyed! xTieghan
I really liked the flavors, but I couldn’t get the sauce to thicken. Any tips? That has happened with another Asian recipe of yours I’ve tried! I really like the flavors, but just want the sauce to coat the chicken.
Hey Becca,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am it was enjoyed! Try adding some cornstarch to thicken the sauce. xTieghan
Totally kid friendly… and that’s where I am in life. Super easy to put together and delicious. No one complained and that says a lot in my house!
My chicken did not have the same deep color but who cares when the meal is great!?
Hey Michele,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am it was enjoyed! xTieghan
So good! Next time I will buy mango or pineapple jam, I used apricot reserves
Hey Michelle,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am it was enjoyed! xTieghan
My whole family loved this recipe!! Will definitely be making it again and again!!! Thanks for the amazing recipes!!
Hey Lori,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Made this last night. It was insanely good. The garlic in the noodles takes it up a notch and the sauce on the chicken is delicious! I used regular milk in the noodles at Teaghan’s suggestion (given I can’t have coconut milk) and it was still so flavourful. 10/10 will make again!
Hey Katheryn,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Absolutely delicious! Loved all the different flavors.
Hey Angela,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy Monday! xTieghan
This was so yummy and the kids loved it! Wanted a tip as my sauce was thin and watery and the chicken did not have the glazed brown appearance that your pictures had…. Thoughts?
Hey Ashima,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! I find my cast iron skillet really helps with the glazed brown chicken. Happy Monday! xTieghan
Can this be reheated if using the coconut milk?
Hey there,
Yes, that will be just fine to do, just note your noodles could become soggy overnight. I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
i actually only have pineapple jam, not pineapple and mango. would that work for this recipe? if so, do i need to use less or more? the recipe looks great!
Hey Amanda,
I would just use an equal amount of pineapple jam. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan