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Weeknight style Thai Black Pepper Chicken and Garlic Noodles. The super fast Thai chicken noodle bowl that looks like takeout, but tastes so much better…and it’s healthier too! Quick-cooking chicken tossed in a sweet, tangy, and spicy Thai style black pepper sauce with plenty of broccoli, cashews, and basil. Serve this chicken over saucy garlic butter rice noodles and top with extra lime juice. Every bite is saucy, sweet, spicy, and hinted with basil. It’s delicious and healthy. Major bonus? This comes together in no time at all (under 30 minutes). Perfect for busy weeknights when you’re looking for something a little more special, but still quick, healthy-ish, and DELICIOUS.
Making Monday night Thai inspired food a thing and so happy about it. I’ve been saying this for weeks, but all I’m craving right now is colorful food, anything fun, and anything different. Any kind of recipe that I haven’t made before. With life in quarantine being much the same every day, I’m thankful to have food as an outlet for spontaneity. Just something different to break up the days, you know?
So yeah, long story short, I’m switching up recipes these days. I’ve made things like a whipped coffee white Russian, Mexican taquitos, and Italian style ravioli. I even ventured towards Cuban with my skillet cheesy Cuban chicken and rice bake and creamy coconut lime mojitos.
Cooking has been the only thing keeping me sane. What’s helping you guys?
Anyway, today we’re stepping into some quick-cooking Thai cuisine, and it’s truly my favorite kind of food.
The inspiration.
I’ve had this dish in mind for a while now. My oldest brother Creighton is here and this week he pushed me to finally create the recipe. He’s been asking for some new quick-cooking Thai inspired chicken dishes, so I obviously had to deliver up something good.
Enter this under 30-minute Thai black pepper chicken. It’s not super traditional, but it was inspired by black pepper chicken. Which customarily, is a mix of chili peppers, garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, fish sauce, and plenty of black pepper. My take has all these flavors too…but also some additional ones as well.
It’s saucy, spicy, sweet, a touch salty, and just about as delicious as a quick-cooking Thai chicken dinner can get. I really can’t say enough good things about this recipe. It’s one of those dishes that will become a monthly staple.
Why? Well, it’s simple, it’s quick, it’s pretty healthy, and it’s a dinner that most everyone can really enjoy.
The process.
First up, toss the chicken with a little cornstarch, turmeric, and ginger. Tossing the chicken with cornstarch allows it to get extra crispy and caramelize while cooking.
Now make the sauce. It’s simply, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and plenty of chili flakes, plus black pepper.
Pan-fry the chicken in a little oil until it is crisp. Add plenty of broccoli, a handful of cashews. Then pour over the sauce and let it simmer down and thicken over the chicken and broccoli.
As the chicken is cooking, boil some rice noodles and toss them in a hot pan full of butter and garlic. Yes, noodles, butter, and garlic…but then add a touch of coconut milk for a little more sauce and additional creaminess. SO GOOD.
By the time the noodles have cooked, the chicken should be done as well. Now, put it all together…
Spoon the noodles plus the sauce into bowls, then add the chicken and broccoli. Finish each bowl off with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and fresh basil or cilantro.
Enjoy. Immediately.
Yes, this is that simple and that quick-cooking. Honestly, this will take you no more than thirty minutes to make and uses a good amount of pantry staples too!
Notes and substitutions…
For the broccoli, while I love it with this dish, you can really use whatever vegetable you have on hand. Bell peppers would be my top pick, then asparagus, but you could also use mushrooms, bok choy, carrots. Really, use whatever you’ve got.
Now, let’s talk about the noodles. I like to use vermicelli rice noodles, but you could use any variety of rice noodles or even angel hair pasta. The noodles are meant to be saucy, so once you toss them with the garlic butter sauce, make sure to serve right away.
And you guys…that’s it. Takes less than 30 minutes to make and it’s not only delicious but fun too. We might not be able to travel around the world right now, but at least we can create fun ethnic-inspired recipes at home any night of the week.
I’m all about that. So, Monday night Thai food?
Watch the How To Video:
Lastly, if you make this Thai black pepper chicken and garlic 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!
Thai Black Pepper Chicken and Garlic Noodles
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 823 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons corn starch or flour
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1-2 teaspoons black pepper, using more or less to your taste
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil or extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 8 ounces rice noodles
- 2 medium shallots, sliced or chopped
- 2 small heads broccoli, chopped
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- zest and juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 cup fresh basil or cilantro, roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 3-4 cloves garlic finely chopped or grated
- 1/3 cup canned coconut milk
Instructions
- 1. In a medium bowl, toss together the chicken, cornstarch, turmeric, ginger, black pepper, and 1 tablespoon oil.2. In a glass jar, combine the honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup water. 3. Cook rice noodles according to packaged directions. 4. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken and brown all over, until it becomes crispy, about 5 minutes. Add the shallots, broccoli, and cashews, cook another 2-3 minutes, until the broccoli is charring. Pour in the honey/soy sauce mix. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until the sauce coats the chicken, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime zest, lime juice, and the basil.5. Meanwhile, heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the butter, garlic, and a pinch of red pepper flakes, if desired. Cook until the garlic begins to caramelize and turn light golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk, cooking 3-5 minutes, until warmed through. Remove from the heat and toss the noodles with the sauce. 6. To serve, divide the noodles among bowls and top with chicken. Serve with additional basil and limes. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on April 20, 2020
Just made this tonight for dinner, it was really easy to make and it came out SO DELICIOUS!!! I’ll definitely be making this dish of yours on the regular!
Thank you so much Amina! xTieghan
I’ve made tons of HBH recipes and honestly while this had more ingredients than most, I had them all on hand and it was FANTASTIC. The noodles alone had such a creamy flavor and the chicken, broccoli, cashew mix was fantastic. Next time I’d double the noodles.
That is the best!! I am really happy to hear this turned out so well for you Shelby! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
Are you sure the calories for this are correct? I ran the recipe through My Fitness Pal and I’m calculating 700+ calories per serving (for 4 servings including the garlic butter noodles).
Hi Linda! It is an estimate, but I will double check. Thank you! xTieghan
Just made this for dinner and it is SO GOOD. I’ve been making your recipes for a couple months now and I’d say this is definitely top 3. Thank you for sharing!!
Wow that is so amazing! I am so glad this one turned out so well for you. Megan! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
Saw this recipe this morning and made it tonight. My husband and I often cook together and one thing that we have been doing lately is to make new recipes together. Hey everyone this recipe is a keeper! Very easy, really good and so user friendly! I changed up the veggies, substituted chicken broth for coconut milk, and we loved it! Will go into our regular rotation!!
Thank you so much Susan! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Do u cut the chicken into strips before cooking?
Hi Jeanne! Yes, I would! I hope you love this! xTieghan
Unreal!!!! I can’t wait for tomorrow’s leftovers and for this to be a staple in our home. Thank you once again for an amaZing recipe.
Wow I am so glad this one turned out so well for you Lydia!! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
I have the same question as Toni about when to add the remaining black pepper. Only a pinch is added to the marinad. Thank you! Can’t wait to try it tonight.
Hi Molly,
Sorry for the confusion, the recipe is adjusted, add a pinch into the marinade! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Your better-than-takeout creations are fantastic!! I’ve finally been able to work my way through them and everyone in my house has raved over them! Can’t wait to try this one. Thanks for sharing your creativity and talent with the world!
Thank you Kelly! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you! I hope you continue to love them! xTieghan
Looks amazing!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE THAI food and live your 30 minute and also your better than take- out series!
Thank you so much Sue! I hope you try and enjoy this one! xTieghan
When do you add the 1 1/2 tsp of black pepper? In the chicken marinade, it calls for just a pinch.
Hi Toni,
Sorry for the confusion, recipe is fixed, just add a pinch to the marinade. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Happy Monday! This looks delicious, and I already have all ingredients but 2. I’ll come back later in the week to give it a rating after I make it!
I wanted to stop by to say that your cookbooks (especially super simple) and blog have been really great during this quarantine. Where I live in Florida we have a drive up farm that sells huge bags of fruit, veggies, or salad stuff for $10 apiece. I’ve been challenging myself to meal plan and make sure every single piece gets eaten! This is where your recipes come in. Last week I made the sesame chicken with roasted green beans, chicken pot pie (I added fresh celery to it), instant pot harvest chicken with wild rice (also added fresh celery)…just to name a few. Almost every night we’re chopping and grilling random veggies for side dishes too. This week I’ll be making this and the taquitos. Can’t wait! Stay safe! X
Hi Kristen! That is so perfect! I hope you love this recipe! Also, I am so happy to hear that you have been loving the super simple recipes! Thank you! xTieghan
Sounds Delicious! Is there any substitute for Coconut Milk? Thanks so much for sharing your recipies love trying them 🙂
Hi Jan,
You can use another milk that you enjoy! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Heyy! For some reason your newest recipes aren’t appearing on the homepage since the “Taquitos” recipe…. I don’t know if that’s a constant bug, though.. Just letting you know.
Btw, BIG fan!
Hmm.. that is so weird! Could I ask what browser you are using? I will look into this! xTieghan
Hello! Can you please do cherry puffs (they are very popular in Slavic cuisine!) and poppy seed roll? Please please please!❤️ I really love and trust your recipes!
Hi Taylor! I will try! Thank you for the suggestions! xTieghan