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20 Minute Cashew Chicken Noodles. Chicken and cashews cooked in a sweet-spicy and tangy hoisin-based sauce, then tossed with ramen noodles. Serve this up simply with toasted sesame seeds. Oh, and fresh green onions too. Don’t overcomplicate it! The noodles and chicken are well-sauced, salty (in a wonderful way), tangy-sweet, and have just the right amount of spice.
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I often ask my family what recipes sound good. Sometimes, I send a list, but sometimes, I want to know what they’re thinking! It’s a nice way to find new inspiration. Recently, I sent my list of ideas to a few people: Mom, brothers, and cousins! I wanted to hear what was on everyone’s mind and what was sounding yummiest.
A handful of recipes seemed to stand out to everyone, one of which was spicy cashew chicken.
Originally, I was thinking of making the chicken and simply serving it with rice, like I always do. But then I saw some ramen noodles, and I figured that not only would the noodles be different, but wow, they would be delicious, too!
I debated using beef or chicken, but chicken sounded best to me. That being said, I think a beef skirt steak would be awesome here, too!
No matter which beef you choose, these noodles will be delicious! My little sister Asher loved them most. She adores ramen!
These are the details
Ingredients – for the sauce
- hoisin sauce – I used my homemade sauce (notes section of the recipe card) for this; it was delish!
- tamari or soy sauce
- vinegar – tip: use the ginger brine from a jar of candied ginger if you have some in the fridge!
- chili paste – I like gochujang
- garlic
- ground ginger
- black pepper and chili flakes
- sesame oil – or you can use avocado oil, olive oil, or butter
Ingredients – for the chicken
- ramen noodles – we love ramen, but feel free to use rice noodles if you prefer
- chicken thighs or breasts – or use a mix
- garlic powder
- ground ginger
- black pepper
- arrowroot powder or cornstarch
- tamari or soy sauce
- green onions
- toasted sesame seeds
Special Tools
Just a large skillet and a glass jar to shake the sauce in.
Steps
Step 1: make the sauce
This sauce is pretty easy; simply mix all the ingredients together, then add water.
I like to use my homemade hoisin sauce (look in the NOTES section of the recipe card), which I shared with you all. It’s divine, but any store-bought hoisin sauce works wonderfully, too!
Step 2: the noodles
We love ramen noodles with this recipe. They work so well and cook in about 3 minutes.
However, if you prefer, you can use rice noodles; those are great too! Cook the noodles until they JUST begin to soften. Make sure to undercook them a bit.
Step 3: Cook the chicken
Next, start cooking the chicken. First, toss it with garlic powder, ginger, black pepper, and cornstarch. Add a bit of tamari. Now, cook the chicken over medium-high heat until it is browned. Add the cashews and toast them up.
Tip: if you want to add a vegetable, I would mix broccoli or bell peppers in with the cashews.
Step 4: mix the sauce in with the noodles
At this stage, you can add the sauce. Let the sauce bubble up, then add the noodles and toss, toss, toss!
Get the noodles saucy! Once they’re well coated, pull the pan off the heat.
Step 5: serve!
I serve the noodles with green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
This recipe is definitely full of flavor yet still really simple.
Spicy, tangy, and salty are all the right flavors; they all hit so well together. Everyone thought this dish was YUMMY!
Looking for other quick weeknight dinners? Here are some favorites:
20 Minute Thai Basil Beef Rolls
Chili Crisp Chicken Mango Cucumber Rice Bowl
30 Minute Sticky Thai Meatballs with Sesame Noodles
Better Than Takeout Sweet Thai Basil Chicken
Thai Basil Beef and Lemongrass Rice Bowls
Lastly, if you make this 20 Minute Cashew Chicken 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 Cashew Chicken Noodles
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1/3 cup hoisin sauce
- 1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chili paste, (Ilike gochujang)
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- black pepper and chili flakes
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil (or olive oil)
Chicken
- 10-12 ounces ramen noodles or rice noodles, cooked
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs, breasts, or tenders, cubed
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- black pepper
- 3 tablespoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
- green onions, chopped, for serving
Instructions
- 1. To make the sauce. Combine all ingredients in a glass jar. Add 1/3 cup water.2. Cook the noodles for 2-3 minutes, until just soft. Drain and set aside. 3. In a large skillet, combine the chicken, garlic powder, ginger, black pepper, and cornstarch. Toss with tamari. Cook over medium-high heat until browned, about 8 minutes. Add the cashews. Cook for 2 minutes, until the cashews are golden. 4. Pour over the sauce. Cook until the sauce thickens slightly. Then, add the noodles. Toss well to coat and remove from the heat. 5. Serve the noodles and chicken with sesame seeds and green onions.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Not sure what happened but chicken with corn starch and soy did not brown at all. The dish was entirely too salty, almost impossible to consume over salty.
Just a complete loss.
Hi there,
So sorry this dish was so salty for you, thanks for giving it a try and sharing your feedback! xx
Hi Teghy, thank you for this recipe. It’s a bit out of my comfort zone with the cashews, but I gave it a go for lunch. I deviated from the recipe (I hope that’s ok) by lightly toasting the cashews in a hot skillet for a few moments to enhance their flavor and the general all over flavor profile. Again, I hope I’m not insulting you and your skills by doing something just a little different from your recipe. I think I will be making this again.
Hi Inle,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and making it to your liking:) So glad to hear you will make it again! xT
Recipe was incomplete. We had to guess on the amount of cashews and it resulted in an unbalanced dish. Please make more of a concerted effort to improve the accuracy of your recipes.
Hi Alice,
I’m so sorry to hear this and apologize for any inconvenience this caused. Thanks for giving the recipe a try! xx
Made exactly as written, I liked it and it was SUPER simple
Thanks so much, Marilyn! Love to hear you enjoyed this dish! xx
Question, what is “ginger brine from a jar of candied ginger”? Candied ginger does not usually have liquid, it’s dry and covered in sugar. Thank you!
Hey Kendra! The sushi style ginger I buy comes in a jar. Here is the link to what I use. I hope this helps you! Enjoy the noodles! And Have a wonderful week!!
https://amzn.to/4c0ZrzG
Is the weight of 10-12 oz. ramen noodles referring to the weight after it’s been cooked or is that the dry weight? Thanks!
Hi Keena,
That is the dry weight:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
Made as is, this is the saltiest dish I have ever eaten. It was pretty terrible. Maybe using low sodium soy sauce instead of tamari would make it better, since the one in my fridge has half the sodium/serving.
Hi Lanie,
So very sorry to hear this! I would definitely try a low sodium sauce in the future. Again, sorry to hear this recipe was so salty for you! xx
What kind of vinegar do you recommend? I see in your notes above you say to use the ginger brine from a jar of candied ginger, but candied ginger is a dry treat covered in sugar. I know you try to avoid refined sugar in your recipes so I’m surprised you’d recommend just pouring a jar of white sugar in a stir fry!
Do you perhaps mean pickled ginger? Like the pale pink stuff they serve to cleanse your palate between sushi rolls? Is this common in Asian cooking? You’re the expert in these unique ingredients so checking with you first!
Hey Mandy! The sushi style ginger I buy comes in a jar. Here is the link to what I use. I hope this helps you! Enjoy the noodles! And Have a wonderful week!!
https://amzn.to/4c0ZrzG
Um…you say if we don’t have vinegar we can just use the brine from a jar of candied ginger, but candied ginger doesn’t come in a liquid. Should I add some water to my jar and then just shake it up or something? Thanks Tieghan!! xx
Hey Sherry! The sushi style ginger I buy comes in a jar. Here is the link to what I use. I hope this helps you! Enjoy the noodles! And Have a wonderful week!!
https://amzn.to/4c0ZrzG
I’m so confused!! I don’t see any notes on the recipe card with the poison sauce recipe?????
Hi there,
It’s located here on this recipe page:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/general-tsos-chicken/#wprm-recipe-container-178024
Happy to share here for you as well:
Homemade Hoisin Sauce: In a small sauce pot, mix 1/4 cup tamari/soy sauce with 3 tablespoons molasses. 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter, 2 teaspoons hot sauce, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and a pinch of black pepper. Whisk in 1/3 cup of water. Simmer over medium heat until the sauce is smoothed and thickened.
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Hi! I can’t find the notes section that you talked about for the hoisin sauce recipe, would you help me find where that is? Thank you!
Hi Anna,
Of course, it’s located here on this recipe page:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/general-tsos-chicken/#wprm-recipe-container-178024
Happy to share here for you as well:
Homemade Hoisin Sauce: In a small sauce pot, mix 1/4 cup tamari/soy sauce with 3 tablespoons molasses. 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter, 2 teaspoons hot sauce, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and a pinch of black pepper. Whisk in 1/3 cup of water. Simmer over medium heat until the sauce is smoothed and thickened.
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
This recipe looks great and I’ve got everything ready to prepare it for dinner tonight. The ingredient list, however, does not actually include cashews 🙂 I’m happy eyeballing it, but you might want to add them.
Thanks so much, Bonnie! It’s 1/2 cup of cashews. Let me know how this dish turns out for you, I hope you love it! xx
Would you please add cashews to the ingredient list? Thanks!
Hi Jenn,
Yes, sorry about that! The cashews have been added, it’s 1/2 cup:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
How many cashews? Doesn’t show in the recipe ingredients
Hi Dana,
So sorry about that, it’s 1/2 cup of cashews. I hope you’ll give this dish a try! xT
What amount of cashews do you recommend? This sounds tasty.
Hi Gigi,
I like to use 1/2 cup of cashews for this dish! Let me know if you give it a try! xT
I don’t see any cashews in your recipe!!!
Hi Ann,
It’s 1/2 cup of cashews:) Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xT
Re cashews again sorry!
I assume you mean raw cashews?
1/2 c got it
Love your recipes will make this tomorrow ! Thanks!
Yes, that is correct:) Thanks, Ann!