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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.
I should have read the comments. The chicken with the cornstarch stuck to the bottom of the pan. I had a feeling about adding oil, but I always follow a recipe exactly as it is when I first make it. It wasn’t bad despite but will add oil next time I make it
Hi Caroline,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear you had issues with the chicken sticking, I hope you’ll make it again! xx
We thought this was really delicious, although I did make a few adjustments to the recipe, using only a pound of chicken breasts, 3 3oz packs of ramen noodles and a small amount of cornstarch. And after reading several comments complaining that the chicken had burned to the pan, I added some olive oil before browning it, and it still burnt, even on a super slick nonstick skillet. I honestly don’t see how you can brown the chicken coated with lots of cornstarch and no oil in the pan, even with the addition of soy sauce. Anyway, we loved the final result and I’ll definitely be making it again.
Hi Helen,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your comment, I’m so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xx
This was absolutely delicious! I scaled back on the soy sauce a bit and tasted as I went. Holy moly! This is easily a household favorite!
Hey Ashley,
Amazing! Thank you so much for making this dish and sharing your feedback! So glad it turned out well for you! xx
My arrowroot tossed chicken stuck horribly to my pan. Are you supposed to add oil to the pan?
Hi Nicole,
So sorry to hear this!! Next time, I would add a splash of oil, that should help prevent the sticking! xx
This was SUPER salty tasting. Any tweaks you can recommend?? I still like a lot of sauce so don’t want to mess with the volume too much.
Hi Mary,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, next time I would use low sodium soy sauce. I hope this helps!
Delicious! One of our new favorites!
Hi Stephanie,
Happy Monday! So glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it and your comment!!
Really was looking forward to this meal. I used low sodium soy sauce instead of tamari. The recipe came out very salty tasting. Not sure what I may have done wrong. Any suggestions?
Hi Melissa,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback. So sorry it was so salty for you. Next time, I would use low sodium soy sauce. I hope this helps!
This was a huge hit at dinner this week! So easy to make, and super tasty!! Even my picky 7 year old loved it!
Hi Angie,
Fantastic!! I am so glad to hear this recipe was a winner, thanks for making it and your comment! x
I just made this for dinner and it’s super good! It came together very fast, and the cashews make it! I used Kikkoman organic soy sauce and mine wasn’t too salty at all! Thank you for the recipes!
Hi Valerienne,
Fantastic!! I am so glad to hear this recipe was a winner, thanks for making it and your comment! x
Family loved this one
Hi Megan,
Happy Tuesday!! Thanks for giving this recipe a try, so glad to hear it turned out nicely for you!
Second time making it tonight! We loved it.
Hi Kelly,
Happy Tuesday!! Thanks for giving this recipe a try, so glad to hear it turned out nicely for you!
Added bell peppers and broccoli and used rice noodles. It was so yummy! Definitely adding to the rotation.
Thanks so much, Chamdra! Love to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for trying it! Have the best week:)
Thank you for the great recipes! This was so good!! I drop off a dinner at least once a week to my daughter (two school age kids in sports and full time jobs leave little time to cook during the week)! This recipe received the elusive chef’s kiss from my foodie son-in-law!! 👍👍🤣
Hey Gina,
Happy Sunday!! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it turned out well! xx
This was amazing as written. Everyone in my family loved it. Every receipe I’ve tried has been wonderful. Thank you for creating the best dinners ever.
Hey Christine,
Happy Sunday!! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it turned out well! xx
I was really looking forward to making this recipe. I gathered all the ingredients and followed it carefully. When I got to the part of the recipe that called for cooking the chicken with seasoning and soy sauce, it never said to add any oil to the pan first.. so it stuck and browned to the bottom of the pan. Then adding the sauce caused that to stick before I could add the noodles… which seemed like way to many for the sauce to cover.. it was kind of a disaster.. it looked really good in the photo though..
Hi Melody,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback. So sorry to hear you had some issues. What kind of pan did you use? I think using cast iron works best here. Again, so sorry! xx
The same thing happened to me. I thought adding the chicken and ingredients to the pan to then toss with the tamari (especially when it included cornstarch and a liquids) seemed like the wrong thing to do. I’m thinking we needed to toss the chicken and dry ingredients in a bowl and then add to the pan to cook with tamari. I could be wrong though.