Next Post
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
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.
Do you think this would work with mango chutney?
Hey Adrienne,
Sure, I think that would be delish! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
So good! This will be a staple for our house. I used pineapple preserves because couldn’t find mango, added some steamed broccoli. Added some lime zest to the noodles, and used coconut aminos instead of soy sauce to keep it gluten free. Delicious!
Hey Alexandria,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe. I am delighted to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Another winner! So easy and so good! I made the mistake of overcrowding my cast iron pan so the glaze had a hard time reducing down to thicken. I added a touch of cornstarch with water and it thickened right up. Next time I’ll be sure to not overcrowd the pan but it was still SO good. Everyone loved it.
Hey Whit,
Happy Sunday! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad that it was enjoyed!! ☀️xTieghan
Made this for a Monday night recipe with some slight modifications, and it did not disappoint! One thing to note if your sauce isn’t caramelizing/comes out liquidy — crank up the heat and try a cast iron pan.
Hey Jennifer,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Another fantastic recipe!!!
Hey Marisa,
Happy Friday! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed. Have a great weekend☀️ xTieghan
Mago jam substitute ideas?
Hey Hillary,
You could use pineapple or even apricot jam in place of the mango jam. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I can’t get mine to caramelize! What am I doing wrong?? It’s so tasty and delicious but liquidy. What’s the key to thickening it and making it more caramelized? Thanks for your help!!
Hey Tami,
Is your pan overcrowded? You want to make sure that your chicken has enough room to caramelize rather than just steam. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan
This was one of the best recipes we’ve tried in a long time! Everyone loved it! Can’t wait to make it again!
Hey Audrey,
Awesome! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xTieghan
I have made this at least six times since it was posted. We love it with lime and cilantro, and mango is just gilding the lily. What a lovely recipe!
Hey Katie,
Fantastic! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a wonderful holiday weekend ?? xTieghan
This was wonderful! I used Japanese Ramen noodles and my family loved it. Found Mango Jam at Home Goods. This took a little longer to prep than 20 mins but it was worth it. Thank you!
Hey there,
I really appreciate you giving this recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
Could I use Mango Chutney?
Hey Stephanie,
Yes, mango chutney would be great here. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
This is a terrific recipe. I initially had the same problem with the chicken browning that a few other mentioned so I took it all out and cooked it in 2 batches to avoid overcrowding. That did the trick!
Next time I will double the sauce because it was so good. This is definitely a keeper!
Hey Jamie,
Happy Friday! I’m so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
Had a hard time getting the brown sauce to thicken. Didn’t look quite as pretty but overall still tasted great!
Hey Nicole,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a go, I am delighted that it was enjoyed! I really find that my cast iron skillet helps the sauce to thicken. xTieghan
Very quick and simple! My family loved it!
Hey Daisy,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a go, I am delighted that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
My family loved this recipe, I couldn’t find any ripe mangos at my local grocery store so I added pineapple instead. I also wanted a veggie so I added red bell pepper. So yummy! Those noodles were so freaking creamy and the flavor was perfection.
Hey Laura,
I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and I appreciate you giving it a try!! xxTieghan