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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.
Do you use the sesame oil to cook the chicken in or is that normal olive oil?
Thanks!
Hey Catherine,
Yes, the sesame oil is what you are going to cook the chicken in. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
This was quick and easy. I used a mango-pineapple chutney in place of the jam. I ended up with a lot of leftover noodles, so I will use them in another one of your recipes tomorrow afternoon!
Hey Djienne,
Happy Monday!! 🍁 Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for making it! xT
I made this tonight for my husband and I… Very simple to put together and delicious! Thank you!
Hey Emma,
Happy Friday! Thanks a ton for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was a hit! ?Tieghan
I make this recipe at least twice a month; it’s my FAVORITE! I usually double the chicken and sauce because it makes the best leftovers. The flavors are so unique and the fresh basil, mango, lime combo is lovely.
Thanks Tieghan for the endless meal inspiration!
Hey Kaitlyn,
I really appreciate you making this recipe so often, I am so glad to hear it is always enjoyed! Hope you’re having a great Wednesday! xT
Such a delicious recipe! I’ve made this twice, and both times it turned out great! Lots of compliments from friends and family! This has become a staple for me. Thanks for sharing!
Hey Amanda,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for your comment and making this recipe. So glad it hear it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Delicious, made it for the first time! I used apricot jam, used salted/roasted cashews (didn’t have raw), and for the noodles used 1/2 cup of coconut milk (instead of 1/3) and added two extra cloves of garlic. I used vermicelli rice noodles, soaked them in salted hot water. No mangos. Garnished the top with thinly sliced green onions and slices of lime – YUM.
The chicken/sauce caramelized just right, but the chicken was a little overdone, so I’ll keep that in mind next time and add chicken a little later. I followed the directions for the heat to the letter… think that helped with the caramelization.
I ended up with a TON of noodle leftovers (used the 8 oz as recipe called for) but not as much chicken/cashew mixture was leftover. So, the next night, I sauteed a chopped sweet onion, more garlic and ginger then made another batch of the soy sauce/honey/jam and added that in to the saute of onions/garlic/ginger – it caramelized and bubbled perfectly. I then threw in another half cup of cashews and the leftover chicken/cashew mixture – then just threw the noodles in to warm up – the coconut milk/garlic sauce and the soy/honey/apricot sauce all mingled – added some more dried Thai basil. Topped again with green onions/lime – voila, even the leftovers were delish. This sure is a keeper recipe! Thanks so much, Tieghan!
Hey there,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for trying it out! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and what worked well for you! xTieghan
So delicious! It was my first time making this, and it was an immediate hit with my husband and friends! So easy, quick and delicious! Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
Hey Amanda,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it!! Have a great week:) xxT
This was so easy to make vegetarian/vegan and sooooooo delicious! I’ve made it with very thin vermicelli rice noodles, fatter rice noodles (like in pad Thai), and even just with steamed rice! Mixing in some broccoli is great too.
Thanks as always 🙂
Hey Kim,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
I haven’t made this yet but plan to make it soon.
I just wanted to tell you that I’ve made a lot of your recipes and not one has disappointed. My family loves when I make your meals.
Thank you for creating and for sharing such amazing food?
Thank you so much for your kind message Lauren! I love to hear that you are enjoying the recipes, thanks so much for making them! xTieghan
Tieghan, I make A LOT of your recipes and this was one of my all-time faves. I couldn’t shut up about it, and by the way, it only serves 2, not 6. Peach/Mango Jam was as close as I could find, and it worked perfectly. I also added a little more coconut milk to my noodles, as I liked them looser. So mine was probably 2000 cal per serving, but still totally worth it.
Hey Liz,
LOL thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Hello! I am an avid follower and lover of all of your recipes! However, I don’t think I’ve ever been able to get one of the recipe sauces to glaze like yours does. I’m confident it is user error, but I’ve seen others with a similar problem. Would you ever be willing to video yourself making one of these recipes so we can observe how you get your glaze nice and caramelized without overcooking your chicken?
Thank you for all you do!
Hey Sarah,
Thanks for giving so many recipes a try! You may just need to simmer them longer:) I typically do all of my videos on IG when I make my recipes. xTieghan
It could be your pan. I switched from a non-stick to enameled cast iron and it made all the differance.
Yes, Ashley, I agree!!
I made this recipe for dinner tonight-so delicious and so easy! I particularly loved the flavor of the noodles. The coconut milk is just so lovely. And the nutty hits from the cashews-perfection. I’ll definitely be making this again.
Hi Erica,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it!! Have the best day:) xx
This was so easy to make vegetarian/vegan and sooooooo delicious! I’ve made it with very thin vermicelli rice noodles, fatter rice noodles (like in pad Thai), and even just with steamed rice! Mixing in some broccoli is great too.
Thanks as always 🙂
Hey Kim,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan