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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.

overhead photo of 25 Minute Thai Black Pepper Chicken and Garlic Noodles with chopsticks in noodles

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.

overhead photo of 25 Minute Thai Black Pepper Chicken in skillet

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.

overhead photo of Garlic Noodles in skillet

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…

overhead close up photo of 25 Minute Thai Black Pepper Chicken and Garlic Noodles

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!

overhead photo of 25 Minute Thai Black Pepper Chicken and Garlic Noodles with chopsticks

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?

overhead photo of 25 Minute Thai Black Pepper Chicken and Garlic Noodles

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

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
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.

Ingredients

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!
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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    What a wonderful dish that is full of flavour. My husband absolutely loved it and has asked for me to make it again. Tieghan your recipes are amazing, please keep them coming.

    1. Hey Michelle,
      Wonderful!! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for giving it a go:) xTieghan

  2. 5 stars
    This was a big hit! My 11 year old even loved it. Easy to make gf and I omitted the nuts due to allergies and it was so so good. Will be on weekly rotation.

    1. Hey Adrienne,
      Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan

  3. 3 stars
    This dish was amazing and we all loved it. Super easy and super tasty. However I’ve halved the rating because when I worked out the calorie value, it was almost 3 times that stated in the recipe. I know it says the figures aren’t accurate but in this case it was no where close to the actual calories, which is important when you are calorie counting

    1. Hey Donna,
      Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! The calories are based on the calorie counter that we use:) xTieghan

  4. WOW. My daughter made this in a pinch tonight for the family – found the recipe by putting in what I had in the refrigerator – bok choy & chicken. We had everything in the house except cashews (subbed peanuts), rice noodles (subbed rice) and basil (subbed cilantro). It was fantastic! What a treat! Definitely will be making again as written, too – the sauce was delicious on so many levels! Thank you again, Tieghan, for making our family dinner time special!

    1. Hey Shelley,
      Fantastic!! Love hearing that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it:) Have the best day! xxT

  5. 5 stars
    I’ve made this recipe twice now and my company and I loved it! The recipe is fairly simple yet provides SO much flavor! Prep took me longer than 10 minutes but it’s totally worth the effort. I haven’t had the greatest luck with my noodles but that’s on me. I’ve never worked with rice noodles before this recipe and they’ve come out sticky both times but the flavor is still there and the dish is still amazing. I’ll try another brand of noodles the next time around. I also think that rice would work wonderfully but I’m determined to nail the noodles first.

    1. Hey Amy,
      Fantastic!! Love hearing that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it:) Try tossing the rice noodles in a touch of olive oil. Have the best day! xxT

    2. 5 stars
      Hi Amy! My family loved this recipe last night — clumpy rice noodles and all. I just wanted to say that the same thing that you described with the noodles happened to me as well, but — you are right — the flavor is still there and the dish is delicious! I read that if you add a bit of sesame oil to the noodles after draining the water, that it can prevent the noodles from sticking together as much. My one comment would be to prepare the noodles as the very last step, so then you can add it to the sauce immediately. That also might prevent some clumping. But, clumping or no clumping, I am making this dish again! 🙂

    1. Hey Nic,
      Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for making it! xTieghan

  6. Good Morning, I will be making this tonight I have a question , the chicken is it cut as tenders or in chunks. In the photo it looks like bite size…….I’ll check the video it looks delicious.

    1. Hey Annie,
      Either one is great, I like chicken chunks. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan

      1. 5 stars
        Well this was so easy and delicious made exactly as the recipe stated. We had leftover the next day and we loved the flavor really came together nicely ??I make many of your recipes and look forward to my emails on Sunday mornings.

        1. Hey Annie,
          Wonderful!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a winner. Have the best weekend:) xT

  7. What can I use in place of honey?
    My baby will be eating this too and they can’t have honey. I have agave syrup, would that be okay?

    1. Hi Hayley,
      Sure, agave would work well for you! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan

  8. 5 stars
    This recipe is a staple now in our house, it’s so flavorful and delicious. I typically skip the noodles and just do steamed rice to make this recipe come together faster.
    *Quick note, I found the recipe a bit sweet, so I’ve halved the honey. It turned out perfect!*

    1. Hey Julie,
      Nope, you can just double all of the ingredients:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan

  9. 5 stars
    Love the rich and layered flavors of this recipe. I’ve made it several times as it’s a big hit with the whole family! My only suggestion is to up the time requirement. I underestimate each time I make it as it takes more time to prep and cook this delicious meal!

    1. Hey Cindy,
      Awesome! Thanks a lot for making this recipe. I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Thursday❄️ xxT

  10. 5 stars
    W O W! A big hit! The title of this recipe was not inspiring too much, but after reading the ingredients I decided to give it a try. And it was amazing!
    Thank you for doing and sharing your passion with us! You are my go-to anytime I want something delicious (which is a weekly thing!)

    1. Hey Veronique,
      Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it. Have the best week! xTieghan