Get the Recipe: Chicken Cashew Noodles
A chicken, broccoli and cashew stir-fry with lots of udon noodles, all in an easy Asian sauce. A quick and easy weeknight meal that's ready in just about 30 minutes!
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 1-2 teaspoons Sambal Oelek, or Asian Chili Garlic Sauce or Sriracha, to taste for heat *see Note 1 below
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce, or tamari
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar, seasoned or unseasoned
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar, light or dark
For the stir fry:
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 Tablespoon cooking oil
- 3 cloves garlic cloves, finely chopped *see Note 2 below
- 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- 10-12 oz boneless chicken breasts, about 2 medium breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces (or 4-5 boneless chicken thighs)
- 5 oz fresh broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces, about 2 cups
- 2 oz cashews, salted or unsalted, about 1/2 cup
- 14 oz (400 g) udon noodles, or any long noodle *see Note 3 below
For serving:
- 2 green onions, green part only, thinly sliced, to serve
- sesame seeds, to serve
- chilli oil or additional chili sauce, optional, to serve
Instructions
- Start a large pot of water to boil to cook the udon noodles, if needed (generally frozen or fresh udon needs to be boiled. Cook per the instructions on the package.) Shelf-stable udon noodles can be simply soaked in a bowl of hot water for 5 minutes to loosen them up before adding to the stir fry.
- Make the sauce by stirring together all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup. Set aside.
- Tip! I add the broccoli from the start, as I enjoy it softer. If you'd like a more tender-crisp broccoli, wait to add it after the chicken has cooked for a minute or so.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan or wok over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken, broccoli and cashews and cook for 2 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink.
- Add boiled or soaked udon noodles to the skillet, then add the sauce. Toss well to coat the noodles with sauce. Cook for an additional couple of minutes, until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is thoroughly cooked through. *If using shelf-stable udon, they may benefit from another minute of cooking time to cook through.
- Serve topped with the green onion, sesame seeds and chilli oil.
Notes
Note 1: Sambal Oelek delivers a lot of heat per teaspoon! Adjust the amount used according to your tolerance for spiciness. If substituting Asian Chili Garlic Sauce or Sriracha, you'll need to use a bit more for the same level of heat.
Note 2: If you happen to have ginger garlic paste in your fridge, you can use 2 Tablespoons as a substitute for the garlic and ginger.
Note 3: You can use shelf-stable udon noodles (use 2 portions here) or fresh, frozen or dried udon noodles. Cook these according to package instructions, which in most cases is cooking in a pot of boiling water. Other Asian noodles will work here. Simply cook according to the package instructions and add to the stir fry. In a pinch, spaghetti will work. Cook according to package instructions to al dente.
Be sure to read the notes above this Recipe Card for more tips on making this recipe, along with step-by-step photos that you might find helpful.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 656kcal, Carbohydrates: 82g, Protein: 35g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 45mg, Sodium: 1852mg, Potassium: 460mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 17g, Vitamin A: 341IU, Vitamin C: 34mg, Calcium: 48mg, Iron: 2mg
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