These chicken noodles are wrapped in a dreamy cashew butter sauce. Better still, they couldn’t be easier to make!
If you’re on the hunt for another delicious stir fry to add to your rotations, then today you’re in luck. Follow me…
Cashew Stir Fry Sauce
The sauce for this stir fry is nothing short of drinkable. The key ingredient is cashew butter, which creates the base of the sauce and not only offers a ton of cashew flavour, but it all helps create a smooth, creamy sauce.
Where can I find Cashew Butter?
You’ll find it next to the peanut butter in most supermarkets.
Can I make this sauce ahead of time?
You sure can! Just tightly store in the fridge then bring to room temp before needed. It’ll last 2-3days.
Process shots: gather ingredients (photo 1), add to mixing bowl (photo 2), whisk until smooth (photo 3).
Cashew Chicken
So a lot of the cashew flavour will come from the butter, but we’re also going to add in some whole cashews, just for good measure. I like to fry them off first for two reasons:
- Flavour – Frying the cashews will intensify their flavour.
- Oil – By frying them you’ll infuse the oil, which you can then recycle and fry the chicken in.
What cut of chicken to use?
I prefer using chicken thigh because it’s juicier and more tender than breast. It also doesn’t dry out as easily. If I’ve only got breast, I usually take it out of the pan after it’s fried, then add it back in at the end, just so it doesn’t dry out by the time all the veg has cooked. In both cases though it’s most important that you’re using boneless skinless meat.
Process shots: add cashews to hot oil (photo 1), fry until deep golden then remove (photo 2), add chicken to leftover oil (photo 3), fry until no longer pink (photo 4).
Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
Alongside the chicken & cashews, we’re also going to add some noodles, cabbage, carrot, spring onion and beansprouts.
What kind of noodles to use?
I recommend using thick noodles, just because the sauce can be quite thick and tends to clump up if you’ve got really fine noodles. I typically use dried noodles and cook/soak them as per packet instruction. Here I’ve used Udon noodles.
Tips for making a great stir fry
- Prepping Veg – Ensure you have all the veg prepped and ready to go before starting, just so it’s ready to quickly hit the pan when needed.
- Cooking Veg – Stir fries need to happen over high heat, so make sure the wok/pan is smoking hot before you start adding anything in. Cooking veg low and slow makes it limp and too soft.
- Order of Veg – Different veg will cook at different rates, so just make sure you add the more dense/firm veg in first (i.e cabbage/carrots) and place the softer veg in towards the end (spring onion/beansprouts).
Process shots: add carrot and cabbage to cooked chicken (photo 1), fry until softened (photo 2), add noodles and cashew sauce (photo 3), toss to coat (photo 4), add beansprouts, spring onion and toasted cashews (photo 5), toss to coat (photo 6).
Serving Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
To serve, I usually hold back some cashews and spring onion to use as garnish. From there, just tuck in and enjoy!
What can I do with leftovers?
If there are leftovers just tightly store in the fridge, then stir fry again until the chicken is piping hot, using a dash of water to loosen up the sauce if needed.
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for these chicken cashew butter noodles shall we?!
How to make Cashew Chicken Stir Fry (Full Recipe & Video)
Cashew Chicken Noodle Stir Fry
Equipment
- Small Mixing Bowl & Whisk (for cashew sauce)
- Wok or Large Skillet & Wooden Spoon (for stir fry)
- Bowl or Pot & Tongs (for cooking/soaking noodles)
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Ingredients
Cashew Sauce
- 1/4 cup / 2.8oz / 80g Cashew Butter (see notes)
- 3-4 tbsp Water
- 2 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
- 2 tsp Brown Sugar
- 2 tsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 1 tsp finely grated/diced Garlic
- 1/4 tsp Chilli Flakes, or to spice preference
Chicken Noodles
- 2 boneless skinless Chicken Thighs, sliced into thin strips (~7oz/200g total)
- 3.5oz / 100g dried Noodles, (here I use Japanese Wheat Udon noodles)
- 1 cup / 100g Cabbage, thinly shredded/sliced
- 1 cup / 100g Beansprouts
- 1/2 cup / 80g whole Cashews
- 2 large Spring Onions, thinly sliced
- 1 large Carrot, thinly sliced into matchsticks (3.5oz/100g total)
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/8 tsp White Pepper
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl add cashew butter, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, chilli flakes & 3 tbsp water. Whisk until smooth. It'll split at the start, then it will come together.
- Cook noodles to packet instruction (usually requires soaking or quickly boiling). Season sliced chicken with 1/4 tsp salt & 1/8 tsp pepper.
- Heat up 1 tbsp oil in a wok or pan over high heat. Add in cashew nuts and fry until deep golden. Remove from the pan and leave the oil in there. Add in chicken and fry until every part turns from pink to white. Add in carrot and cabbage and continue to fry until they soften slightly.
- Turn heat down to medium and add in drained noodles alongside the cashew sauce. Toss until the noodles are coated (add in another tbsp water if you need to loosen up the sauce). Add in most of the cashews and spring onion (save some to garnish) and all of the beansprouts. Toss until everything is combined then serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition
Looking for more?
You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’
If you’re after another delicious stir fry recipe check out my Pork & Pineapple Stir Fry!
For more similar recipes check out these beauties:
Noodle Recipes
- Black Pepper Beef & Broccoli Noodles
- Spicy Prawn Noodles
- Chicken Noodle Stir Fry
- Peanut Butter Noodle Stir Fry
- Spicy Pork Noodles
- Chicken Chow Mein
Nice textures and flavour combination in the stir fry, but the sauce was bland and a bit too sweet, too thick and too rich. If I make this again I will use normal soy sauce rather than dark soy sauce, and reduce the cashew butter with more rice vinegar.
Sorry this didn’t go down as hoped, Merryn. Hope it’s more to your liking with your adjustments 🙂 C.
Oh my goodness the sauce was DE-LISH!!!
Thanks Claire! 🙂