25 Minute Thai Black Pepper Chicken and Garlic Noodles

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons corn starch or flour
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1-2 teaspoons black pepper, using more or less to your taste
• 3 tablespoons sesame oil or extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 8 ounces rice noodles
• 2 medium shallots, sliced or chopped
• 2 small heads broccoli, chopped
• 1/2 cup raw cashews

zest and juice of 1 lime

• 1/2 cup fresh basil or cilantro, roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons salted butter
• 3-4 cloves garlic finely chopped or grated
• 1/3 cup canned coconut milk

1. 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.
2. Now make the sauce. It’s simply, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and plenty of chili flakes, plus black pepper.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. By the time the noodles have cooked, the chicken should be done as well. Now, put it all together…
6. 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.
7. Enjoy. Immediately.
8. 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!
9. 1. In a medium bowl, toss together the chicken, cornstarch, turmeric, ginger, black pepper, and 1 tablespoon oil.
10. 2. In a glass jar, combine the honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup water.
11. 3. Cook rice noodles according to packaged directions.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 6. To serve, divide the noodles among bowls and top with chicken. Serve with additional basil and limes. Enjoy!