20 Minute Cashew Chicken Zoodles
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Cashew Chicken Zoodles are a super easy to make and delicious weeknight dinner recipe. They're loaded with healthy and low carb veggie noodles smothered in a creamy cashew sauce that is totally crave-worthy. This is our favorite chicken and zoodles recipe!
Chicken and zoodles! Chicken and zoodles! Just try not to have fun saying the word zoodles. #impossible
I used to call them zucchini noodles. That was before I shared that recipe for Coconut Thai Chicken Zoodle Soup and realized how fun it is to say zoodles.
They're even more fun to eat. I mean really, what's better than twirling noodles around your fork and knowing that they're good for you. I know there are tons of zoodles recipes with chicken out there, but this one really is great. It's quickly jumped to the top of my favorites list!
What are Cashew Chicken Zoodles?
- THE BEST cashew sauce ever. Creamy, luscious, tasty and make with cashew butter so you can make it even if you don't have a crazy powerful blender. (but you can use whole cashews if you have them on hand and a blender that will puree them.)
- Juicy bites of chicken wrapped in the best cashew sauce ever.
- All the zoodles and carrot noodles (coodles?) tossed in more of that creamy sauce.
- Crunchy, salted cashews. Because yum.
How to make zoodes and carrot noodles
Unless you're some sort of wizard with a knife, you're going to want something to help you turn your veggies into noodles. You have three options:
The spiralizer I have is the Paderno Spiralizer and it works great for turning hard vegetables into noodles. Think carrots, beets, and yams. You can use it for zucchini too, but I find my inexpensive julienne peeler works much better on soft veggies.
What if you don't have a spiralizer?
While it will be hard (next to impossible. not going to lie) to make zoodles without one of those tools I listed up here, all is not lost. You can still make this by thinly slicing the zucchini and carrots into rounds. While you won't get the fork-twirling fun, you'll get all the delicious flavor.
The quickest way to make cashew chicken zoodles
You're going to want to keep this zoodle recipe with chicken in your back pocket. When the day is long, and you're hungry and tired, this is the recipe you want to make. Not that you can't make it with hours on your hands (does anyone have hours on their hands? #dream) but a healthy and delicious 20-minute recipe is one you want to keep close by.
The key to getting dinner on the table FAST is to work as you're cooking. Don't spend 20 minutes prepping everything before you start. Since the chicken needs to cook for nearly 10 minutes, use that time to prep! Multi-task, my friends!
1. Put some oil in a pan and pop in the chicken. I use a pair of kitchen sears to cut the chicken right into the pan. Less mess = less cleanup!
2. While the chicken is cooking, spiralize the zucchinis and carrots. You'll be done right on time. If you have an extra minute, take out the ingredients for the sauce and have them on hand.
3. Put the sauce ingredients into the pan. You could mix them together in a bowl first, but why. Back to my less mess philosophy.
4. Add your spiralized veggies and let them soften for 3-4 minutes and you, my friend, have made yourself the most delicious 20 minute dinner ever!
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Healthy veggie noodle recipes
- Coconut Curry No Cook Veggie Noodles
- Sweet Potato Noodles with Sriracha Cilantro Cashew āCream' Sauce
- Coconut Thai Chicken Zoodle Soup
- Carrot Noodles with Thai Peanut Sauce
- Zoodles with Dairy Free Tomato Cream Sauce
20 Minute Cashew Chicken Zoodles Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil
- 4 boneless chicken thighs (or 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 2 medium zucchinis (spiralized)
- 2 medium carrots (spiralized)
- Ā½ cup roasted cashews
- Ā¼ cup chopped cilantro
The Sauce
- Ā½ cup chicken stock or water
- 4 tablespoons cashew butter (can sub almond butter)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (gluten-free, if needed. Coco aminos for paleo and Whole30)
- 1 teaspoon hot chili sauce
- 1 teaspoon honey (omit for Whole30)
- Juice from 1 lime
- 2 cloves garlic (grated on a Microplane or finely minced)
Instructions
- Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is no longer pink, about 7 minutes.1 teaspoon avocado oil, 4 boneless chicken thighs
- While the chicken is cooking, spiralize the zucchinis and carrots.2 medium zucchinis, 2 medium carrots
- When the chicken is cooked, remove the pan from the heat and push the chicken to one side of the pan. Add all the sauce ingredients to the pan and stir them together.Ā½ cup chicken stock or water, 4 tablespoons cashew butter, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon hot chili sauce, 1 teaspoon honey, Juice from 1 lime, 2 cloves garlic
- Put the pan back on the heat and stir the chicken through the sauce. Once the sauce thickens (about 1 min) add the veggie noodles to the pan and toss to coat them in the sauce. Let them cook for 3-4 minutes, or until they start to soften. Toss with the cashews and cilantro and serve right away.Ā½ cup roasted cashews, Ā¼ cup chopped cilantro
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
