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These pesto chicken stir fry noodles are served in a bowl with baby bok choy. This stir fry recipe is delicious and easy to make in ONE PAN. The Asian Thai basil pesto brings a kick of flavor and a dose of healthy antioxidants! A chicken dinner that’s quick, delicious, and nutritious. Serve it warm in a stir fry or even as a cold pasta salad.
Ahhh yea! ASIAN PESTO CHICKEN STIR FRY NOODLES… made into a stir fry bowl! It’s a better for you one pan pesto chicken dish. And quite pleasing to the palate, that I promise.
But ya, I know what you’re thinking, another pesto recipe? Let’s just call it a saucy concoction that’s immensely flavorful and packed with superfoods, mmm k? I’ll get all nerdy with the health benefits in a minute, but first, a little about life lately. Everything’s still up in the air with the husband’s job search, but that’s OKAY, because there’s nothing worse than settling, and neither of us want that, am I right?
So we’ve been celebrating little moments where we can, like a culinary conference in Napa that happened to coincide with the Kiwi’s birthday. So not only did I get to work with a MASTER CHEF and learn some new ways to add more nutrients to salads and such, I brought the kiwi along to relish in all things Napa. We definitely enjoyed our long weekend getaway, even though we may have had a few too many glasses of sparkling wine, LOL! But that’s what one does in Napa, ya? Another conference coming up, so it’s a busy month!
Okay then, back to the recipe… this Asian pesto is made with Thai basil, so it’s just another way to try something new, a fun way to venture beyond the Italian variety. And it all comes together in a dairy free, superfood packed pesto.
SO delicious, SO versatile, you can’t stop me from loving this stuff! It can be served hot, cold, on rice noodles, zoodles, on gluten free bread sandwich style, to flavor soups, stew, in stir fries, I can keep going if you want, no?
And just to get all nutrition nerdy on you, the basil is anti-inflammatory, boosts immunity, and is loaded with antioxidants, a triple whammy! And what better way to showcase an Asian pesto than on a chicken noodle bowl… errr I mean stir fry bowl? You get the picture.
What’s in this pesto chicken stir fry noodles dinner?
This pesto chicken stir fry calls for gluten free rice noodles, protein packed chicken breast, and bok choy, all smothered in this AMAZING, NUTRITIOUS, TASTY pesto! And ya, the bok choy increases the superfood powers of this bowl, but you already know I’m gonna sneak some extra nutrition into my recipes! It’s just what I do, ha!
Side note: Don’t have baby bok Choy? Feel free to use any type of asian cabbage. It’s all good!
Asian Pesto Chicken Stir Fry Noodles
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
4.5 from 2 reviews
- Author: Lindsay Cotter
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
These pesto chicken stir fry noodles are dairy free and easy to make in one pan. The Asian Thai basil pesto brings a kick of flavor and a dose of healthy antioxidants!
Asian Basil Pesto
- 1 ½ to 2 cups fresh Thai basil leaves
- ½ cup cilantro, stems removed
- 4 Tablespoons dry-roasted almonds
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 Tablespoon tamari sauce (gluten free soy sauce)
- 1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar (see notes for substitutes)
- 2 teaspoons sugar or honey
- ½ teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 Tablespoons sesame oil
- Optional 1 to 2 teaspoons sweet chili sauce
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Chicken Noodle Stir Fry
- 1 (6-8oz) package rice noodles (PAD THAI RICE NOODLES work great)
- pinch kosher salt
- 10 to 12 ounces skinless chicken breast (~2 medium chicken breasts)
- 3 to 4 Tablespoons sesame oil + more for noodles
- 2 to 3 Tablespoons tamari or gluten free soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic or garlic powder
- 2 to 3 baby bok choy, sliced in half lengthwise (see notes for substitutes)
- Optional Toppings – chopped green onion or micro greens, chili pepper flakes and chopped nuts
Instructions
Asian Basil Pesto
- Place the basil, cilantro, almonds, garlic, and tamari sauce in a food processor. Blend until mixed.
- Next add the rice wine vinegar, sugar, grated ginger and red pepper flakes. Close the lid, except for the the top hole, and place food processor on low. Slowly add in the sesame oil while food processor is going. Stop and scrape sides, if needed. Pulse until smooth.
- Add the sweet chili sauce for more spice or thinner pesto. Blend again.
- Taste and adjust the salt and pepper, if needed. This recipe makes almost 2 to 3 cups of pesto. The noodles will only need ½ to ⅔ cups pesto. See notes for storage tips.
Chicken and Noodles
- Cook the noodles according to the package (boil with water and salt for 4- to 5 minutes) then drain and run under cold water. Place cooked rice noodles in a large bowl. Toss with a few teaspoons sesame oil. Set aside.
- Slice the chicken into 1 to 2 inch thick strips. Place the chicken and ½ Tablespoon sesame oil, tamari (gluten free soy sauce), and garlic in a large deep frying pan or wok. Stir fry for a few minutes, turning once.
- Keep on medium to medium high heat until chicken strips are almost thoroughly cooked and no longer pink. Feel free to add in more oil or tamari if needed.
- Next add in the rice noodles and about ½ cup or more Asian pesto. Toss all together in the skillet until mixture is combined. Add in the sliced boy choy and cook covered on medium-low for another 3 to 4 minutes or until bok choy is cooked through. Alternatively, steam the bok choy last in a small pot with 2 to 3 Tablespoons water or broth on medium heat. Cover and steam for 3 to 4 minutes until softened. If using cabbage or large bok choy, it will take a more minutes to steam or stir fry.
- Serve pesto chicken noodles in individual bowls or together in one big bowl.
- If desired, garnish with chili pepper flakes, onion, micro greens, and chopped nuts.
Notes
Substitutes – Apple cider vinegar can be used in place of rice wine vinegar although taste may vary. 2 cups of another cabbage (chopped) or large bok choy equivalent to 2 cups can be used in place of baby bok choy.
Storage Tips – Store leftover pesto in a sealed container in fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Estimated Nutrition for Chicken and Noodles with ½ cup pesto (for 4 servings).To reduce sodium, use low sodium tamari sauce or coconut aminos.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: pasta
- Method: stove
- Cuisine: asian
Nutrition
- Calories: 420-430
- Sugar: 2
- Sodium: 700 -800
- Fat: 15
- Saturated Fat: 2
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 45-48
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 23
- Cholesterol: 33
And on to maybe my last pesto recipe for a while? Never say never, the wheels are already turning, LOL! You can never have too many on hand, or in your hands. Literally.
Ha ha, am I right?
Your pesto chicken stir fry noodles bowl is ready.
Have you ever tried an Asian pesto?
Whatcha growing in your garden this Spring and Summer? Pretty sure you can make it into a pesto. Just sayin…
Alright my friends, have a great start to your week!
Cheers!
Lindsay
