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This recipe for saucy coconut rice noodles and chicken has quickly become one of my go-to dinners. It’s done in 40 minutes, comes together with a relatively short ingredient list, and has layers upon layers of flavor from the basil-ginger coconut sauce. I’ve tested this recipe with all kinds of proteins and after many rounds of testing I landed on boneless and skinless chicken thighs because they’re easy to prep and hard to over-cook. Ideal for a stir fried rice noodle dish!
Coming up with new and unique dinner recipes that don’t feel like something you’ve seen before is hard. And often times, where a dish starts in the recipe development process is rarely where it ends up.
I intended for this recipe to be a cold coconut noodle salad fit for hot summer nights. But after many rounds of testing I found a coconut milk sauce isn’t all that good at room temp. To be at it’s best saucy texture, coconut milk should, at minimum, be warm.
So, out with the cold noodle salad and in with this stir-fried rice noodle dish. While it might look somewhat familiar at the onset, once you dig in, you’ll find it’s wildly aromatic, savory, and very fresh. I hope you enjoy this dinner as much as I do!
Ingredient Notes
- Rice Noodles: I recommend using rice noodles from Thailand. You just soak them in hot water to cook—which is how I’ve written the recipe. Instructions on how to use different styles of rice noodles are in the notes section of the recipe card.
- Ginger: contrary to what most of us have been told, you don’t have to rid ginger of every spec if skin before using it. Trim off the tough or dried bits of skin, then toss the knob of ginger in the blender. If you’ve got a reliable blender, the ginger—skin and all—will be adequately pulverized.
Step-by-Step of How to Make It
Add all the sauce ingredients to a blender.
Blend until very smooth, about 1 minute.
For the best texture, thinly slice the red onion root to stem (instead of crosswise).
Cook onion until softened and golden brown.
Meanwhile, start blanching the snap peas in a saucepan.
Add the rice noodles and let them soak in the hot water until al dente.
One caveat here—depending on the brand of noodles you’re using, you may need to soak them or boil them. If they are the Thai-style noodle, then follow the recipe as written. If you’re using US made rice noodles, you will likely need to boil them. In that case, boil them as directed then add the peas in the last 2 minutes so they can blanch.
Add the chicken to the onions and sauté until cooked through.
Drain rice noodles and snap peas, then add to pan with the coconut sauce.
Toss it all together and slightly cook to thicken the sauce; season with salt to taste and serve.
Stir-Fried Chicken and Rice Noodles with Coconut Milk
Description
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Ingredients
Coconut Sauce
- 1 cup canned coconut milk
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 1 (2-inch) knob fresh ginger, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 teaspoons lime zest
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 clove garlic
Noodles
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil (vegetable, avocado, or canola)
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into strips
- 1 ½ cups very thinly sliced red onion*
- 1 pound snap peas (5 cups)
- 10 ounces pad-thai rice noodles
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Coconut Sauce
- Meanwhile for sauce, add coconut milk, basil, ginger, lime zest, brown sugar, sesame oil, salt, and garlic to a blender. Blend on high until smooth; set aside.
Noodles
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch sauté pan over medium. Add onion, stir to coat in oil, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8 minutes.
- Season boiling water generously with salt, then add snap peas and cook 2 minutes. Remove pot from heat and stir in rice noodles; soak according to package directions until al dente.*
- Add chicken to sauté pan with onions; season with 1 teaspoon salt and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 6 minutes.
- Drain noodles and peas then add to pan with chicken. Reduce heat to low, pour sauce over top, and toss until everything is thoroughly combined and coated in sauce. Continue cooking until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt (at least another ½ teaspoon) and serve with lime wedges (from zested lime).
