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
- 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!
Ingredients
For the Asian Basil Pesto: RECIPE HERE or below.
- 1.5 to 2 cups fresh Thai basil leaves
- 1/2 cilantro (stems removed)
- 4 tablespoons dry-roasted almonds
- 1 tablespoon tamari sauce (gluten free soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar (see notes for substitutes)
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tsp sugar or honey
- 1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil
- Optional sweet chili sauce 1 tsp to 2 tsp
- Salt/Pepper to taste
For the Chicken Noodle Stir Fry
- 1 Pack (6-8oz) of Rice Noodles (PAD THAI RICE NOODLES work great)
- sea salt or kosher salt (pinch)
- 10–12 ounces of skinless chicken (2 medium chicken breast work best)
- 3–4 tbsp sesame oil (additional tbsp for noodles)
- 2– 3 tbsp tamari or gluten free soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic or garlic powder
- 2 –3 baby bok choy, sliced in half (length wise). Substitutes- 1/2 to 1 whole regular bok choy 2 cups asian cabbage, chopped (see notes)
- Optional chopped green onion or micro greens to top.
- Chili pepper flakes and crushed nuts for topping
Instructions
To make the Asian Basil Pesto: RECIPE CLICK HERE or See Below.
- Place your almonds, herbs, garlic, and tamari sauce in a food processor . Blend and pulse again until all is mixed.
- Next add your rice wine vinegar, sugar, and the grated ginger.
Then 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 your optional sweet chili sauce (Asian sauce) for more spice or thinner pesto. Blend again.
- Taste and adjust salt/pepper to taste if needed. This will make almost 2 to 3 cups of pesto. You will only need 1/2 c to 2/3 cup for this recipe. See notes for storage tips..
For the chicken and noodles.
- First cook the noodles according to the package (boil with water and salt for 4-5 minutes) then drain and run under cold water. Place cooked rice noodles in a large bowl. Toss with a few tsp sesame oil. Set aside.
- Next, slice your clean your chicken and slice into 1 to 2 inch thick strips (for stir frying). Place chicken 1/2 tbsp sesame oil, tamari (gluten free soy sauce), and garlic in a large deep frying pan or wok. Stir fry for a few minutes, turning.
- 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 your rice noodles and about 1/2 c or more of your asian pesto. Toss all together in skillet until mixture is combined. Add in your sliced boy choy or cabbage and cook covered on medium ow for another 3-4 minutes or until bok choy is cooked through. Alternatively, you can steam your bok choy last in a small pot with 2-3 tbsp water or broth on medium heat. Cover and steam for 3-4 minutes until softened. If you are using cabbage or large bok choy, it will take a more minutes to steam or stir fry.
- Serve pesto chicken noodles into individual bowls or together in one layered in one big bowl. Just be sure to toss all together before serving into individual bowls.
- Garnish with chili pepper flakes, onion, micro greens, chopped nuts, and/or seasoning if desired.
Notes
- If you don’t have rice wine vinegar for the pesto, try using apple cider vinegar. Taste may vary.
- Baby bok choy is easy to slice and steam. If you can’t find it in the grocer, opt for 2 cups of another cabbage (chopped) or large bok choy equivalent to 2 cups chopped. toss with noodles instead of layer on top as picture shows.
- To store leftover pesto place the remainder in a sealed container in fridge for 5 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months.
Estimated Nutrition for Chicken and Noodles with 1/2 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
Keywords: pesto chicken
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
