Mango Drunken Chicken Noodles
Don’t get fooled by names
Nothing beats a good bowl of Thai noodles. Isn’t this right?! Thai foods are one of my favorites ever. And with its sticky, sweet and umami sauce, drunken noodles are definitely on the top of my list. That’s why I wanted to recreate this Thai cuisine take-out classic. This drunken noodles recipe is just what you need to satisfy that Thai craving no matter the day of the week.
My love for Thai food started around my college years. One of my firsts dates with the hubby was at this charming, dimmed and tiny Thai restaurant located at the heart of Old San Juan. After that night, we would visit that spot each time we got something to celebrate or just wanted to feel like we went away for a nice romantic dinner without stepping foot into a plane (and without the hassles of traveling these days, thank you very much!). I used to order a shredded crispy sweet and spicy duck and my husband would have a flambé duck that would use some coconut milk to turn that fire off. The textures and complexity of flavors just made me fall in love with this Asian cuisine.
That’s why I love having my pantry full of Thai and Asian condiments and sauces. It’s so easy to recreate our favorite dishes, especially the noodles ones, because they are super easy to make. It’s like you mix this with that, add meat and veggies (or just veggies for a full vegetarian dish) and you have a dish that tastes like you spent hours developing those fantastic flavors. By the way, for this post I was lucky to partner with Iberia Foods and use lots of their products to make this dish. Their vast variety allows you to recreate your all time international favorites without, again, stepping foot in a plane.
Why are they called Drunken Noodles
As it turns out, they are called like that not because you need lots of booze to make this dish, but because it was created to satisfy the particular cravings you have when you, lets say, are having too much fun. The sticky sweet sauce with the pasta supposedly helps in settling your stomach, but I can’t accept nor deny if I have tested that theory by myself! ;)
Hints on how to make Drunken Noodles
For this recipe I used regular fettuccine, mainly because I don't deal with rice well. But you can use rice noodles if you prefer or it it’s what you have on your pantry. The important thing is to use thick noodles.
You may swap chicken and cook these drunken noodles with shrimp, beef or double the veggies for a vegetarian meal.
I marinated the chicken with Iberia’s Aloe Mango juice because it smells and tastes amazing. Marinate for at least 30 minutes but of course a few hours or even overnight will create more depth of flavor, so perfect to make in advance.
Make it a completely vegan dish by using coconut aminos and hoisin sauce instead of the soy and oyster sauce.
Mango Chicken Drunken Noodles
Ingredients
◯ Chicken scaloppini or cutlets – 2 large, cut in strips
◯ Fine sea salt – ¼ Tsp + a pinch for the sauce
◯ Chili flakes – ⅛ to ¼ Tsp or to taste, divided
◯ Mango – ½, cut in thin strips
◯ Iberia’s Aloe Mango juice – 1 cup
◯ Fettuccine or thick rice noodles – about 8 oz. (for 3 to 4 persons)
◯ Iberia’s Sunflower-Olive oil blend – about ¼ cup, divided
◯ Blend of red bell peppers, onions, carrots or any other preferred veggies – 2 cups
◯ Fresh grated ginger – 2 TBSP
◯ Ground garlic – ¼ to ½ Tsp, to taste
◯ Soy sauce, preferably low sodium – ⅓ cup
◯ Oyster sauce – ¼ cup
◯ Chili sauce – ⅓ cup or more to taste
◯ Honey – ¼ cup
◯ Iberia’s Coconut water – about ¼ cup
◯ Fresh basil, chopped – 1 cup plus extra leaves to serve
◯ Half lime
◯ Mango strips to serve
Details
Total time:
50 minutes, including marinating time
Active time:
25 minutes
Equipment:
wok or large skillet, large pot for boiling pasta
Steps
To make the chicken drunken noodles:
Sprinkle the chicken on both sides with the sea salt and half of the chili flakes. Mix with some mango strips. Place in a large plastic bag or shallow container and cover with aloe mango juice. Let the chicken marinate with the mango juice for about 30 minutes.
When you are 15 to 20 minutes away from serving, cook your pasta according to instructions, remembering to salt well your cooking water (see notes). Drain pasta and drizzle a bit of the sunflower-olive oil. Gently toss and set aside.
In a wok or large skillet heat about two tablespoons of the sunflower-olive oil over high heat (medium-high if working on a skillet). Add the chicken and sauté, moving frequently until chicken is fully cooked. Sprinkle an extra pinch of chili flakes and add more mango pieces and toss for one minute. Remove chicken and liquid from pan. Carefully wipe pan out.
Heat remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over high heat and sauté your veggies until a bit soft and translucent, tossing frequently, about three minutes. Add ginger and garlic and incorporate. Pour soy sauce, oyster sauce, chili sauce and honey. Mix and cook for 30 seconds. Splash coconut water and sprinkle the remaining pinch of salt. Cook for about 30 second more.
Add in chicken with mango pieces. Incorporate noodles and carefully toss everything until well combined and all noodles look coated with sauce. Add basil and any remaining mango pieces and toss once more. Squeeze the juice of half lime and mix. Retire form heat. Serve immediately.
