Last updated January 17th, 2025
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Make this spicy cashew pasta with crispy chicken for a satisfying, high protein dinner you can cook in under 30 minutes.
You can always count on us for unique pasta recipes, thanks to our Pasta of the Month series. This month’s pasta was inspired by one of our latest obsessions: spicy cashew butter sauce! Using our favorite cashew butter dressing recipe as a starting point, we created a super satisfying, high protein spicy cashew pasta with crispy chicken that you can make in under 30 minutes.
Contrasting textures like this creamy cashew pasta sauce paired with super crispy pan fried chicken make a dish so much more exciting to eat. It’s creamy and decadent, with crunchy bites of chicken and a bit of fresh parsley flavor to brighten things up.
Once you try this creamy cashew pasta, you won’t want to go back to regular pasta sauce! And you’re going to want every excuse to make this crispy chicken again and again. It’s that good.
What This Recipe Entails
Our spicy cashew pasta with crispy chicken is one of the best quick and easy dinners you can make in under 30 minutes. All it takes is whipping up a quick sauce, boiling the pasta, and pan-frying super thin crispy chicken breast.
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 18 minutes
It will take about 5 minutes to make the sauce, 5 minutes to prep the chicken, 12 minutes to boil the pasta, and 6 minutes to cook the chicken. If you time things right, you can prep and cook the chicken while the pasta is boiling. Then this dinner will come together in less than 20 minutes!
Spicy Cashew Pasta with Crispy Chicken Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make spicy cashew pasta with crispy chicken:
- Spicy cashew sauce – We actually use our Sweetgreen spicy cashew dressing copycat recipe for the pasta sauce! It’s ultra creamy even though it’s made without milk or heavy cream. Cashew butter for the win!
- Pasta – We recommend a long, thick noodle like fettuccine or linguine for this dish. You want something the sauce can cling to well.
- Crispy chicken – A simple pan fried chicken breast coated in egg, flour, and breadcrumbs and fried to perfection
Note that you’ll need a few pantry ingredients to make our spicy cashew dressing recipe. (It’s quite spicy, so hold back on the red pepper flakes if you want a less spicy version to use in this pasta).
How To Make Spicy Cashew Pasta with Crispy Chicken
Making our crispy chicken pasta recipe is a simple 4-step process:
- Make the sauce. Follow our spicy cashew butter dressing recipe for details.
- Boil the noodles. Cook according to package directions, then drain and set aside. Make sure to reserve some pasta water for using later in the sauce.
- Make the chicken. Coat the chicken in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs before pan frying in about a quarter inch of vegetable oil. We like to use our 10-inch cast iron skillet to fry 2 cutlets at a time.
- Combine and serve. Stir the cashew butter dressing into the boiled noodles, adding a splash or two of pasta water to thin it out and help it cling. Slice the crispy chicken into strips and serve over the pasta, drizzled with extra cashew sauce.
Serving Suggestions
This spicy cashew pasta is the perfect dinner for when you’re craving a comforting, high protein meal. Enjoy it by itself, or serve it with a side salad or Italian bread if you want a little something extra.
Storing and Reheating
Store leftover cashew pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. We recommend storing leftover crispy chicken in a separate container from the pasta so that it doesn’t become soggy from being in contact with the pasta sauce. The chicken will also stay good for up to 5 days.
To reheat, combine pasta and crispy chicken in a bowl and microwave single servings for about 2 minutes, stirring halfway through. Or, reheat crispy chicken in an air fryer or toaster oven until warmed through, then add on top of microwaved pasta.
Expert Tips
- Pound the chicken breast thin before coating it. Aim for about a quarter inch thickness and it will fry in just a few minutes.
- Set up an assembly line with 3 shallow dishes to efficiently coat the chicken in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs. Gently shake off excess before transferring the chicken from one dish to the next, and make sure it’s completely coated before frying.
- Make sure the oil is very hot before adding the chicken to the pan. This helps crisp the chicken immediately and lock in the moisture for a perfectly tender cook. If it’s not hot enough, the chicken will soak up too much oil as it cooks and will become soggy.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This creamy pasta with spicy cashew sauce and crispy pan fried chicken is so satisfying! It’s packed with protein which makes it perfect for when you’re craving something hearty. Plus, you can cook this pasta dinner in under 30 minutes. What’s not to love about that?
Try our spicy cashew pasta with crispy chicken recipe and don’t forget to rate, comment, and share below!
Love this recipe? You may enjoy these recipes, too:
- Creamy Roasted Red Pepper & Spinach Pasta
- One Pot Spinach & Artichoke Pasta
- Italian Sausage and Peppers Pasta
- Eggless Spaghetti Carbonara
- Sweetgreen Crispy Rice Bowl Copycat Recipe
To browse more of our latest recipes and seasonal dishes, visit our homepage here.
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Spicy Cashew Pasta With Crispy Chicken
Equipment
- Pasta pot
- Cast iron pan 10-inch
Ingredients
- ½ pound fettuccine
- ½ pound chicken breast pounded to quarter-inch thickness
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 2 large eggs beaten well
- ⅔ cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1 cup spicy cashew dressing
- ¼ cup pasta water
- Vegetable oil
- Fresh parsley chopped (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook according to package directions.
- In the meantime, prepare the crispy chicken. In one shallow bowl or dish, whisk together the flour, salt, and pepper. In a second shallow dish, beat the eggs. In a third shallow dish, add the breadcrumbs.Coat the chicken well in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. Gently shake off any excess before transferring the chicken from one dish to the next, and make sure the chicken is completely coated.
- Heat about a quarter inch of vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, add the chicken and fry until crispy and golden brown on both sides, about 5 to 6 minutes total (flip halfway through).Transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board and let it rest for at least 2 to 3 minutes, or until the pasta is done cooking.
- Once the pasta is cooked, reserve some pasta water (about a quarter cup), then drain and return to the pot. Stir the cashew dressing into the pasta until it’s well-coated, adding a splash or two of the pasta water to help the sauce cling to the noodles if needed.
- Finally, slice the crispy chicken into thin strips and serve over the pasta. Drizzle extra cashew sauce over the crispy chicken and optionally garnish with fresh parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
If you have any questions regarding the information presented in this post, please refer to our Nutrition Disclaimer here.
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