These Almond Butter Noodles with Chicken are gluten-free, packed with flavor, and full of delicious veggies. The creamy almond butter sauce packs punch with the addition of chili crunch. This meal is the perfect dish for any night of the week, and it makes a great meal prep idea, too!

A bowl of spicy gluten free almond butter noodles with chicken, bok choy, and red bell pepper

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I first tried a version of this recipe when I ordered a meal kit from Purple Carrot. This is a plant-based meal kit delivery service that I was testing out, and while I am not vegan or vegetarian, I enjoyed using the service to get some inspiration for my own recipe ideas. In this kit was a delicious crispy tofu noodle bowl with almond butter sauce. I completely fell in love with the recipe and decided to recreate it with my own favorite vegetables and some chicken (gimme that protein).

Gluten-Free Spicy Almond Butter Noodles

Almond butter noodles is one of my absolute favorite meals to make when my vegan friends come over for dinner (but of course, I replace chicken with crispy tofu). The first time one of my girlfriend’s vegan friends came to visit, I had this veggie noodle bowl with almond butter and tofu waiting for her after her cross-country flight and she was immediately obsessed. I think I won some friend points that day. I also made a big batch of this dish for a friend right after she had a baby! Now, it’s a meal-prep staple in our household. It’s so delicious, it reheats well, and it’s incredibly filling.

Why you’ll love this recipe

It’s a nutty, creamy sauce. Everybody’s always adding peanut butter to their Asian-inspired sauces, but let’s not forget about the peanut’s glamorous cousin, the Almond. Almond butter is SOOOO good in this sauce and makes it creamy, with a much more subtle nutty flavor than peanut butter.
It’s veggie-packed. You don’t have to stop at just bok choy and bell pepper! You can add snap peas, broccoli, onion, or shredded carrot to make this meal even more veggie-forward.
It’s a one pot-ish dish. The chicken and vegetables are cooked in the same pan, and aside from a pot to cook the ramen (which is minimally messy) and a bowl to mix the sauce, it all really comes together in just one pot, so cleanup is quite easy!
It’s perfectly balanced. Lots of protein from chicken, some fat from the almond butter, micronutrients from loads of vegetables, and carbs from the ramen noodles. This meal is a well-balanced macro-friendly meal, perfect for a post-workout dinner.
IT’S DELICIOUS. I can only come up with so many reasons to love this dish before getting to the main reason… ALMOND BUTTER NOODLES ARE SO F$!%ING GOOD! Seriously, one of my favorite meals EVER!

Ingredients for Almond Butter Noodles

Gluten-Free Ramen. I get my noodles from Thrive Market and I buy the Lotus Foods brand of Organic Millet & Brown Rice Ramen. They’re SO delicious and some of my favorite noodles to keep in my pantry! You can also use soba noodles for this recipe!
Vegetables. I love using baby bok choy and red bell pepper, but you can use onion, snap peas, broccoli, shredded carrot, or even shredded cabbage in this dish.
Chicken breast. You can certainly use thighs instead. Just make sure it’s boneless and skinless. For a vegan or vegetarian alternative, crispy tofu is my go-to.
Garlic. The garlick-y-er, the better!
Chili crunch. You can use any chili crunch you can find (Trader Joe’s has a good one!) but I always use Fly by Jing Sichuan Chili Crisp! I also get this from Thrive Market!
Tamari. This is a gluten-free alternative to soy sauce, but you can also use liquid aminos or coconut aminos for another gluten-free soy sauce option.
Brown sugar. You can also use honey or coconut sugar.
Lime juice. A little acidity to balance out the flavors of the sauce.

How to Make Almond Butter Noodles

Keep on scrolling to see the recipe card which includes all measurements and step-by-step instructions. Here is a brief overview of the recipe process with photos!

Cook the chicken. The chicken doesn’t have to be seasoned I know that’s very “white girl” of me to say, but it’s about to go swimming in some creamy and spicy almond butter sauce, which is QUITE salty on its own. So, I recommend skipping the seasoning and letting the sauce do all the talkin’. You’ll cook the chicken chunks in a bit of avocado oil in a pan over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes per side, then set it aside.
Cook the vegetables. Add the bok choy and red pepper to the same skillet and cook for 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Cook the ramen. Cook the entire 10oz package of ramen according to package instructions.
Mix the sauce. Combine tamari, garlic, chili crunch, brown sugar, lime juice, and almond butter in a bowl. Whisk until combined, then add 1 tbsp water and whisk until smooth. Add more water if needed to thin out the sauce.
Mix everything together. Add the chicken back into the pan and pour in the almond butter sauce. Add the ramen to the pan and mix everything together.
Serve and enjoy! Serve and top with some green onion (optional) and a squeeze of lime juice and enjoy!

Small pieces of chicken breast cooking in a skillet — Heat 1 tbsp avocado oil in a skillet and cook the chicken over medium-high heat until browned. Do not season the chicken, because the sauce is quite salty!

Bok choy and red pepper cooking in a pan — Remove chicken from the pan, then add chopped bok choy and red bell pepper. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Almond butter dropping into a bowl filled with chili crunch, tamari, lime juice, garlic, and brown sugar — Combine tamari, chili crunch, garlic, brown sugar, lime juice, and almond butter in a bowl.

An almond butter sauce whisked together — Whisk the sauce together until combined.

Adding water to an almond butter sauce — Add water 1 tbsp at a time to thin out the sauce.

Almond butter sauce pouring into a pan with bok choy, red pepper, and chicken — Add chicken back to the pan and pour in the almond butter sauce.

A pan full of ramen noodles, bok choy, red pepper, chicken, and spicy almond butter sauce — Add the cooked ramen and stir to coat everything in the almond butter sauce.

Recipe Variations and Substitutions

If you’re NOT gluten-free. This recipe is gluten-free because we use gluten-free ramen, and tamari instead of soy sauce. If you’re NOT gluten-free and don’t mind consuming gluten products, then use your favorite ramen or stir-fry noodle (I’m a massive fan of Trader Joe’s Thai Wheat Noodles). Instead of tamari, you can just use soy sauce!
If you’re plant-based. Replace the chicken with crispy tofu, or just add even more veggies!
If you’re allergic to nuts. Sunflower butter is a great alternative, but my personal favorite is tahini. Taste the sauce before you add it to the rest of the dish if you’re replacing almond butter. Add some sesame oil or rice vinegar if you’d like, too!

Storing and Reheating Almond Butter Noodles

Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, you can microwave these noodles, or reheat on the stovetop in a pan over medium-low heat with 1-2 tbsp water.

More of my favorite one-pot meals:

Equipment