Sesame Lime Cilantro Chicken Noodle Stir Fry

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Why I love it: This chicken noodle stir fry dish is refreshing, spicy and flavorful and takes little work to put together.

chicken noodle stir fry

I flavored this stir fry with lime zest, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, cilantro and a fresh chili pepper (in addition to the more “standard” stir fry ingredients: soy sauce, rice vinegar and honey). For the noodle part I used hokkien here but soba work just as well.

The freshness of the lime zest and the cilantro, the spice of the chili pepper and the intense flavors of the garlic and ginger work together beautifully and the preparation is super-easy, you just whisk the ingredients together into a sauce, then use half of it to marinate the chicken and the remaining half as the stir fry sauce.

The recipe is very similar to my Asian Noodle Salad except that it’s a stir fry, not a salad, plus it uses chicken instead of shrimp. Both recipes have become my favorites. :)

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Related Post:

Looking for an Asian-style appetizer to serve ahead of this chicken noodle stir fry? I recommend these Sweet and Sour Ginger Roasted Mushrooms:

sweet sour ginger roasted mushrooms

sesame lime cilantro chicken noodle stir fry
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0 from 0 votes

Sesame Lime Cilantro Chicken Noodle Stir Fry

This refreshing chicken noodle stir fry dish is bursting with exciting flavors from fresh ginger, cilantro, lime zest, sesame and a chili pepper.
Cook Time15 mins
Marinating Time30 mins
Total Time45 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: chicken noodle stir fry
Servings: 3
Calories: 680kcal

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced or pressed
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 chili pepper, sliced, most of the ribs and seeds removed
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
  • zest of 1/2 lime
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
  • 5 chicken tenderloins, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil for frying
  • 12 small broccoli florets
  • 14 ounces cooked hokkien noodles, you can substitute soba if you'd like
  • 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 20 mint leaves, optional

Instructions

  • In a two-cup liquid measuring cup mix soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, honey, chili pepper, sesame oil, cilantro, lime zest, ginger and sesame seeds together.
  • Pour half of the mix into a bowl, add the chicken pieces to the bowl, cover and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes. Set the remaining half of the sauce that's still in the liquid measuring cup aside. (This will become the stir fry sauce.)
  • Drain the chicken into a colander, discarding the marinade it was in. 
  • Fry the chicken pieces in two batches: Heat half of the oil in a non-stick pan on high heat until shimmering, then fry half of the chicken pieces until they start to brown on the edges. Take out of the pan and set aside. Repeat with the remaining chicken. 
  • Add the broccoli to the pan, add 1/4 cup of water and boil (uncovered) until all the water has evaporated.
  • Add the chicken back to the pan.
  • Add the noodles to the pan.
  • Stir the cornstarch into the sauce mix that's still in the liquid measuring cup and add to the pan.
  • Bring to a boil and cook until the sauce starts to thicken and turns translucent.
  • Take off the heat and serve with chopped mint leaves (optional).

Nutrition

Calories: 680kcal

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S’mores Mousse Tart with Crystallized Ginger Meringue

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Why I love it: This s’mores mousse tart takes the traditional s’mores flavors to the next level. The buttery graham cracker crust is flavored with pumpkin spice, filled with a creamy chocolate mousse and the tart is topped with a torched crystallized ginger meringue.

smores mousse tart

You can think of this as a fancy s’mores tart. What I love about it is that it has all the great features that s’mores have and none of the annoying ones.

Instead of gooey, uber–sweet marshmallow fluff it’s got a torched meringue whose flavor is enhanced by little pieces of crystallized ginger. The chocolate part is a creamy, bittersweet mousse instead of straight melted squares that get all over your fingers.

The crust is a graham cracker crust, but not just any old graham cracker crust. Rather than crushing up the bland, store-bought crackers I used this delicious homemade graham cracker recipe and morphed it into a tart crust recipe. And it was surprisingly easy to do, too. I basically just left out the leavening agent (baking soda) and that was all that was needed. I flavored the crust with my favorite spice blend, pumpkin spice, but if you’re not into that you can use cinnamon instead.

How to make this s’mores mousse tart:

You’ll start with the crust and just like any graham cracker crust dough this one is too brittle to roll out and transfer into the tart pan, instead you need to press it in with your fingers but that’s fairly easy to do. You’ll need to bake the crust briefly (for 8 to 12 minutes) but then you’re already done with the oven for this tart.

The chocolate mousse filling is easily made with melted bittersweet chocolate and heavy cream and I added pumpkin spice here as well but if you don’t like that, you can just leave it out.

For the meringue, you want to make sure to have the individual pieces of crystallized ginger separated out rather than in one big clump so you can easily fold them in.

You finish the tart with a quick blow of the kitchen torch and you’re all set.

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Related Post:

If you’re in the mood for something s’morey but don’t have times to bake a tart, I can offer you these 10-Minute Pumpkin Spice S’mores Trifles:

10-minute pumpkin spice smores trifles

s'mores mousse tart
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5 from 1 vote

S'mores Mousse Tart with Crystallized Ginger Meringue

The crust for this tart is adapted from Martha Stewart. 
Prep Time1 hr
Cook Time12 mins
Chill Time1 hr 30 mins
Total Time2 hrs 42 mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: smores mousse tart
Servings: 6
Calories: 840kcal
Author: Nicole Branan | The Spice Train

Ingredients

For the graham cracker crust:

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup wheat germ
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup light-brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon honey

For the chocolate filling:

  • 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped*
  • 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

For the meringue topping:

  • 4 egg whites
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger (make sure you have the individual pieces more or less separated and not in one large clump to make it easier to fold them into the meringue)

Instructions

For the graham cracker crust:

  • Whisk the flours, wheat germ, salt and pumpkin spice together in a bowl.
  • Beat butter, sugar and honey for a few minutes until fluffy.
  • Beat in the flour mix.
  • Bring the dough together with your hands and flatten into a disc.
  • Press the dough into a 9-inch greased tart pan, then place the pan in the fridge for 20 minutes.
  • Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Bake the tart crust until golden-brown (8–12 minutes).
  • Let cool completely.

For the chocolate filling:

  • Add chocolate and pumpkin spice to a bowl.
  • Bring 3/4 cup heavy cream to a boil, then pour over the chocolate/spice mix and let sit for a minute.
  • Stir to combine cream and chocolate into a smooth mix. (If you end up with chocolate clumps, gently heat the mix over a pot of simmering water). Let cool.
  • Whip 1 cup heavy cream with the sugar to stiff peaks.
  • Fold the cream into the chocolate mix.
  • Pour the mousse into the cold crust, spread out evenly with an offset spatula, then chill in the fridge for 1.5 hours.

For the meringue topping:

  • Beat the egg whites until they start to foam, then, with the mixer running, gradually add the granulated sugar until you get glossy peaks.
  • Again with the mixer running, gradually add the powdered sugar.
  • Fold in the crystallized ginger.
  • Spread the topping onto the chocolate mousse tart and briefly burn with a torch.

Notes

*Don't use chocolate morsels; morsels have stabilizers in them that actually prevent them from melting.

Nutrition

Calories: 840kcal

Made this recipe? It would be awesome if you could leave a rating. No need to type anything, just tap or click the stars in the recipe card and you’re done. Thanks!

Coffee Borgia Mousse

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coffee borgia mousse

This dessert was inspired by one of my favorite espresso drinks, the coffee Borgia. A Borgia is like a mocha (espresso, chocolate syrup, steamed milk) but with orange zest mixed in. It’s a wonderful flavor combination that I recreated in this chocolate mousse with melted bittersweet chocolate, a bit of heavy cream, espresso powder and orange zest.

You can serve the mousse with a dollop of whipped cream to lighten it up a bit but I actually prefer to eat it by itself. The recipe is very easy to make, the preparation takes no more than 15 minutes and you can easily scale it up and make a fancy dessert for a large crowd.

Recipe Tip:

One thing I want to point out for the prep work of this recipe is that you want to make sure that you chop the chocolate very finely. That takes more time than a rough chop would but it will pay off big time because the chocolate will melt so much faster and more evenly.

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Related Post:

If you’re in the mood for a white chocolate mousse instead, I recommend the Chai–Spiced White Chocolate Mousse below:

chai spiced white chocolate mousse

coffee borgia mousse
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5 from 6 votes

Coffee Borgia Mousse

An easy recipe for a delicious dark chocolate mousse that is modeled after the coffee Borgia, flavored with espresso and orange zest.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time5 mins
Chill Time1 hr
Total Time1 hr 15 mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chocolate, mousse, orange
Servings: 2
Calories: 510kcal
Author: Nicole Branan | The Spice Train

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, very finely chopped (I used a Ghirardelli 60 percent cacao bittersweet chocolate baking bar)*
  • 6 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
  • 1 teaspoon very finely grated orange zest (about one small orange)
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 egg white
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 2 thin orange slices as garnish
  • whipped cream (optional)

Instructions

  • Add the chocolate, the cream and the espresso powder to a glass bowl, set the bowl over a pot of simmering water and let the chocolate melt. Don't stir the ingredients until the chocolate is almost fully melted.
  • Once the chocolate is melted, take it off the water pot and stir in the orange zest. Set aside.
  • Whisk the egg yolk with the sugar in a bowl (by hand) until lighter in color and texture than when you started.
  • Quickly whisk the chocolate mix into the egg/sugar mix in two to three batches. Set aside.
  • With an electric mixer, whip the egg white with the cream of tartar to very stiff peaks.
  • Carefully fold the whipped egg white into the chocolate mix (take a half-turn around the bowl with the whisk and then shake the mousse through the tines of the whisk).
  • As soon as no streaks remain, fill the mousse into individual serving bowls.
  • Let me mousse chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
  • Garnish with the orange slices and serve by itself or with whipped cream.

Notes

*Don't use chocolate morsels; morsels have stabilizers in them that actually prevent them from melting.

Nutrition

Calories: 510kcal

Made this recipe? It would be awesome if you could leave a rating. No need to type anything, just tap or click the stars in the recipe card and you’re done. Thanks!

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