Mango Sticky Noodles (Budget Lunch Meal Prep)
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I was feeling pretty innovative when I whipped these up, if I may say so myself! These mango sticky noodles are part of my 4 Lunches for £6 series, and they might just be my favourite yet. Four balanced lunches, six quid and about 20 minutes of your time. If you love my High Protein Chicken Meal Prep, this one is going straight to the top of your list.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- ✅ Recipe Name: Mango Sticky Noodles
- 🕦 Ready in: 15 minutes
- 🤝 Serves: 4
- 🍴 Calories: 524 calories
- 🧑🍳 Main ingredients: chicken mince, mango chutney, egg noodles
- ✨ Summary: Mango sticky noodles are sweet, sticky, a little spicy, and completely meal prep-friendly.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Ridiculously cheap: Four balanced lunches for £6. Chicken mince is one of the most underrated budget ingredients out there (mine cost me £2.50), and it absolutely shines here. Plus, I utilise £1 mango chutney as the base of our flavour for the whole dish.
- Perfect for packed lunches: These are ideal to grab and go, whether you’re heading into the office or off to uni, just flip the container onto a plate or stir within the container, and you’re sorted. No microwave needed. Need more lunches for the office? Try my pesto pasta salad to get your pasta fix.
- Meal prep magic: Everything layers beautifully in containers and genuinely gets better as it sits. The noodles soak up that mango sauce overnight and become even more savoury and flavourful. Plus, each serving has 36g of protein!
- Hot or cold: I personally prefer these cold, straight from the fridge, which makes them a dream for busy weekdays. But warm works just as well if you prefer.
- Sticky, sweet, a tiny bit spicy: The combination of mango chutney, soy sauce, and a pinch of chilli flakes is just chef’s kiss.
If you’re an avid meal prepper like me, search through all of my cheap meal prep recipes here!
Table of Contents
Ingredients
The ingredients that make these mango sticky noodles work are simple, mostly store cupboard essentials. Here are the main ingredients you need:
Chicken mince (5% fat): Leaner than thighs, cheaper than breast, and it fries up beautifully with the mango chutney. It’s my go-to protein as you may have noticed, and my chicken mince stir fry recipe is one of my favourite ways to enjoy it.
Mango chutney: The hero. It has two purposes here: half goes into the mince for that sticky, jammy glaze, and the other half forms the base of the cold noodle sauce. Sweet, fruity, and deeply savoury once it hits the pan.
Red cabbage Raw cabbage in a meal prep container might sound odd, but trust me, it stays crunchy for days and adds the most satisfying bite against the soft noodles. Textural perfection- no soggy salads here!
See the recipe card for full information on all ingredients and quantities.
Variations/ Adaptations
Swap the protein: tinned tuna or crispy tofu work brilliantly here if you want to keep it even cheaper or go meat-free. The tofu version was one of my first blog posts I ever wrote on the site that was/is super popular, if you haven’t tried it yet, you’ve gotta give it a go!
Make it saucier : if you’re a sauce person (same), double up on the noodle dressing. A splash of sesame oil instead of regular olive oil takes the whole thing up a notch if you’ve got it. I’ve just listed olive oil as it’s more readily available.
Add more veg: spring onion and cabbage are the base to keep this super cheao, but shredded carrot, edamame, or cucumber all work in brilliantly without adding much to the cost. My Din Tai Fung Cucumber would be a great addition on the side too (another dish that gets even better in the fridge).
How to make mango sticky noodles
Step 1: Thinly slice the greener end of the spring onion vertically into thin strips. Place in a bowl with ice and water to curl up. Thinly slice the white end.
Step 2: Fry the chicken mince with the whiter end of the spring onion, mango chutney and soy sauce.
Step 3: Combine the cool, cooked noodles with the sticky mango dressing.
Step 4: Layer in meal prep containers and store in the fridge.
If you loved my series ‘salads that last’, where I made meal prep salads that stay fresh throughout the week, I’ve written blog posts about them! Try out my Mexican Chicken Salad, Cold Noodle Salad with chicken and my Greek Chicken Salad.
Tips for the best result
- Preheat your pan over a high heat before you add the chicken mince. You want it to sizzle immediately – that’s what gives you the best browning.
- Rinse your noodles in cold water until they’re fully cool before adding them to the sauce. Warm noodles will go gluey and clump together in your containers. We want to remove the excess starch.
- The curly spring onion garnish isn’t just for looks; it adds a lovely fresh crunch, it takes two minutes and is so worth it.
Serving Suggestions
I’ve developed these mango sticky noodles as a budget lunch dish that you can take on the go, but if you want to bulk it out and add some additional bits to have it for dinner, that would be fantastic too. Some additions I’d reach first for would be:
Leftover Storage and Reheat Instructions
Refrigerator: Layer the mince, noodles, and cabbage in layers for the best crunch. Keep for up to 4 days. The cabbage holds up brilliantly and stays crunchy throughout.
Freezer: Freezable, though the noodle texture changes slightly after defrosting. I’d recommend freezing just the mince if you want the best result, and cooking fresh noodles when you’re ready to eat. The noodles then only take a couple of minutes to cook so you’re not wasting any time!
Reheat: I love this dish the most cold, as it’s more of a fresh lunch. But if you want to reheat, just flip the container onto a plate and toss to combine. Or alternatively, keep the cabbage cold and just reheat the mince and noodles.
Recipe FAQs
Sweet chilli would also be a great flavour base for this dish. Equivalently sweet and saucy.
Yes, and I think they’re actually better the next day. The noodles absorb the mango sauce overnight which makes them even more flavourful. They keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Either works! I actually prefer them cold straight from the fridge, which makes them brilliant for packed lunches. Hot is great too though, especially in winter.
If you tried this Mango Sticky Noodles, it would mean so much to me if you could leave a review & a star rating to let me know how you found it! I love hearing about your experiences – it motivates me to keep creating more and more recipes for you guys 💛 Let’s get cooking! – Mimi x
Watch how to make mango sticky noodles below!
Mango Sticky Noodles
Ingredients
- 500 g 5 % fat chicken mince
- 50 g spring onions
- 7 tbsp mango chutney
- 200 g medium egg noodles (3 nests)
- 1 red cabbage shredded
Cupboard Essentials
- 1 tsp + 2 tbsp olive oil
- Chilli flakes
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp garlic granules
- Salt
- Pepper
Method
- Thinly slice the greener end of the spring onion vertically into thin strips. Place in a bowl with ice and water to curl up. Thinly slice the white end.
- Add 1 tsp olive oil and a pinch of chilli flakes into a frying pan over a high heat. Add the white end of the spring onion, along with the chicken mince. Season with salt and pepper and fry for around 6 minutes.
- Next, add the 4 tbsp of mango chutney, garlic granules and 1 tbsp of soy sauce. Stir to combine, then continue frying for around 3 more minutes over a medium heat.
- Meanwhile, cook your noodles according to packet instructions, then rinse in cold water until cool.
- To make your noodle sauce, add 3 tbsp mango chutney, 2 tbsp olive oil or sesame oil if you have, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp rice vinegar and a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk to combine, then add your noodles to mix into the sauce.
- To meal prep containers, add the mango sticky mince, then the noodles, then the cabbage.
- When it’s time to eat, flip the container onto a plate and toss to combine, top with your curly green spring onions and dive in! Can be enjoyed hot or cold (I prefer cold!)
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