Cashew chicken stir-fry

On the table in 20 minutes, this high-carb, protein-packed dish makes a great meal after exercise

After exercise, your body needs essential nutrients to kick-start the recovery process. This high-carb meal helps to replenish your body’s depleted energy stores, while the lean protein from the chicken assists muscle repair and recovery. Plus, the salt in the soy sauce will help to stimulate thirst, encouraging you to drink more water to replace the fluids lost through sweat.

Ideally, you should eat within 30 minutes of fnishing your run or ftness class – and this speedy dish makes that easy to do!

Cashew chicken stir-fry

SERVES 2 PREP 10 mins COOK 10 mins

100g cashew butter 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce 2 wholewheat egg noodle nests 1 tbsp vegetable oil 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 red chilli, finely chopped (deseeded

if you don’t like it too hot) 2 chicken breasts, cut into

1cm-thick strips 120g thin-stemmed broccoli, halved 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks 20g unsalted cashew nuts,

roughly chopped 4 spring onions, sliced on the diagonal 1 In a small bowl, mix together the cashew butter with the soy sauce and 100ml water. Set aside. 2 Cook the noodles following pack instructions for just cooked, then drain and refresh in a bowl of cold water until needed. 3 Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic and chilli, and fry for 2 mins until softened and aromatic. 4 Add the chicken and broccoli to the wok. Fry, stirring frequently, for 5-6 mins until both are tender. Drain the noodles and add them to the wok along with the carrot. Toss everything together well with a pair of tongs so that the noodles are heated through. Take the pan off the heat and stir through the cashew sauce. 5 Serve immediately, topped with the cashew nuts and spring onions.

PER SERVING 796 kcals • fat 38g • saturates 7g • carbs 58g • sugars 8g • fbre 9g • protein 51g • salt 2.1g

This year’s London Marathon is on 24 April. Catch the race live on BBC TV, radio and online