Are you looking for a quick, creamy, lusciously rich, and easy dinner? I got you. These Peanut Noodles with Chicken are straight-up addictive with their sweet-savory-spicy-rich sauce and tender chunks of chicken breast. Plus, the whole recipe comes together in a cinch, so this is a great last-minute meal for those days when you just need something easy and GOOD. I think you’re going to love this one!
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What Are Peanut Noodles
This dish features noodles (any kind) and small bites of tender chicken breast drenched in a creamy sauce that’s inspired by Thai peanut sauce. The sauce is a rich mix of creamy coconut milk, savory peanut butter, spicy sriracha sauce, fresh garlic and ginger, a little soy sauce and brown sugar, and a splash of lime juice to keep everything bright. This easy sauce is absolutely divine and you’re going to want to spoon it over everything!
Can I Sub the Chicken?
Absolutely! If you’re not a chicken fan you can easily substitute it with shrimp, cubed tofu, or even just leave it out and enjoy the noodles plain. It’s all about that sauce, anyway. ;)
What to Serve with Peanut Noodles
I would consider these peanut noodles a meal in and of themselves, but if you’re a side dish kind of person I would suggest pairing these rich noodles with something super light. Try Sesame Cucumber Salad, Sesame Slaw, or Roasted Broccoli Salad with Almonds.
How Are the Leftovers?
This dish is definitely the best when eaten right away because the creamy, luscious sauce tends to get soaked up by the noodles when it’s stored in the refrigerator. That being said, I probably wouldn’t turn down a plate of these noodles after reheating, but I also wouldn’t expect them to be as saucy and creamy. So if you’re big on texture making a half batch might be a better option than counting on eating the leftovers.
Peanut Noodles with Chicken
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup smooth natural-style peanut butter ($0.40)
- 2 Tbsp sriracha ($0.23)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.08)
- 1 fresh lime (2 Tbsp juice) ($0.59)
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.06)
- 1 clove garlic, minced ($0.08)
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger ($0.10)
- 1 13.5oz. can coconut milk ($2.99)
- 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about ⅔ lb.) ($3.33)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- 8 oz. noodles* ($0.89)
- 1/4 cup chopped peanuts ($0.19)
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro ($0.22)
Instructions
- Prepare the peanut sauce first. In a medium bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, sriracha, brown sugar, soy sauce, 2 Tbsp lime juice, minced garlic, and grated ginger.
- Add the coconut milk to the peanut sauce and whisk until smooth again.
- Cut the chicken breast into small ½ to 1-inch sized pieces.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Once hot, add the cooking oil and swirl to coat the surface of the skillet. Add the chicken and cook until browned on all sides. Be careful not to overcook the chicken.
- Add the prepared peanut sauce into the skillet, turn the heat down to medium-low, and stir to dissolve any browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Let the chicken simmer in the sauce over low, stirring occasionally, while you cook the noodles.
- Cook your noodles according to the package directions, then drain in a colander.
- Add the cooked and drained noodles to the skillet with the peanut sauce and chicken. Toss until everything is evenly mixed and coated in sauce.
- Top the noodles with chopped peanuts and cilantro, then enjoy!
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Notes
Nutrition
How to Make Peanut Noodles with Chicken – Step by Step Photos
Make the peanut sauce first so the ingredients have a few minutes to mingle and the sauce is ready to go when you need it later. Add ⅓ cup smooth natural-style peanut butter, 2 Tbsp sriracha, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 clove of garlic (minced), 1 tsp grated fresh ginger, and 2 Tbsp lime juice to a bowl.
Whisk the ingredients together until smooth, then add in one 13.5 oz. can of coconut milk. Whisk until smooth again and then set the sauce aside.
Cut one large boneless, skinless chicken breast (about ⅔ lb.) into small ½ to 1-inch chunks.
Heat 1 Tbsp cooking oil in a large skillet. Once hot, add the chicken and cook until browned on all sides. It’s okay if the chicken isn’t cooked through at this point. Avoid overcooking the chicken or it will become tough.
Pour the prepared peanut sauce into the skillet with the chicken. Turn the heat down to low and stir to dissolve any browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Let the chicken simmer in the sauce over low, stirring occasionally, as you cook the noodles.
Cook 8 oz. noodles according to their package direction, then drain in a colander. You can use linguine, spaghetti, rice noodles, ramen noodles, or any kind of long noodle.
Add the cooked and drained noodles to the skillet and stir to combine.
Top the peanut noodles with ¼ cup chopped peanuts and ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro.
Enjoy the peanut noodles hot. If you have any leftover lime, cut it into wedges and squeeze a bit over top just before eating.
SO GOOD.
This is so easy to make & so yummy, my whole family loved it
I honestly make this recipe once a week – it’s so good!!
how much does the coconut flavor come through in this? is there a substitute for those who don’t like the flavor?
It is very subtle. You can substitute with heavy cream but it will change the flavor significantly. As we have not tested it with heavy cream we cannot give you clear guidance.
My wife loved it so it’s a win in my book. I also added a little bit of rice vinegar to get more of a gastrique because the sweetness was a little too much and before I added the noodles I put a little butter in off the heat to get an emulsion which gave the sauce a bit more of a silky texture but besides my own personal preferences the sauce is delicious!
Super fast and delicious. I used regular peanut butter and it was just fine. It seems like a lot of sauce at first, but it simmers down and get soaked up by the noodles.
I made this and found it to be a great substitute for ordering takeout! I made the recipe as-is and will be making it again.
I saw this on Instagram a few months back and have been meaning to make it. Finally got around to it today and it did not disappoint-delicious!
Long time fan of the site, first time review. This is quick and tasty!! It has a lot of room to improvise. I was out of cilantro, so I shredded up carrot for color. My wife and I added extra lime and sirracha to our bowls.
I followed the recipe exactly and it came out delicious. I’ll definitely be making this often, though next time I may add a veggie or two for something different.
So easy and so good-I’m obsessed with this recipe! I used dried ginger and rice noodles instead of the fettuccine. I felt like I barely did any work to make this, and the payoff was so good! The only change I’d make next time is to add more chicken.
Could you sub chili garlic sauce for the Sriracha?
This was really yummy! I used chicken thighs and regular peanut butter as this was all I had. It was a bit on the sweeter side so next time I will do the natural PB as the recipe called more.
Next time I will add some sort of veggie, it seemed to be missing something green. I’ll also add a little more chicken as my husband wanted a bit more meat. And I will probably squeeze lime on top as well and bump up the cilantro because I loooove cilantro!
This was delicious. I made a double recipe of the sauce to cover 500g of pasta and added pan-fried courgette and a thinly sliced bell pepper, and there was still a generous amount of sauce, which meant that the leftovers were still nicely saucy the next day.
Okay, YUM. I made this with very minimal changes (using dried ginger and a meatless “chicken,” lowering the sriracha just a smidge, and using tagliatelle since that’s what I had), and I also made it in a slightly different cooking order since I prepped the sauce and cooked the “chicken” early, but the end result was very close to what was intended. And dang, was it good! There was ample sauce, enough that I’m thinking next time I’ll add in some crisp-tender carrots and maybe some other veg that might pair well with it. The sauce itself was flavorful and smooth. Truly one of the easiest meals to pull together with huge payoff. Thank you for this delicious recipe! Looking forward to this going into my regular meal rotation!
This recipe is amazing! I subbed some cooked turkey that needed to be used in place of the chicken (just mixed up the sauce and dumped in the cooked turkey to heat everything together), used regular peanut butter instead of natural, and served with rice noodles that I had on hand. I also added chopped green onion on top and used Frank’s instead of Sriracha (less spicy-I’m not a spicy person lol). Took less than 20 min with the pre-cooked turkey. My husband requested that this one go in the rotation. :)