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Peanut butter chicken is crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, tossed in a creamy peanut butter sauce with red peppers and ginger, and served over rice. It’s a great recipe for busy weeknights and impressive at any time!
Looking for more easy Asian recipes to try? This cashew chicken stir fry,chicken pad thai, andthai chicken zucchini noodles with spicy peanut sauce are massively popular!
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Chicken with Peanut Butter Sauce
Peanut butter chicken is a one-skillet meal that combines peanut butter, soy sauce, and chili paste to make the most delicious, creamy, and comforting sauce for juicy little chicken bites. Similar to chicken satay, the layers of flavors, including sweet, savory, and spicy, are just one of the reasons why Thai and Indonesian-inspired dishes are so beloved!
So, naturally this easy peanut chicken recipe has become a new favorite dinner recipe of ours. We love to serve it over rice or rice noodles or zucchini noodles for a low carb option.
So, grab your ingredients, and let’s make this recipe tonight!
Ingredients Needed for this Chicken
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe.Scroll down to the full recipe card with amounts.
- Chicken:Boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch pieces. You can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
- Egg:Coating the chicken pieces in a lightly beaten egg helps to bind the cornstarch.
- Cornstarch:Gives the outside of the chicken a slightly crispy coating, but it also helps to thicken the sauce.
- Salt and pepper:To season the chicken before dredging it.
- Vegetable oil:For cooking the chicken and then sautéing the veggies and ginger. You can also use olive oil, coconut oil, or peanut or sesame oil instead.
- Red bell pepper:Diced bell pepper is what I use in my peanut butter chicken stir fry, but you can easily swap it for a different vegetable.
- Ginger:Minced ginger gives the entire dish an aromatic flavor that pairs well with all types of Asian-inspired dishes.
- For the easy peanut sauce:Peanut butter, soy sauce, chili paste, and water. Feel free to add a tablespoon of fish sauce if you’d like.
Variations
1. Swap the red bell peppers for green bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, sugar snap peas, carrots, or a combination of stir-fried veggies.
2. Use crunchy peanut butter for texture.
3. Although the flavor is a little milder, almond butter can be used in place of peanut butter if you need to make for anyone with a peanut allergy.
4. To make this gluten-free, swap the soy sauce for coconut aminos or tamari.
5. For extra heat, toss in some red pepper flakes or a dash of sriracha or other favorite hot sauce.
6. Use coconut milk instead of water in the sauce.
How to Make this Peanut Butter Chicken Recipe
Once you’ve got all the chicken cut up, the peppers chopped, and the dredging station ready to go, this dish comes together quickly and easily.
Step 1:Add the pieces of chicken to a bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour in the lightly beaten egg, and use tongs to toss the chicken around to make sure every piece is coated.
Step 2:In a separate shallow bowl, add the cornstarch. Then, dip the chicken pieces into the cornstarch, allowing any excess egg to fall off as you lift them out of the bowl.
Step 3:Brown the chicken.Heat the oil in a non-stick large skillet (or cast iron skillet) over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for 2-3 minutes on each side until crispy and golden on the outside and cooked on the inside. Once all the chicken is cooked, transfer the chicken to a paper towel-lined plate.
Step 4:Using the same skillet, heat the rest of the oil and cook the bell pepper and ginger for 5-7 minutes. Stir often.
Step 5:Place the chicken back in the skillet and turn the heat to low.
Step 6: Make the sauce. In a small bowl, add the peanut butter and other sauce ingredients and stir to blend well.
Step 7: Pour the sauce into the pan. Stir to combine, and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes on low until the sauce has warmed.
Serve over rice and garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions, if desired.
Tips
- Use any type of peanut butter. Natural peanut butter or commercial peanut butter, like Skippy or Jif are both good.
- Do not overcrowd the skillet. Only cook as many pieces at a time that you can fit without overcrowding the pan. Cook chicken in batches if you need to.
- To thin out the sauce, add a tablespoon of water (or even chicken broth) at a time, while it simmers.
- Serve Thai peanut chicken over plain white rice, jasmine rice, brown rice, or rice noodles for a complete meal.
- Keep it low-carb with cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles or make lettuce wraps.
How to Store Leftovers?
Refrigerate:Store leftover chicken in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freeze:Once completely cooled, transfer the chicken to a freezer-safe container and keep frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw it in the fridge overnight when you’re ready to serve it.
Reheat:This can be reheated quickly and easily in the microwave.
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Peanut Butter Chicken
Peanut butter chicken is crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, tossed in a creamy peanut butter sauce with red peppers and ginger, and served over rice.
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Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Asian
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 400kcal
Author: Sherri Hagymas
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 pound chicken breast skinless, boneless
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
For the Stir Fry
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 teaspoon ginger minced
For the Peanut Butter Sauce
- ⅓ cup smooth peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili paste
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
Cut chicken breast into 1 inch pieces and place it in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
1 pound chicken breast, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper
Add the egg and toss to coat.
1 egg
In a separate shallow bowl, add the cornstarch and then add the egg coated chicken pieces. (let the excess egg mixture drip off as you add it to the cornstarch).
⅓ cup cornstarch
Add oil to a non-stick skillet and heat over medium high heat. Add the coated chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until no longer pink on the inside and crispy and golden brown on the outside. (the internal temperature should reach 145° F with a meat thermometer).
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Remove from the skillet and place on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess grease.
In the same skillet, heat the additional oil and add the diced bell pepper and ginger. Cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring often,
1 teaspoon vegetable oil, 1 red bell pepper, 1 teaspoon ginger
Add the cooked chicken back to the skillet and reduce the heat to low.
In a medium bowl, combine the sauce ingredients.
⅓ cup smooth peanut butter, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon chili paste, ¼ cup water
Pour over the chicken and peppers and stir to combine and heat for 2-3 minutes until the sauce has warmed. To thin the sauce, add a tablespoon of water at a time until desired thickness.
Serve over rice and garnish with sesame and sliced green onions if desired.
Notes
1. Swap the red bell peppers for green bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, sugar snap peas, carrots, or a combination of stir-fried veggies.
2. Use crunchy peanut butter for texture.
3. Although the flavor is a little milder, almond butter can be used in place of peanut butter if you need to make for anyone with a peanut allergy.
4. To make this gluten-free, swap the soy sauce for coconut aminos or tamari.
5. For extra heat, toss in some red pepper flakes or a dash of sriracha or other favorite hot sauce.
6. Use coconut milk instead of water in the sauce.
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Allow to cool down and freeze in an airtight container for 1 month.
Reheat in the microwave until heated through.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 400kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 113mg | Sodium: 1076mg | Potassium: 652mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1036IU | Vitamin C: 40mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional Disclosure
Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
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