Peanut Butter Chicken

This Peanut Butter Chicken recipe has a delicious peanut sauce that is perfect for making with stir fry or serving with rice or noodles!

Prep Time15

Cook Time40

Total Time55

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Thai

Servings: people

Calories: 669kcal

Author: Stephanie

Ingredients

Sauce

½ cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
3 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons hot sauce

Veggies

2 tablespoons peanut oil can sub olive oil
2 ½ cups broccoli florets
¾ cup baby carrots julienned
1 red bell pepper sliced

Chicken

1 ½ lbs. boneless chicken breast or thighs
¼ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon paprika
½ cup cornstarch
1/3 cup peanut oil can sub olive oil

For Serving

3 cups cooked rice
Green onions to garnish
Chopped peanuts to garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli and carrots and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the bell peppers and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Cut the chicken into 2-inch pieces and place them on a large plate. Pat them completely dry. Sprinkle with seasonings and use kitchen tongs to toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle with cornstarch and use tongs to toss to coat again.
Heat 1/3 cup peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Fry the chicken in batches, leaving room around each to ensure the edges get crispy. Flip once the bottom of the chicken is light brown and crisp, about 3-4 minutes per side. Make small adjustments to the heat (up or down) throughout cooking as needed.
Wipe away excess oil, then add the chicken back to the skillet. Whisk the peanut sauce mixture and add it to the skillet. Toss to coat.
Set heat to medium and allow the sauce to heat through and thicken, the cornstarch from the chicken will thicken the sauce. Cook until desired thickness is obtained. If the sauce becomes too thick, add splashes of water to thin it back out. Remove from heat.
Add the sauteed vegetables to the sauce or serve them on the side. Garnish with green onions and roughly chopped peanuts. Serve with rice or noodles. (See notes for instructions on making perfectly cooked rice.)

Notes

Pro Tips:

Optional Additions to this recipe include: Bean Sprouts, Water Chestnuts, Celery, Kale, Chow Mein Noodles, Sliced Almonds, Sesame Seeds, red pepper flakes.
The consistency of the sauce will continue to thicken the longer it cooks. If it becomes thicker than you'd like, add a splash of water to thin it back out.
I use Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Sauce for this recipe.
A pinch of Red Pepper Flakes can be added to the sauce as well for an additional kick.
📘 Find this recipe on page 130 of my 2nd cookbook, Let’s Eat!

My process for perfectly cooked rice:

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. (I add 2 chicken bouillon cubes to the water for enhanced flavor.)
Add 1 cup of rinsed white long grain rice and let the liquid come back up to a boil.
Cover tightly and reduce heat to a gentle simmer for 20 minutes. (I set my heat to low.)
Remove from heat and let it stand in the pot for 10 minutes with the lid on, any rice stuck to the bottom will release.
This yields 3 cups of flavorful, perfectly cooked rice. I use a Dutch oven for this which conducts heat well.
Note that other varieties of rice may require different liquid measurements and/or cooking times.

Nutritional facts are per serving, the number of servings are at the top of the recipe card in the middle. This recipe has 4 servings and doesn't include rice or noodles for serving.

Nutrition