These Saucy Peanut Noodles are loaded with shredded chicken, bell pepper, green onions, crunchy peanuts and fresh herbs all tossed together in a delicious peanut sauce!
Note: This post first appeared on February 20, 2012. It has been updated with bright new photos, but is still the same delicious recipe!
In the mood for some take-out tonight? Well do me a favor, skip it and make these Saucy Peanut Noodles with Chicken instead! Seriously SO dang good, ready in just 20 minutes (faster than delivery!) and waaaay better than take-out, if you ask me. Whole grain spaghetti noodles, tender shredded chicken, crisp bell pepper slices, fresh herbs and crunchy peanuts all smothered in the most delicious peanut sauce. You guys, this recipe is seriously a MUST!
The other great thing about this dish, aside from it being insanely delicious, is that it tastes great warm or cold, so leftovers are amazing! Your kids will love this too, just make sure to go easy on the spice if making this for little ones. This is definitely one of our family’s favorite weeknight dishes and it truly couldn’t be easier to make.
Here’s What You’ll Need
- Noodles – I used whole grain spaghetti noodles for the added nutritional benefits, but you could use lo mein, brown rice noodles, soba noodles, ramen or even egg noodles
- Shredded chicken – to keep things simple, I shredded a rotisserie chicken, but any type of cooked chicken will work in this recipe
- Bell pepper – I thinly sliced a red bell pepper to go with these noodles because I love the color, but feel free to use whatever kind of bell pepper you’d like. You could also throw in additional veggies as well!
- Green onions – not only does this add color, but it adds great flavor
- Fresh herbs – combination of fresh basil and cilantro
- Peanuts – adds a nice crunch to this dish and tastes great with the peanut dressing
- Sesame seeds – the perfect garnish at the end!
How to Make Saucy Peanut Noodles
I know I say this about most recipes, but these noodles really are super easy (and quick!) to throw together! This entire meal can be ready from start to finish in 15 to 20 minutes with just a few simple steps.
- Boil the water. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with salt.
- Chop, chop, chop! While the water is coming to a boil you can slice up your bell pepper and chop up the green onions, cilantro and basil. This is also a good time to shred your cooked chicken if you haven’t already done this ahead of time.
- Cook the noodles. Once the water is boiling, add the noodles and cook until al dente per the package directions (al dente this means the noodles are tender, but firm which is perfect because we don’t want mushy noodles!)
- Make the sauce. While the noodles cook, you can make the creamy peanut sauce! Simply whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, sesame oil, rice vinegar, chili garlic pasta, honey, and fresh ginger in a small bowl or jar. I also like to add 2 or 3 tablespoons of hot water as well to really thin out the peanut butter for the perfect consistency and you can use the water that the pasta is boiling in. Feel free to add a little more water (or a little less) to get the consistency that you prefer!
- Toss together! Add the drained spaghetti noodles, shedded chicken, bell pepper slices, green onions, and fresh herbs to a large bowl, drizzle with the peanut sauce and give everything a good toss until everything is nice and coated in the sauce. Garnish with chopped peanuts and sesame seeds and enjoy!
What You’ll Need for the Peanut Sauce
- Peanut butter – the base of this sauce and my favorite ingredient! I used all-natural creamy peanut butter in this, but you could also use chunky peanut butter, processed or even other nut butters for a different taste
- Soy sauce – make sure to use low-sodium soy sauce, otherwise it will be too salty. To make this gluten-free you could use tamari in place of the soy sauce or even coconut aminos
- Sesame oil – this adds the BEST nutty flavor to this sauce!
- Rice vinegar – for another touch of acid. If you don’t have rice vinegar, feel free to substitute with white vinegar, apple cider vinegar or even a little more lime juice
- Chili garlic paste – for flavor and spice! If you don’t have chili garlic paste, feel free to use some Sriracha
- Lime juice – fresh lime juice is always best as bottled lime juice can have a bitter taste, you’ll need the juice of one lime
- Honey – perfect for some sweetness to balance out the spice
- Ginger – this adds a little zip to the sauce and amazing flavor
Tips, Tricks and Substitutions
- Use rotisserie chicken. Not only is the chicken SO flavorful, but it keeps things quick and simple with no extra cooking involved!
- If you’re not really feeling chicken, substitute it with shrimp, beef or even tofu. You could also completely leave out the meat if you wanted to keep this dish vegetarian or vegan (just swap out the honey and use maple syrup if vegan).
- Add more veggies like sliced asparagus, green beans, snow peas, shredded carrot or even broccoli!
- As I said before, I used whole grain spaghetti noodles for the add nutritional benefits, but you could also use lo mein, brown rice noodles, soba noodles, ramen or even egg noodles. Really any noodles will work, but you’ll want them long and thin for this style dish. You could even spiralize some zucchini noodles for a lower carb dish!
- You could use crunchy peanut butter in place of the creamy, however you may want to add a bit more water to thin it out as crunchy peanut butter is a bit thicker.
- When serving leftovers, if the noodles have absorbed most of the sauce overnight, simply add in a little warm water to thin it out and loosen up the noodles.
- Top it with an egg! My husband LOVES it this way and it definitely tastes delicious.
Prepping and Storing
The great thing about this recipe is that the leftovers almost taste better the next day! Not only do these peanut noodles taste great warm immediately served after making, but they also taste amazing cold right out of the fridge. The peanut sauce can be made up to a week in advance and the leftovers can be stored in a sealed airtight container for about 3 to 4 days in the fridge.
More Asian Recipes You’ll Love
- Crunchy Thai Chicken Salad
- Asian Shrimp Salad with Ginger Sesame Dressing
- Chinese Chicken Salad
- Healthy Turkey Lettuce Wraps (P.F. Changs style!)
- Ginger Soy Glazed Green Beans
RECIPE
Saucy Peanut Noodles with Chicken
These Saucy Peanut Noodles are loaded with shredded chicken, bell pepper, green onions, crunchy peanuts and fresh herbs all tossed together in a delicious peanut sauce!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
Ingredients
- 12 oz. whole grain spaghetti noodles
- 1 cup cooked shredded chicken (I used rotisserie)
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 3 green onions, sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 3 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped peanuts
- Sesame seeds, as garnish
For the Peanut Sauce
- 1/3 cup all-natural creamy peanut butter
- 3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce (or tamari if gluten-free)
- 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
- 3 Tbsp hot water
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp chili garlic paste
- 1 1/2 Tbsp honey (or maple syrup if vegan)
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated or minced
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with salt.
- While the water is boiling, whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce until smooth. Feel free to add more (or less) hot water to get the consistency that you prefer.
- Add the noodles to the boiling water and cook until al dente per the package directions. Once the noodles are done, drain and place them in a large bowl. Add in the chicken, bell pepper, green onions, and fresh herbs, drizzle with the peanut sauce and give a good toss until everything is nice and coated in the sauce. Garnish with chopped peanuts and sesame seeds and enjoy!
Notes
*The peanut sauce can be made up to a week in advance and the leftovers can be stored in a sealed airtight container for about 3 to 4 days in the fridge.
Nutrition Facts:
- Serving Size: 1/6th of recipe
- Calories: 264
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 468.5 mg
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 26.4 g
- Fiber: 4.8 g
- Protein: 13.8 g
* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.
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