Spicy Peanut Chicken Noodles
Better than take-out Spicy Peanut Chicken Noodles are packed with fresh veggies, tons of chicken, noodles, and the best spicy peanut sauce. So easy and delicious!
This spicy peanut sauce will become your new favourite! Juicy chicken, red bell pepper, green onion, carrots, and rice noodles make a simple dish with complex flavours.
Let’s talk about the ingredients
Chicken – This time I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces. The quick stir-fry cooking method keeps it juicy and tender.
Noodles – You can use any noodle you like! i used rice noodles, but you could also try ramen noodles, a long pasta like spaghetti or fettucine, glass noodles, or whatever you can think of.
Vegetables – Carrots, green onion, and red bell pepper are the veggie stars here. Feel free to use whatever vegetables you like or have around. Cutting the vegetables thinly into small pieces is key, so it cooks quickly.
Spicy peanut sauce – So good and easy to mix together. You can even prepare it ahead of time. Here I’ve used crunchy 100% natural peanut butter, however, you can use whatever peanut butter you like best.
The sweet surprise — For the sweet component of my peanut sauce, I used honey. You could also use maple syrup or brown sugar.
What makes a great peanut sauce?
For me, a great sauce needs four components: Salt, fat, heat, and acid. For this peanut sauce, the ingredients that fit those four components are:
- Salt: Soy sauce
- Fat: Peanut butter
- Heat: Chili garlic sauce
- Acid: Freshly-squeezed lime juice
As long as you have these four flavour components, your sauce will be balanced and flavourful.
The secret to these noodles is preparation
This Spicy Peanut Chicken Noodle dish comes together very quickly! You will find it so much easier and less stressful if you prepare all your ingredients ahead of time, before you start.
- Mix up the peanut sauce ingredients. You can also do this ahead of time.
- Cut up chicken and vegetables and have them next to your cooking area. Stir-frying takes very little time and you want to go fast! Having these ingredients ready makes it so easy.
- Measure out other ingredients needed for cooking, like oil, water, red pepper flakes.
- Chop up ingredients for garnish, if using. Such as chopping peanuts, cilantro, green onion.
If you have a busy evening, you can prepare all your ingredients in the morning, and when you want to cook this dish it’s all ready to go. The French phrase for this is mise en place.
Spicy Peanut Chicken Noodles
Equipment
- Large non-stick skillet
- 2 Medium saucepans
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 1 package rice or ramen noodles
- 2 Chicken Breasts boneless, skinless, cut into bite size pieces
- 2 carrots peeled, cut into thin matchsticks
- 1 red bell pepper cut into thin matchsticks
- Small bunch of green onions sliced
- 2 tbsp neutral oil such as grapeseed oil, divided
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- Salt & pepper
Peanut sauce
- ½ cup crunchy natural peanut butter
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce
- 2 inch piece of ginger peeled and grated
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp Fresh lime juice from about 2 limes
- Warm water to thin as necessary
Garnish
- ¼ cup peanuts chopped
- Lime wedges
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Fresh cilantro chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Cut chicken into bite sized pieces, season with salt & pepper, and set aside.
- Prepare vegetables by peeling and cutting carrots into matchstick pieces. Cut red bell pepper into matchsticks. Slice the green onions; keep white parts separate from the green parts (save these for garnish). Have the chicken and vegetables ready to stir fry.
- Prepare any other garnishes now, such as chopping peanuts, cilantro, or slicing limes. Have the garnishes ready nearby.
Make the sauce
- In a medium-size saucepan over medium heat, add all the sauce ingredients, except water. Cook over medium heat, whisking until smooth and completely combined. Add warm water to thin as necessary; you want it to be saucy. Set aside to cool slightly, and have the sauce ready nearby to add to the stir fry.
Make the stir fry
- In a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of neutral oil. When hot add chicken pieces and red pepper flakes, and stir fry until cooked and slightly browned, about 5-7 minutes. When done, set aside on a plate.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of neutral oil along with the sesame oil back into the skillet, and add carrots, bell pepper, and the white parts of the green onion. Stir fry for a couple of minutes until the vegetables begin to soften, then add back the cooked chicken.
- Prepare the noodles according to package directions, and add to skillet with vegetables and chicken.
- Add the sauce and toss until completely combined.
- Divide stir fry between four large shallow bowls, and serve topped with chopped peanuts, sliced green onion, sesame seeds, chopped cilantro, and lime wedges on the side.