Creamy Peanut Noodles with Chicken
These creamy peanut noodles with chicken are packed with rice noodles, ground chicken, broccoli and bell peppers all coated in a deliciously peanut sauce that’s spicy, creamy, salty and so tasty! They take less than 30-minutes to make and are a delicious meal that the whole family will love. 
I am completely addicted to these creamy peanut noodles with chicken. I have been making variations of this dish for years and even created a Paleo and Specific Carbohydrate Diet legal version in my cookbook. When I shared a photo of the dish one day on my instagram my inbox was flooded with people requesting the recipe, so I set to work perfecting the dish and trying out a variety of different types of noodles, veggies and sauce ingredients. What I think really makes this noodle recipe so dang good is the delicious peanut sauce which caramelizes as it cooks. By using ground chicken it ensures that every little bit is coated in the sauce and blended in with the veggies and saucy noodles. I always double the recipe so that I have enough leftover to enjoy the next day.
Why You Will Love These Peanut Noodles with Chicken
- These delicious spicy peanut noodles take less than 30 minutes to make start to finish making them perfect for an easy weeknight dinner.
- The creamy sauce is made with just a few simple ingredients but is absolutely delicious. The combination of creamy peanut butter, salty soy sauce or coconut aminos, sweet honey and acidic vinegar blend together incredibly well to make this peanut butter sauce so good that you will want to drink it with a straw.
- This spicy peanut noodles recipe is incredibly versatile and can easily be modified by using different vegetables, any noodles of choice (including veggie noodles), making it very spicy, with a little kick, or mild and using ground chicken, turkey, pork or beef.
- There are no fancy ingredients here! This easy recipe requires only pantry staples and easy to find ingredients that can be bought at any local grocery store.
- These saucy peanut noodles are sure to be a family favorite that will quickly become apart of your weeknight dinner rotation.
What You Need To Make These Peanut Noodles
- Ground Chicken: You can buy ground chicken from the store (which is often quite expensive) or as a cheaper option simply place 2 large chicken breasts in a food processor and blend until they are broken into a ground consistency. Alternatively in place of ground chicken you can use ground turkey, ground pork or ground beef.
- Garlic and Ginger: My favorite flavor combination to add to any asian inspired dish and two ingredients that I always add more of then whats listed in a recipe. I recommend using fresh ginger and fresh garlic rather than jarred which doesn’t have as strong a taste.
- Chili peppers: I like using red thai chilies which have quite a strong kick of spice, but for a milder flavor I recommend using a thinly sliced fresno chile.
- Broccoli: When cutting the broccoli florets try to cut them into very small bite sized pieces.
- Bell Pepper: I like using thinly sliced red bell pepper, but orange or yellow bell peppers can also be used.
- Chicken Stock: I like adding chicken broth to help to thin out the sauce rather than water because it adds more flavor.
- Noodles: I like using rice noodles for the recipe, but feel free to use ramen noodles or any other type of noodle that you prefer such as soba noodles or glass noodles.
- Peanut Butter: Choose a natural peanut butter that does not contain any added sugar and is smooth in consistency. If you have a peanut allergy, feel free to swap the peanut butter for almond butter or cashew butter. For a nut free option tahini (sesame paste) can be used.
- Honey: Honey, maple syrup or any other liquid sweetener of choice can be used.
- Coconut Aminos: Use coconut aminos, tamari or soy sauce depending on your diet/what you have in your pantry.
- Vinegar: I prefer using apple cider vinegar in the sauce as the acidity helps to cut through the reach creaminess of the peanut butter. If you do not have apple cider vinegar then rice wine vinegar or lime juice can be used in its place.
How To Make These Peanut Noodles
- In a small bowl whisk together the sauce ingredients and set aside.
- In a large skillet or wok heat the sesame oil on medium heat. Once hot add in the ground chicken and break it up with a wooden spoon into a crumbly texture.
- Next add in the onion, garlic, ginger and chil before pouring in the creamy peanut sauce and leaving the meat to caramelize.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil on high heat. Add the noodles to the boiling water and cook according to the package directions. Drain the cooked noodles and rinse under cold water.
- Add the broccoli florets, bell pepper slices and chicken broth to the pan and cook until the broccoli florets are tender.
- Add in the cooked noodles and toss them to ensure they are all well coated in the sauce. Garnish with chopped green onions and peanut nuts (you can also garnish with sesame seeds or fresh cilantro).
You can find full detailed instructions in the recipe card below.
Can I Add Other Veggies?
Absolutely! To keep things simple I only included broccoli and bell peppers, but feel free to add other vegetables, just be sure they are cut into small bite sized pieces. Vegetables that would be delicious added to these spicy peanut bowls include bok choy, snap peas, carrots, zucchini, mushrooms or snow peas.
How To Make This Recipe Paleo
To make these creamy peanut noodles paleo, swap the peanut butter for almond or cashew butter and use zucchini noodles in place o f rice noodles.
What Type Of Noodles Are Best?
I like using rice noodles or egg noodles for this dish, but feel free to use any type of your favorite noodles including udon noodles, ramen or glass noodles. When cooking them be sure to follow the package instructions and cook them to al dente so they do not become mushy when added in with the sauce. There are lots of great grain free and paleo asian noodles that you can find in stores and online too. For a vegetable option I recommend using zucchini noodles or sweet potato noodles which hold up well with the sauce.
How Spicy Is The Sauce
This recipe is easily adaptable to make it as spicy (or mild) as you prefer. I like to add the chili peppers in with the garlic and ginger, but if you prefer you can skip the chili peppers and this dish will be kid friendly and spicy free. You can then serve bowls of the peanut noodles with chili oil, chili flakes or sriracha sauce on the side to accommodate everyone’s spice preferences.
What About Leftovers
Any leftovers of this Spicy Peanut Noodles will last for up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. I like to eat them at room temperature, but to reheat them you can use a microwave, or place them in a pan on low heat and add in a splash of chicken stock to help thin out the sauce.
Love healthy versions of takeout dishes? Here are a few more you might enjoy:
- Sweet & Sour Pork
- Sesame Chicken
- Black Pepper Beef with Onions
- Spicy Orange Chicken
- Pork Fried Rice
- Thai Basil Beef
- Salt & Pepper Chicken
- Moo Shu Pork
- Black Pepper Chicken
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Creamy Peanut Noodles with Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 onion cut into quarters and then thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp ginger finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 red thai chili or fresno chili halved, seeds removed and finely chopped
- 2 cups small broccoli florets 1 medium sized head of broccoli
- 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced into strips
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 6 oz rice noodles
- 2 tbsp chopped green onions
- 2 tbsp chopped salted peanuts
Sauce
- ⅓ cup peanut butter or almond butter or cashew butter
- ⅓ cup honey
- ¼ cup coconut aminos or soy sauce or tamari
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar
Instructions
- In a bowl whisk together the ingredients for the sauce (peanut butter, honey, soy sauce/coconut aminos and vinegar)
- Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet or wok on medium high heat. Add in the ground chicken and cook for approximately 5 minutes breaking the ground chicken up with a wooden spoon so there are no clumps
- Add in the onions, garlic, ginger and chili and cook for 2 minutes.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add in the rice noodles and cook according to package instructions
- Pour the sauce into the skillet with the ground chicken and cook for approximately 6 minutes, stirring to allow the pieces of ground chicken to caramelize in the sauce,
- Add in the broccoli, bell pepper and chicken stock and leave to simmer for approximately 8 minutes until the broccoli and peppers are tender and some of the liquid has evaporated.
- Add in the cooked and drained noodles and toss to ensure they are well coated in the sauce.
- Serve garnished with chopped green onions and peanuts
This recipe is very simple but creates a very delicious dish. I’m impressed with the delicate way you combine the spices.
This was delish!! Good balance of veggies + noodles + protein! Like everyone says, the sauce was amazing! I used Fresno chile and I think it could have used a little more heat. Thanks for sharing this, Carmen>
This was so good! That sauce is everything!
The sauce caramelizes beautifully, making every bite irresistible. I appreciate how versatile the recipe is, allowing for different proteins and veggies.
This was so good! That sauce is everything!
Easy and absolutely delicious! I wish I had doubled the recipe so that I could have some for lunch the next day.
Really good! I took the spicy peppers out because some of my family doesn’t like spicy food and I just used chili oil for mine when I ate it to add the spice back in. Everyone liked it! I might have done something wrong with the sauce because I had a lot and it was not thick so I’ll add cornstarch next time to thicken it. Thank you for this recipe!