Enjoy this easy Thai chicken with peanut sauce recipe when you have your next hankering for Thai food. You can make Thai peanut chicken in no time in your kitchen and with plenty of flavor.
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What Makes Thai Peanut Chicken Ideal For a Weeknight Meal?
Even though going out for Thai food is appealing, you can make this Thai peanut chicken recipe in less time, making it the perfect meal for those busy weeknights.
This Thai chicken with peanut sauce is better than what you will find at your local Thai restaurant. And it makes for excellent leftovers.
What Makes this Recipe for Thai Peanut Chicken So Good?
The peanut sauce that you make for this chicken is fantastic. It has the perfect balance of sweet and savory and just a little heat.
The peanut butter powder and sriracha sauce combination creates an excellent flavor profile that you cannot match.
Thai Peanut Chicken Ingredients
Look at everything you need to make this delectable Thai peanut chicken dinner.
- Boneless skinless chicken breast – you could use boneless skinless thighs if you prefer – Provides lean protein and takes on flavors well while staying tender when properly cooked.
- Cooking oil – (like vegetable oil or olive oil) – Enables high-heat cooking and prevents sticking while adding richness.
- Minced garlic – Creates an aromatic base that infuses throughout the dish
- White onion – Adds sweetness and depth while providing texture
- Peanut butter powder/regular – The key to the signature sauce, providing rich nutty flavor with less fat when using powder
- Water – Helps achieve proper sauce consistency
- Brown sugar – Balances the savory elements and helps create caramelization
- Soy sauce – Adds umami depth and necessary salt content. You can use low-sodium soy sauce if you prefer
- Garlic chili sauce or sriracha sauce – Provides heat and complexity to the sauce
- Green onion slices for garnish – Adds fresh flavor and color as garnish
If you want to cut back on the fat content of this dish, using powdered peanut butter is a great way to do that without compromising on flavor!
How To Make Thai Peanut Chicken
Here are the simple recipe steps:
- Begin by heating up a large skillet over high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the oil and heat it up.
- Add the minced garlic to the skillet and let it cook until it becomes fragrant. Then, carefully remove the garlic from the skillet and set it aside for later.
- Add the sliced onions and cut-up chicken breast to the skillet and let it cook, turning the chicken over every 2 to 3 minutes to cook the chicken all the way through.
- While the chicken is cooking, make the peanut butter sauce by combining the peanut butter powder, water, brown sugar, soy sauce, cooked minced garlic, and garlic chili sauce until it all comes together into a smooth sauce. A whisk is very helpful in making a creamy sauce.
- After the chicken is done cooking, pour in the peanut sauce and let it cook with the chicken for about 1 minute.
- Now serve the Thai peanut chicken over noodles or rice and top it off with some fresh cilantro and chopped peanuts. Enjoy!
Recipe Variations
Enjoy this recipe as is, or add some shredded carrots, celery, red bell pepper, broccoli, or bok choy.
Adding vegetables to the stir fry is a great way to get in your daily veggies and have a delicious meal!
How to Serve Thai Peanut Chicken
Serve Thai peanut chicken stir fry over top of some wonderfully delicious ramen noodles, rice noodles, or rice to have a well-rounded meal.
What Goes With Thai Peanut Chicken?
While this Thai peanut chicken recipe makes for a wonderful full meal, you can also serve it with these tremendous Asian appetizers and sides:
How to Store Leftover Thai Peanut Chicken
When you are done eating your Thai stir fry, pour your leftovers into an airtight container and store them in the fridge for 4 to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
However, if you are going to freeze this recipe, I would suggest freezing the chicken and making up rice or rice noodles to go with it when you are ready to eat it.
How to Reheat Thai Leftover Chicken
To reheat this leftover chicken recipe, get out your skillet and heat it over medium-high heat. Then, pour the chicken into the skillet and continue heating the chicken for 5 to 7 minutes or until it is heated all the way through.
Or, to speed things up, you can pop the chicken in the microwave for 45 to 60 seconds and then enjoy!
Favorite Asian Recipes
- Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp
- Beef Chow Fun
- Egg Drop Soup
- Chicken Katsu
- Chow Mein Recipe
- Egg Foo Young
- Hibachi Steak
- PF Chang’s Lettuce Wraps
- Pork Katsu
- Sweet and Sour Sauce
Popular Chicken Recipes for Dinner
Check out more of my easy chicken dinner recipes and the best Asian recipes here on CopyKat!
Thai Peanut Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium white onion sliced
- 1 pound chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 tablespoons peanut butter powder or 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic chili sauce or sriracha sauce
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over high heat. When the pan is hot, add oil to the skillet.
- Add the garlic to the skillet and cook until it becomes fragrant. Remove the garlic and set aside. It will burn if it cooks the entire time.
- Add the onions and chicken to the skillet, turning the chicken every 2 to 3 minutes.
- While the chicken is cooking, combine the peanut butter powder, water, brown sugar, soy sauce, and garlic chili sauce or sriracha sauce. Stir until well blended.
- When chicken is done, drizzle the sauce over chicken and cook for about 1 minute.
- Remove from heat and serve with noodles or rice.
Notes
- 🔥 Heat Management: Get your pan screaming hot before adding oil – this prevents sticking and creates that perfect stir-fry sear on the chicken.
- 🥜 Sauce Secret: If using regular peanut butter instead of powder, warm it slightly before mixing with other sauce ingredients for a smoother blend.
- 🍗 Prep Power: Cut chicken into uniform sizes (about 1-inch pieces) for even cooking and slice against the grain for maximum tenderness.
Ted
Delicious sauce!
Barbara McGill
Easy to make and delicious. I doubled the recipe when I had to serve 10 for lunch.
Anne
I really liked this recipe. I got tired of peanut butter powder shakes, and this was a great way to use peanut butter powder.
Eve Hunt
Thank you so much for wonderful recipes! What I love about your website most of all is that you post not only great recipes and descriptions but also stunning photos of food! Have a nice day!
Alisha Ross
I tried this recipe, I liked it.
Moses Brodin
I too stir frys, so filling healthy and what the whole family needs on a cold winters day. Great post I will defiantly be trying some!
thaneeshraane
Nice receipe, thanks for sharing, i like peanut butter very much.
Sonia Chauhan
Wow, you have such stunning photos! And these stuffed bell pepers – YUM! These have been on my bucket list for so long – thanks for pushing me to finally give it a try!
Deep Web
“Lovely recipe. Sadly my Thai green curry paste wasn’t as hot as I wanted it, but it was tasty. Will definitely make again 🙂
Joan Cook
Oh! I never would have thought of using it that way! Wonderful post- pinned it for later!
Thanks for joining us!
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Stephanie
What is your favorite type of stir fry?