Peanut Butter Chicken Recipe
Oh gosh, can you believe that this easy chicken in peanut sauce is made in less than 30 minutes! It's wild, I know! This simple chicken dinner is super tasty:
- rich, creamy, flavorful
- golden-brown chicken breast
- make homemade curry paste or use store-bought
- packed with veggies and vitamins
- dairy-free and gluten-free
- made in just one skillet!
- family-friendly recipe
- tasty mid-week lunch or dinner recipe for cold days
How to make peanut butter chicken
Making chicken with peanut sauce is simple and quick. This is how we do it:
- Make the homemade curry paste: In a blender (or using a pestle and mortar) mix simple ingredients like onion, garlic, chili, ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce and spices, turmeric, coriander, garam masala, and cumin. Homemade curry paste is made in about a minute, but feel free to use store-bought red Thai curry paste or yellow Thai curry paste as well.
- Season and cook the chicken: Season with salt and pepper and cook the chicken, cut in small cubes in a skillet, over medium-high heat for 4 - 5 minutes.
- Add vegetables: Transfer the chicken to a plate and add fresh, colorful veggies to the same skillet. We added red pepper, yellow pepper, and cauliflower. Feel free to experiment with other veggies like peas, carrots, string beans...
- Make it creamy: Place the chicken back in the skillet with curry paste, smooth (sugar-free) peanut butter and coconut milk.
- Serve: Sprinkle with peanuts, chopped scallions and/or chopped parsley and coriander.
What to serve with peanut butter chicken
Peanut butter chicken goes well with a lot of delicious and easily prepared sides. We usually choose:
- Steamed vegetables like swiss chard, bok choy, broccoli - the healthy(er) version
- Rice noodles
- Basmati rice
Sprinkle the chicken with a peanut butter sauce with peanuts or chopped scallions or chopped parsley/coriander. Add a bit of lime or lemon juice to balance out the richness and devour.
How to store peanut butter chicken
You can store this peanut butter chicken in two ways. Place any leftovers in an airtight container and keep it chilled for up to 3 days in the fridge. Before serving, transfer it to a pot and reheat on a stove.
You can also freeze this peanut butter chicken. Transfer cool peanut butter chicken to freezer bags and freeze for up to 1 month. Before serving, transfer it to a pot and reheat on a stove. If necessary, add some water to ensure the creaminess.
If you love this recipe, try these tasty Asian dishes too
- Coconut Curry Chicken
- Chicken Korma
- Chicken Biryani
- Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry
- Squash and Chickpeas Curry
METHOD
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make the curry paste
First, let’s make a simple homemade curry paste. In a blender mix onion, garlic, chili, ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce, turmeric powder, coriander seeds, cumin, and garam masala. Blend to get a smooth paste using a blender or pestle and mortar.
TipStore-bought yellow or red curry paste will work too. -
cook the chicken
Add chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized chunks to a bowl. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sesame oil to the hot skillet. Add the chicken and cook for 4 – 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is golden brown.
TipSesame oil adds a distinctive aroma and richness, but other vegetable oils will work too. -
Peanut Butter Chicken
Transfer the chicken to a plate. Add a bit of oil, chopped yellow and red pepper, and cauliflower cut in florets. Stir and cook for a few minutes over medium-low heat. Add the homemade curry paste, peanut butter and cook for a minute to extract the most flavor out of the spices and other ingredients. Add the chicken with all its juices and full-fat coconut milk. Stir to combine. Cook for approx. 5 minutes or until the sauce is rich, thick, and creamy, stirring occasionally.
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Serve
Divide the peanut butter chicken between four plates. Sprinkle with peanuts and serve with steamed vegetables, rice noodles or basmati rice. Optionally serve with some fresh lemon or lime juice. Sprinkle with chopped spring onion or scallions or freshly chopped coriander or parsley.
