Quick, easy and delicious spicy chicken peanut noodles with vegetables, all in a spicy peanut sauce. A great weeknight meal.
When it comes to a quick and easy dinner, noodles are a regular go-to for me and spicy peanut noodles are a favourite. A quick and easy noodle stir fry is also a great way to clean up odds and ends of vegetables or cooked, leftover meat.
I love that you can use what you have around for the noodles, then grab whatever vegetables you have around and throw them in the pan as well. Pour the easy peanut sauce overtop and cook a few minutes more, then you’re ready to enjoy.
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Noodles – For the quickest dinner, go for noodles that only need to soak in hot or boiling water before using, such as shelf-stable or frozen udon, ramen or chow mein noodles or thin rice noodles. Simply soak until tender, from just a couple of minutes up to 20-25 minutes, depending on the noodle.
Assorted Vegetables – Use whatever vegetables you have around for this dish. Some good options are carrots, broccoli, green onion, bell pepper, spinach, cabbage and/or bean sprouts. To keep this dish quick and easy, cut longer cooking vegetables, such as carrots, into very small pieces such as matchsticks, or use spiralized carrots (chopped into smaller pieces, if necessary), which is not only easier and quicker to prepare, but will cook much more quickly.
Chicken – You can use either boneless chicken thighs or boneless chicken breasts. Left-over cooked chicken works or chicken from a rotisserie chicken. For a vegetarian dish, just skip the chicken or replace it with tofu, if you like.
Creamy peanut butter – I find creamy, regular peanut butter works best. You could use Crunchy if you prefer. I haven’t tested this dish with natural peanut butter. It may change the consistency of the sauce somewhat, so you may need to add more liquid to the pan.
Asian Chili Garlic Sauce – This is the “spicy” part. Control the heat of the dish by adjusting the amount of Asian Chili Garlic Sauce you add. I find a nice, rounded tablespoon about right. You could also use Sambal Oelek, but it is spicier, so start with just a teaspoon and go from there. Sriracha is an option, though I find that while you get the heat, you don’t really get the nice flavours of the other sauces.
Recipe tips!
- If your noodles get thick and sticky, add a splash of hot water to the pot and toss to loosen.
- You can replace the water in the sauce with chicken broth, if you like, for even more flavour.
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Get the Recipe: Spicy Peanut Noodles with Chicken
Ingredients
- 14 oz Asian noodles, see Note 1
- 2 cups assorted fresh vegetables, spiralized carrot, sliced cabbage, spinach, green onion, sliced bell pepper
- 2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cut into bite-sized pieces *See Note 2
- Cooking oil
Spicy Peanut sauce:
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, *See Note 3
- 1/2 cup water, or See Note 4
- 2 Tablespoon soy sauce, low sodium recommended
- 2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar, seasoned or unseasoned
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoon ginger paste, or 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
- 2 Tablespoon brown sugar, or 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tablespoon Asian Chili Garlic Sauce, plus more to taste
For Garnish:
- Additional sliced green onion sliced
- 2-3 Tablespoon chopped peanuts, optional
Instructions
- Soak your noodles in boiling or very hot water to soften. Depending on the type of noodle, it will take anywhere from 5 minutes to 25 minutes. Refer to the package directions for guidance on timing. Drain well before adding to the pan.
- Prepare the sauce by whisking together all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat on the stove-top. Add a splash of oil to the hot pan. If using fresh chicken, add to the pan and cook, stirring, until it is cooked through. Remove to a plate. Add a bit more oil to the pan. Add the assorted vegetables and cook, stirring, until just tender. Return the chicken to the pan. Add the soaked noodles and cook, stirring, about 30 seconds, to cook off any water. Add the sauce and toss to combine. Cook until the sauce is warmed and nicely coats the noodles.
- Serve immediately, topped with additional sliced green onion and chopped peanuts, if desired.
Notes
More noodle recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
The sauce is phenomenal and we adjusted the amount of garlic chili sauce for more heat and added some cilantro as a topper. We also substituted shrimp for the chicken and used mushrooms, red peppers, and prepacked coleslaw mix cabbage/carrots which all worked wonderfully to bulk up the meal and made for excellent leftovers the next day. Thank you for the recipe!
Sounds delicious, Kris :) Thanks so much!
I made this with Costco’s Kirkland natural peanut butter. The result was too heavy, peanutty, and cloying. A 1/4 cup might have been enough. Surprisingly the leftovers next day were much better, not as peanutty, and with some added water very good. I would use regular smooth peanut butter next time.
Hi Cheryl and yes, I addressed natural peanut butter in Note 3 in the Recipe Card. Its thicker consistency needs added liquid (broth or water) to loosen it.
Excellent. Made this without the chicken and it’s delicious. Followed the recipe without any changes to the sauce, but subbed spaghettiini for the noodles, and used an assortment of broccoli, snow peas, cauliflower, cremini mushrooms, green onions, and zucchini for the veggies. The next time I make this I’ll reserve a bit of the pasta water to add once the pasta and veggies have been combined.
So glad you enjoyed it, Sadie :) Thanks so much!
This is the dish I’ve been looking for! Seriously, with the ginger, peanut butter and noodles, it has been on my mind for ages. Thank you for this recipe – can’t wait to try it!
Thanks Tricia and yes, this is my favourite peanut sauce for noodles :)
Can’t wait to try this with ground pork!
It would be great with ground pork! Enjoy :)
We’d enjoy it with or without the chicken Jennifer! Such a flavorful dish!
Thanks Mary Ann and yes, I love it both ways :)
We love peanut noodles in our home and have on the regular! This is seriously making me crave some right now! Looks awesome :)
Same here! It’s in regular rotation here, too :)
I love this dish! The flavors are so vibrant and I can see myself varying the noodles as an excuse to make it more often.
Thanks Milena and yes, this is also the perfect dish for using up bits of things – noodles, meat and veg :)