Description
Peanut Butter Chicken is a deliciously creamy and savory dish that combines tender, crispy chicken pieces with a rich peanut butter sauce and vibrant sautéed vegetables. This recipe perfectly balances sweet, spicy, and nutty flavors, making it an easy yet impressive meal served best with rice or noodles.
Ingredients
Scale
Sauce
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce
Vegetables
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil (can substitute olive oil)
- 2 ½ cups broccoli florets
- ¾ cup baby carrots, julienned
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
Chicken
- 1 ½ lbs boneless chicken breast or thighs
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ cup cornstarch
- â…“ cup peanut oil (can substitute olive oil)
To Serve & Garnish
- 3 cups cooked rice
- Green onions, sliced (for garnish)
- Chopped peanuts (for garnish)
Instructions
- Prepare the sauce: Whisk together the creamy peanut butter, chicken broth, low sodium soy sauce, honey, minced garlic, and hot sauce in a medium bowl until smooth. Set aside.
- Sauté the vegetables: Heat 2 tablespoons of peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli florets and julienned baby carrots, cooking and stirring frequently for 3 to 4 minutes. Next, add the sliced red bell pepper and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes until all vegetables are tender-crisp. Remove vegetables from the skillet and set aside.
- Prepare the chicken: Cut the boneless chicken into approximately 2-inch pieces and pat them completely dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with white pepper, salt, and paprika, then use tongs to toss and coat evenly. Sprinkle the cornstarch over the chicken pieces and toss again to coat completely.
- Heat oil for frying: In the same large skillet, add â…“ cup of peanut oil and heat over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering.
- Fry the chicken: Fry the chicken in batches in the hot oil, making sure to leave space around each piece to allow the edges to crisp properly. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until each piece is light brown and crispy on the outside. Adjust the heat as needed to prevent burning.
- Remove excess oil and add sauce: Carefully pour out excess oil from the skillet, wiping it away if needed. Return all the fried chicken pieces to the skillet. Whisk the prepared peanut sauce again and pour it over the chicken. Toss gently to coat all pieces thoroughly in the sauce.
- Simmer to thicken: Reduce heat to medium and let the sauce heat through and thicken, leveraging the cornstarch coating on the chicken. Stir occasionally and cook until the sauce reaches your desired thickness. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a few splashes of water to loosen it slightly. Remove from heat once ready.
- Combine or serve vegetables: Add the sautéed vegetables into the skillet with the chicken and sauce, tossing them together, or serve the vegetables on the side according to preference.
- Garnish and serve: Garnish the dish with sliced green onions and roughly chopped peanuts. Serve hot alongside cooked white rice, vegetable fried rice, or noodles.
Notes
- For perfectly cooked white rice, rinse 1 cup of rice under cold water until water runs clear, then combine it with 1 â…“ cups water in a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let it steam, covered, for an additional 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
- You can substitute olive oil for peanut oil if desired, but peanut oil enhances the nutty flavor.
- Adjust hot sauce amount based on your heat preference.
- Chicken thighs will give you a juicier texture; breasts will be leaner.
- If sauce thickens too much upon standing, gently reheat and add a splash of water to loosen.
