Easy Peanut Butter Chicken Recipe (Rich, Creamy & Easy Weeknight Dinner)

Ingredients

See recipe card for exact amounts.

Ingredient Notes

This recipe uses just a few simple ingredients you likely already have on hand.

• Chicken: We use boneless skinless chicken breasts. You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs if you prefer.
• Soy Sauce: I always buy the low sodium variety but any will work.
• Peanut Butter; You can use regular or natural peanut butter, whatever you keep on hand will work perfectly. We use creamy peanut butter but you can use crunchy peanut butter.
• Cornstarch: This is what gets the chicken nice and brown and thickens the sauce.
• Chicken Broth: I like Swanson, use your favorite brand or homemade chicken stock.
• Honey: This gives the creamy peanut butter sauce just the right amount of sweetness.
• Hot Sauce: I use sriracha because that is what I keep on hand. See below for alternatives.
• Canola Oil: This is personal preference. You can use olive oil, peanut oil or even sesame oil. Sesame oil has a strong flavor of its own so I would probably mix it with one of the milder oils.

How to Make Easy Peanut Butter Chicken

Cook the chicken, whisk the peanut sauce, then combine and simmer until thick and creamy. That’s it.

1. Make the easy peanut sauce by whisking the peanut butter, chicken broth, soy sauce, honey, garlic and hot sauce in a small bowl or measuring cup. Whisk in the cornstarch right before you add it to the chicken.
2. Next cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with cornstarch. Toss to coat chicken pieces on all sides with cornstarch. You can do this with a spoon, or tongs but I always use clean dry hands. The best kitchen tools I own are my two clean dry hands.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Cook chicken until golden on all sides. Cook chicken in batches if necessary. 
4. Clean any leftover oil out of the skillet and add chicken back into the skillet over medium heat. Add cornstarch to sauce and whisk to combine before adding the sauce to the skillet with the chicken. Cook over medium heat until thickened, about 3-5 minutes. 
5. If sauce is too thick it can be thinned down by adding additional chicken broth a little at a time until the sauce is the desired consistency. We like ours thick if we are not adding vegetables and thinner if we are adding vegetables.

Tips for the Best Peanut Butter Chicken

• Cut the chicken (and veggies, if using) ahead of time to make this dish even faster.

• Cook the chicken in batches if necessary because if you overcrowd the pan then the chicken will not brown.
• Clean the skillet after cooking the chicken and/or vegetables by holding a paper towel with tongs. 

Substitutions & Additions

• We use sriracha sauce but you could use red pepper flakes, chili paste or buffalo sauce. The amount used is really personal preference and you may have to experiment to find the perfect balance. Start with a little and add more next time if it is too mild. You can also leave it out altogether if you are feeding young kids but a little bit of heat with the peanut butter and honey is what makes this a flavorful dish.
• Add in some fresh tender crisp veggies to make this a well balanced and complete meal. You can thin the sauce down with additional chicken broth and add in green, orange, yellow, or red bell peppers. Green beans, carrots and broccoli also go great in this dish.
• Garnish with fresh peanuts or green onions.

What to Serve with Peanut Butter Chicken

Sometimes we make this dish with veggies in it and sometimes we eat it with veggies as a side dish. 

• Roasted Parmesan Broccoli
• Pan Fried Green Beans
• Pan Fried Brussels Sprouts
• Roasted Zucchini & Summer Squash

Peanut Butter Chicken is great served on white rice, jasmine rice, brown rice, or rice noodles. If you are on a low carb diet then you can serve this with cauliflower rice or other fresh vegetables.

Storage and Reheating

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Reheat in the microwave in 30-45 second intervals until heated through. Or on the stove-top in a skillet. If it is too thick then add a splash of chicken broth or water to thin it down a little.

More Easy Chicken Dinner Recipes

• Lemon Chicken Chow Mein
• Southwest Ranch Salad with Chicken
• Basil Chicken & Veggies
• Chicken Parmesan
• Kung Pao Chicken