Why You’ll Love This this Smooth Asian-Inspired Peanut Butter Chicken
This ridiculously easy peanut butter chicken comes together in just one pan, which means fewer dishes for me to ignore in the sink later.
The creamy peanut butter melts into the savory tomato base, creating this silky, nutty sauce that clings to every piece of tender chicken like a warm hug.
You get all those complex Asian-inspired flavors without having to hunt down fifteen different ingredients at three separate grocery stores – because who’s time for that kind of culinary treasure hunt.
Ingredients List
This peanut butter chicken needs just a handful of pantry staples and fresh ingredients that you probably already have lurking in your kitchen somewhere.
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken, cut in bite sized pieces
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 (8 ounce) can mushrooms, drained
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Salt (to taste)
- Pepper (to taste)
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- Cooked rice or egg noodles
The creamy peanut butter adds healthy fats and protein, though it does bump up the calorie count a bit.
Fish sauce might sound intimidating, but it’s loaded with umami and adds depth without being fishy.
Using chicken stock instead of cream keeps things lighter while still creating that silky sauce.
The tomatoes bring vitamin C and lycopene to the party, making this comfort food feel a little less guilty.
You can easily swap regular peanut butter for natural or even almond butter if that’s more your speed.
Step by Step Directions
This peanut butter chicken comes together in one pan with simple steps that build layers of flavor.
- Heat oil in pan over medium heat and add chicken, cooking until it turns white.
- Add onion, mushrooms, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper, stirring constantly until onions are translucent.
- Add chicken stock, diced tomatoes with juice, and fish sauce.
- Simmer approximately 10 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.
- Stir in creamy peanut butter until well combined.
- Serve over cooked rice or egg noodles.
For the best results when making this Asian-inspired dish, consider using proper Indian cooking equipment to achieve authentic flavors and textures.
Substitutions and Variations
- Fresh mushroom upgrade – Skip the canned mushrooms and use sliced fresh ones instead, they’ll give you better texture and won’t turn to mush during cooking.
- Crunchy factor – Toss in some chopped peanuts or water chestnuts at the very end for texture contrast, because sometimes you need something to crunch on.
Additional Things to Serve With This Dish
This dish is basically a one-pot wonder, but to be frank, sometimes you want to make it feel like a proper dinner party.
- Steamed broccoli or green beans – Because we all need our vegetables, and the bright green color makes the whole plate look like you actually know what you’re doing in the kitchen.
- Coconut rice – Cook your rice with half coconut milk and half water, it’s like giving your taste buds a little tropical vacation without leaving your dining room.
- Asian cucumber salad – Slice cucumbers thin, toss with rice vinegar and a pinch of sugar, and suddenly you have something cool and crisp to cut through all that rich peanut butter goodness.
- Crusty bread or naan – Perfect for sopping up every last drop of that sauce, because wasting peanut butter sauce should probably be a crime.
- Simple side salad – Mixed greens with a light vinaigrette will make you feel virtuous after diving face-first into creamy peanut butter chicken.
Cooking Tips & Tricks (Chef’s Notes)
Look, I’m going to share some secrets that will save you from the kitchen disasters I’ve watched happen way too many times.
- Don’t skip cutting the chicken into actual bite-sized pieces – I’m talking smaller than you think, because nobody wants to wrestle with a giant hunk of chicken while trying to look sophisticated at dinner.
- Let that peanut butter come to room temperature first – Cold peanut butter straight from the jar will turn into stubborn clumps that’ll make you question your life choices, and stirring it in when it’s soft means silky sauce instead of chunky disappointment.
- Taste as you go, especially with the fish sauce – That stuff is potent and salty, so start with less and add more if needed, because oversalting this dish means you’re basically eating peanut butter soup with a side of regret.
- Keep some extra chicken stock handy – If your sauce gets too thick (which happens to the best of us), a splash of stock will thin it out without watering down all those beautiful flavors you’ve been building.
- Stir in the peanut butter off the heat – High heat can make peanut butter seize up and get grainy, and nobody wants to explain why their creamy sauce looks like it went through a blender fight.
- Double-check that your chicken is actually cooked through – Peanut sauce can hide a lot of sins, but undercooked chicken isn’t one of them, so when in doubt, cut into the thickest piece and make sure it’s white all the way through.
Nutritional Facts
This peanut butter chicken packs a surprising nutritional punch beyond just being comfort food.
- High in protein – With a full pound of chicken plus peanut butter, you’re getting approximately 35-40 grams of protein per serving, which helps build muscle and keeps you satisfied longer.
- Rich in healthy fats – The peanut butter provides monounsaturated fats that support heart health and help your body absorb fat-soluble vitamins from the tomatoes and other ingredients.
- Good source of lycopene – Those canned tomatoes deliver this powerful antioxidant that may help protect against heart disease and certain cancers, and it’s actually more bioavailable in cooked tomatoes than raw ones.
- Contains immune-boosting nutrients – Onions provide quercetin and sulfur compounds, while mushrooms add selenium and B vitamins that support your immune system.
- Moderate calorie density – Each serving contains roughly 450-500 calories when served over rice, making it a satisfying meal that won’t completely derail your daily intake.
- Decent fiber content – Between the vegetables and peanut butter, you’ll get about 4-6 grams of fiber per serving, especially if you choose brown rice as your base.
- High sodium warning – The fish sauce, canned tomatoes, and chicken stock can push sodium levels to 800-1000mg per serving, so go easy on additional salt.
- Niacin powerhouse – Chicken and peanut butter both provide substantial amounts of niacin (vitamin B3), which supports brain function and helps convert food into energy.
Fun “Did You Know?”
Beyond all those nutritional benefits, peanut butter chicken has some fascinating backstory that’ll make you appreciate this dish even more.
I uncovered that peanut-based sauces originated in West Africa, traveling to Southeast Asia through trade routes centuries ago. That’s why you’ll find similar dishes across Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia today.
Here’s what’s really cool: peanut butter wasn’t even invented until 1884, but people were grinding peanuts into paste for cooking thousands of years earlier.
The fish sauce in our recipe? It’s been fermenting fish into umami gold for over 2,000 years in Vietnamese coastal villages.
