Description
This 30-Minute Peanut Butter Chicken recipe offers a deliciously creamy and slightly spicy chicken dish made with a rich peanut butter sauce. Combining juicy chicken thighs with a flavorful blend of tomato, fresno pepper, garlic, ginger, and savory soy sauce, it’s a quick and easy meal perfect for a weeknight dinner. Garnished with roasted peanuts and fresh cilantro, this dish pairs wonderfully with steamed rice for a satisfying and aromatic experience.
Ingredients
Scale
Peanut Butter Sauce
- 1 medium tomato, diced
- ½ fresno pepper, minced (or ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes)
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar (or more to taste)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ medium lime, juiced
Chicken and Cooking
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 small onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ tablespoons ginger paste (or 1 inch grated ginger)
For Serving and Garnish
- ¼ cup roasted peanuts, chopped
- ½ lime, quartered
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Prepare the peanut butter sauce: In a medium bowl, combine the diced tomato, minced fresno pepper or red pepper flakes, creamy peanut butter, brown sugar, soy sauce, chicken broth, and lime juice. Stir thoroughly until the mixture is smooth and well combined. Set the sauce aside for later use.
- Prepare the chicken: Cut the boneless, skinless chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. Season them evenly with kosher salt, then toss to ensure all pieces are coated.
- Cook the chicken: Heat 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces and cook them for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until they are nicely browned. Remove the cooked chicken from the skillet and set aside in a bowl.
- Sauté the onion: Using the same skillet, add the remaining 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil. Add the diced onion and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently until the onions become translucent and soft, taking care not to let them burn.
- Add garlic and ginger: Stir in the minced garlic and ginger paste into the onions. Cook for approximately 1 minute on medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning and to release their aromas.
- Combine sauce and chicken: Carefully pour the prepared peanut butter sauce into the skillet with the onion, garlic, and ginger. Then add the browned chicken pieces back into the skillet. Stir everything well to coat the chicken thoroughly with the sauce. Allow the sauce to simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring consistently to avoid sticking and to allow flavors to meld.
- Serve and garnish: Remove the skillet from heat. Serve the peanut butter chicken hot alongside cooked rice. Garnish the dish with chopped roasted peanuts, fresh cilantro leaves, additional slices of fresno pepper if desired, and lime wedges for squeezing.
Notes
- You can adjust the spiciness by increasing or decreasing the amount of fresno pepper or red pepper flakes.
- Use chicken breasts if preferred, but thighs will provide a juicier, more flavorful dish.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute soy sauce with tamari.
- Ginger paste can be replaced with freshly grated ginger for a more vibrant flavor.
- Leftover sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and reused for other dishes requiring a peanut sauce base.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian Fusion
Keywords: Peanut butter chicken, quick chicken recipe, creamy peanut sauce, stovetop chicken, easy dinner, spicy peanut chicken, Asian chicken recipe, weeknight meal
