Peanut Butter Chicken

Peanut butter chicken is a delicious protein-packed mid week supper that is cooked on the stovetop in one pan, and is ready in less than 20 minutes. Tender pieces of chicken in a rich peanut butter sauce.

Peanut butter chicken recipe

My peanut butter chicken is perfect for those evenings when you are hungry, and want an easy dinner that is packed with flavour that can be made faster than it would take for a delivery to arrive.

Peanut butter is the perfect ingredient for a sauce, it pairs well with spices, and makes a thick creamy sauce with next to no effort.

This recipe is adjustable, make as hot and spicy or as mild as you like, it is also a great way to make a little chicken go further, as the peanut butter sauce is packed with protein and will fill you up.

See also

• Richly flavoured creamy salmon gnocchi, in a tomato and cream sauce makes a delicious, quick and easy one-pot meal for two that’s ready to serve in under 30 minutes
• Smoky, intense chorizo and tender chicken in a creamy tomato and vegetable sauce combine in my chicken chorizo pasta making this easy one pot meal good enough for date night
• One pan and ready in less than 20 minutes my garlic butter chicken will be a new favourite

It does look like you need a lot of ingredients, but you will probably have most of them in the cupboard already, and those you don’t have can be easily subbed, so don’t be put off!

I’ll show you have to make the perfect peanut butter chicken every time adjusting for your taste, using the ingredients that you have in your cupboard.

Why make peanut butter chicken

• It is both easy and speedy! Dinner on the table in around 20 minutes

• Easy everyday ingredients

• One pan dish means less cleaning up

• Adaptable – the recipe is easy to adjust for your taste and the ingredients in your cupboard.

• It’s also great for batch cooking and for feeding a crowd or filling the freezer
  

Peanut butter chicken ingredients

• Chicken – Thighs are always my first choice when making a dish with small pieces of chicken. They have more flavour and more fat, so they will not dry out when cooking. They are also cheaper than chicken breast.
  
  This recipe uses filleted thighs. You can either buy them ready-prepared, or remove the skin and bone yourself. Pop both into a bag the freezer for the next time you make chicken stock.
  
• Peanut Butter – Regular creamy peanut butter. Do not use a grander one that separates and needs stirring before use. I prefer smooth, or to add some texture to the dish use a crunchy peanut butter.

• Maple Syrup (or honey) – Adds some sweetness to the sauce. If you don’t have any you can add a spoon of sugar.

• Chilli Sauce – I’ve used a sriracha as it was in the cupboard, but use what you have for your taste and heat tolerance. If you don’t want any heat, tomato ketchup would be perfect.

• Toasted Sesame Oil – this adds lots of flavour and is an ingredient I use all the time. Regular sesame oil has next to no flavour so when buying make sure the oil is toasted. Many wok oils contain toasted sesame oil so you can substitute that.

• Died Garlic Granules – I far prefer the fine golden granules to a powder. You can also use a couple of cloves of minced fresh garlic.

• Soy Sauce – My preference when cooking is a light soy sauce for maximum flavour. But use what you have in the cupboard, dark soy, sweet soy or tamari.

• Lemon (or lime) – adds a touch of freshness and acidity. Either would work well – I have used lemon as that is what most people are likely to have in the fridge or fruit bowl. There is no need to buy a lemon or lime for this recipe as you can use a dash of any type of vinegar.

• Stock / Broth – regular chicken or vegetable stock made up from a stock cube.

• Ghee (or oil) not shown – I increasingly use homemade ghee for frying almost anything. A jar will last for ages in the fridge, and it adds a lovely nutty toasty flavour. If you don’t have ghee any flavourless oil will also work.

• Peanuts (optional) – a garnish to serve

How to make peanut butter chicken – step by step

Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this peanut butter chicken recipe perfectly every time.

Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.

Step One – Prepare the chicken thighs by cutting into 1″ / 2.5cm pieces, all approximately the same size.

Add a small glug of olive oil, or spoon of ghee to a pan, and fry the thigh pieces over a medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring all the time, until they are starting to brown.

(If you want to serve this dish with rice, get it cooking now – my 5 spice rice would be delicious!)

Cooking pan – I use a good heavy (but not necessarily expensive) frying pan / skillet, which is non stick. If making this for 2, a 20cm/8″ pan is perfect.

Step Two – While the chicken is cooking prepare the peanut butter sauce.

Add all the ingredients, only using half of the stock to a bowl and whisk until you have a smooth sauce, which will be about the consistency of double / thick cream.

The sauce seems as if it is far too thin, but it will rapidly thicken as you heat it, so don’t worry!

Step Three – Pour any liquid fat / oil off the chicken and add the peanut sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer stirring all the time, and drizzle in extra stock as needed, stirring as the sauce thickens.

If you overheat the sauce can split. If it does, reduce the heat and add more liquid, stirring as you go to restore the creamy texture. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Step Four – Once the chicken is cooked through, and the sauce thickened (about 5-7 minutes) the peanut butter chicken is ready.

Serving suggestion

I like to garnish before serving, to add colour and contrast. Toasted peanuts, chopped herbs, sliced red or green chillies or some chopped spring onions / scallions would all work well here.

I like to serve this with a simple rice pilaf to soak up the peanut sauce. Flat breads would also be ideal.

Variations

• Make this dish using some leftover cooked or roast chicken. Give it a quick sauté to add some colour before adding the sauce. You will need to add some extra liquid.

• See the ingredients notes for detailed ingredient substitutions.

• Substituting paneer cheese or cubes of firm tofu instead of the chicken gives you a vegetarian option.

• Adjust the spicing and heat to taste.

Storage & leftovers

This is such a quick and easy dish that I usually make it fresh every time.

Fridge – Allow to cool, and as soon as it is room temperature pack into an airtight container and place in the fridge. It keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Freezer – Cool and pack into an airtight container. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge or on the worktop before reheating.

Reheat in a pan on the stove top, or heat in the microwave, making sure it is properly hot all the way through before serving. Stir some extra liquid through if needed, as the sauce can split, or become very thick

Hints and tips

• You want an everyday creamy peanut butter for this recipe. Not one that separates and needs stirring before use.

• I don’t recommend halving this recipe – the quantities become fiddly and a smaller batch is more likely to dry out. It freezes and reheats so well it is the perfect dish to cook once and eat twice.

More easy dinners for two

• One pot pasta puttanesca is the ultimate effortless hands dish, ready in less than half an hour.
• A warming one pot meal that’s perfect for winter, my lamb and bean casserole is fragrant with spices to keep out the cold.
• One-pot Moroccan chicken with rice makes a delicious week-night supper. Packed with the big, bold flavours of North Africa, it cooks in one dish and can be on the table in about 30 minutes.
• A delicious British pub classic of chicken breast wrapped in bacon and baked with barbecue sauce and cheese, hunter’s chicken is even better with homemade BBQ sauce.