Creamy Thai Peanut Noodles (Printable version)

A vibrant, creamy noodle bowl with ground chicken, crisp vegetables, and rich peanut sauce.

# What You'll Need:

→ Protein & Noodles

01 - 1 pound ground chicken
02 - 10 ounces dried wide rice noodles

→ Vegetables

03 - 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
04 - 1 cup shredded carrots
05 - 1 cup snap peas, trimmed and halved
06 - 4 green onions, thinly sliced with green parts reserved for garnish
07 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated

→ Sauce

09 - 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
10 - 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
11 - 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
12 - 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
13 - 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
14 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
15 - 1 to 2 teaspoons sriracha or chili garlic sauce, to taste
16 - 1.5 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
17 - juice of 1 lime

→ Garnishes

18 - 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
19 - fresh cilantro leaves
20 - lime wedges

# Directions:

01 - Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add ground chicken, breaking it apart as it cooks, until browned and cooked through, approximately 5 minutes. Remove and set aside if excess liquid accumulates.
02 - Add minced garlic, grated ginger, and white parts of green onions to the pan. Sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Stir in bell pepper, carrots, and snap peas. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.
04 - Add dried rice noodles to the pan, spreading them evenly over the vegetables.
05 - Whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil, sriracha, and broth in a bowl until smooth. Pour sauce over noodles and vegetables.
06 - Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until noodles are tender and have absorbed most of the sauce.
07 - Return cooked chicken to the pan. Toss everything together over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes until creamy and well combined. Stir in lime juice.
08 - Divide among bowls and serve hot, topped with chopped peanuts, cilantro, green onion tops, and lime wedges.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Everything cooks in one pan, which means fewer dishes and maximum flavor concentration from the noodles absorbing all that creamy peanut sauce.
  • It comes together in under 40 minutes but tastes like you've been simmering it for hours.
  • Ground chicken stays tender and the vegetables keep just enough snap to feel fresh rather than mushy.
02 -
  • Don't skip whisking the sauce together separately; if you dump peanut butter directly into the hot pan, it seizes and creates lumps that no amount of stirring will fix.
  • The noodles continue to soften slightly after cooking, so if they look just barely tender when you finish cooking, they'll be perfect by the time you sit down to eat.
03 -
  • Grate your ginger on a microplane instead of mincing it; the texture dissolves into the sauce more elegantly and distributes flavor more evenly throughout the dish.
  • Toast your own peanuts if you have time, or buy them fresh from a bulk bin rather than relying on canned versions that can taste stale and flat.
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