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Thai Peanut Chicken and Noodles is a 30-minute recreation of one of my favorite Thai takeout recipes. Leftover or rotisserie chicken, pasta, and pantry staples make team up for this easy dinner idea that comes together quicker than delivery can arrive at your door.
When I tried Thai Peanut Chicken and Noodles a couple decades ago (time flies!) the first time at a local Thai restaurant, I admit that I was a bit skeptical. Peanut butter on pasta?!
But it was love at first bite. Chicken and noodles with a sauce that manages to be nutty, savory, sweet, and salty all at once? Sold, and I was a fan for life after I realized these complex flavors were possible to recreate this combination with nearly all pantry staple ingredients.
This is how the midwest does Thai food, and I happen to think it’s downright amazing. My homemade Thai Peanut Chicken and Noodles tastes just like that restaurant recipe, and is beloved by kids and adults in my family. I hope this takeout fake-out recipe holds the same spot in your crew’s heart soon, too.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Spaghetti: Another long-cut pasta like udon, ramen, linguine, soba, or lo mein noodles also works in a pinch.
- Chicken broth: You just need a splash (⅓ cup) so feel free to use broth from a box. If you have some already made, of course you can opt for Homemade Chicken Broth instead.
- Creamy peanut butter: Yes, the same you use to make your kids’ classic PB&Js (and my favorite Peanut Butter Blossom cookies). Store-bought or Homemade Peanut Butter; just be sure it’s creamy and not crunchy.
- Crushed red pepper flakes: To reduce the amount of heat in the finished Thai Peanut Chicken and Noodles recipe, use as little as ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or omit them entirely).
- Cooked chicken: Leftovers from last night, Homemade Rotisserie Chicken, or grocery store rotisserie chicken; any of the above will do.
Step-by-step instructions
- Bring 4 quarts water and ½ teaspoon salt to a boil. Add noodles and cook according to package directions, about 5 to 7 minutes; drain well.
- In a large bowl, whisk together broth, peanut butter, honey, soy sauce, crushed red pepper, ginger, and garlic until smooth.
- Add noodles, chicken, and carrots and toss until evenly coated. Sprinkle with scallions and peanuts.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This 30-minute meal makes six 1-cup entree-sized servings. Serve with Rainbow Thai Salad with Mango and you have one marvelous restaurant copycat feast.
- Storage: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: The noodles can be cooked a day in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator (rinse with hot water to revive before tossing with the sauce). The sauce can be made a day in advance, too. Bring to room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
- More Asian flavors: Start off your next Asian meal with Crab Rangoon (or the vegetarian version, Cream Cheese Wontons) or Pot Stickers. Try a side dish of quick Brown Fried Rice, Asian Cucumber Salad, or Baby Bok Choy Salad with Sesame Dressing. For a show-stopping main dish, try Hibachi Steak with Wasabi Potatoes and a drizzle of Teriyaki Sauce.
Recipe FAQs
Chicken will always and forever be my top choice for this Thai recipe, but shredded leftover turkey, diced leftover pork or steak, or grilled shrimp are solid options if you need to use those up.
Skip the peanut garnish and use almond butter instead of peanut butter.
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Thai Peanut Chicken and Noodles
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti (see note 1)
- 1/3 cup chicken broth (see note 2)
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (see note 3)
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (see note 4)
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 cups cooked chicken (see note 5)
- 2 carrots peeled, quartered, and sliced thinly lengthwise
- ¼ cup scallions sliced
- ¼ cup peanuts chopped
Instructions
- Bring 4 quarts water and ½ teaspoon salt to a boil. Add noodles and cook according to package directions, about 5 to 7 minutes; drain well.
- In a large bowl, whisk together broth, peanut butter, honey, soy sauce, crushed red pepper, ginger, and garlic until smooth.
- Add noodles, chicken, and carrots and toss until evenly coated. Sprinkle with scallions and peanuts.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Spaghetti: Another long-cut pasta like udon, ramen, linguine, soba, or lo mein noodles also works in a pinch.
- Chicken broth: You just need a splash (⅓ cup) so feel free to use broth from a box. If you have some already made, of course you can opt for Homemade Chicken Broth instead.
- Creamy peanut butter: Yes, the same you use to make your kids’ classic PB&Js (and my favorite Peanut Butter Blossom cookies). Store-bought or Homemade Peanut Butter; just be sure it’s creamy and not crunchy.
- Crushed red pepper flakes: To reduce the amount of heat in the finished Thai Peanut Chicken and Noodles recipe, use as little as ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or omit them entirely).
- Cooked chicken: Leftovers from last night, Homemade Rotisserie Chicken, or grocery store rotisserie chicken; any of the above will do.
- Yield: This 30-minute meal makes six 1-cup entree-sized servings. Serve with Rainbow Thai Salad with Mango and you have one marvelous restaurant copycat feast.
- Storage: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: The noodles can be cooked a day in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator (rinse with hot water to revive before tossing with the sauce). The sauce can be made a day in advance, too. Bring to room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Took more than 5 minutes to prep and did not have amount needed of garlic or ginger
Hi Marietta, thank you so much for taking the time to write your feedback, I value it greatly. The double checked the recipe and it lists 1 teaspoon ground ginger and 1 clove of garlic, minced. I’m sorry you may have missed that in the ingredients list. The preparation and cook times are an estimate, an can vary from cook to cook depending on our skills (and everything else that is going one while we work to make a dish!) The preparation time is an estimate for chopping and preparing the ingredients, such as the carrots, scallions, and peanuts. The cook time is an estimate for the active time to boil the water for the pasta, making the sauce, and finishing the dish. I hope this helps! Thank you again and I hope you reach out with any other questions or feedback. Take care! – Meggan
The Thai dish was OK. But I am a Thai food connoisseur so it takes a lot to impress me. I also made the Thai peanut dressing on the side. My personal opinion is that the dressing should be the sauce for the Thai dish. They had much more flavor and spice.
Hi Carrie, thank you for your feedback. I’m sorry you made the sauce on the side instead of how it was written. I hope you try it that way next time and love it. – Meggan
Is this meant to be eaten cold or hot?
Hi Sona, the noodles should be warm and the sauce at room temperature when they are tossed together. It’s also delicious cold. I hope you love them! – Meggan
I really love this recipe. I always have it in my meal plans.
ABSOLUTELY yummy!! Will definitely make this again!Â
I would not change a thing!! Â 5 stars for sure!Â
There is no copyright on recipes. Learned that when our organization put a cookbook together.
I already have copied this identical recipe from last year from another blog. Except all you have changed is the type of pasta. And you haven’t given any credits to the previous source.
I got this recipe form my friend Jessi in Minnesota in 2004. Blogs weren’t even around then (well, maybe Simply Recipes). She possibly got it from Betty Crocker or something like that, but I have no idea. Maybe that other blogger got it from the same place. I absolutely didn’t copy this from another blogger.
Like all artists, whether they be writers, chefs, musicians, etc…everyone looks at, learns from, and modifies everyone else’s stuff. This particular recipe can be found on countless blogs, as can just about any other recipe. What makes it unique are minor modifications, the author’s text, photos, etc…
There’s no patent on thai peanut chicken. ;-)
Who cares thanks for sharing the recipe. Â The boxing arena is around the block if that would make you feel better.
And make this delightful dish gluten-free with Jovial-brand Capellini (vermicelli) pasta. I’m not necessarily promoting Jovial products, but when it comes to gluten-free pasta performance this is as close as you can get to wheat-flour products. In simpler terms, it doesn’t get mushy like those containing anything other than 100% rice flours. And not all brands are necessarily good but Jovial has nailed it! There’s quinoa or teff (horrible flavor and texture), corn (turns into wallpaper paste-really fast from al dente), et al. :-)
This is my idea of heaven – probably what I would choose for my last meal! Thank you for the simple recipe!
I love the little carrot shavings. I had a salad today with carrot in it like that, and am definitely going to prepare carrots like that myself from now on!