Loaded with fresh, crunchy veggies, juicy chicken, and a creamy peanut sauce, these Thai-inspired peanut noodles are a meal-in-one that’s ready in 20 minutes flat.
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“I just made this, and it is delicious. The flavors are to die for!” -Joyce, FoodieCrush reader
I Always Make Extra Peanut Sauce to Drizzle Over These Noodles!
Fresh and crunchy with loads of slivered fresh veggies, these Thai-inspired peanut chicken noodles can be served for lunch or dinner, or as a (very) hearty side to your favorite Asian dishes.
I originally made this recipe for my mom to serve when she hosted book club many moons ago. Well, I don’t know if you could really call it “book club”, but it seems an apt description when there’s elegant women, good conversation, chilled wine, and tasty eats to share. Oh, and a book to “discuss”, of course.
Knowing my mom wanted to host the book club discussion in her bodaciously blooming backyard, we wanted to make it easy for her friends to eat their meal sans table, and with a drink in their hands.
An all-in-one noodle dish was just the ticket. And this is it!
Enjoy!
The Key Ingredients
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Noodles — I used linguine, which I always have stocked in my pantry, but fettuccine, thick rice noodles, or another long pasta shape may also be used.
- Cooked chicken — You’re welcome to pick the meat from a rotisserie chicken, or poach, grill, or bake a few chicken breasts.
- Veggies — I used a blend of raw carrots, cucumber, bell pepper, and green onion that I julienned using this tool to get the cuts just the right size.
- Peanuts + cilantro — Add so much flavor and texture to the cold noodles. I tossed some of the peanuts and chopped cilantro with the noodles and reserved the rest for sprinkling over top.
- Peanut sauce — The peanut sauce is accented with toasted sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and soy sauce for a bit of umami. It’s beautifully aromatic with the addition of fresh ginger that’s offset with the spicy heat of chili sauce. My favorite flavor combo.
Other Proteins You Can Use
If you didn’t meal prep any chicken for the week, try swapping in poached shrimp, thinly sliced Asian pork tenderloin, crispy tofu, or baked Thai meatballs.
How to Make Peanut Noodles with Chicken
- Cook the noodles. Remember that the noodles will continue to soften as they soak up the peanut sauce, so cook them a few minutes shy of what the package instructs. If using linguine or another Italian pasta, you want them to be al dente. If using soba noodles or rice noodles, shave about 1 – 2 minutes from the total cook time.
- Meanwhile, prep the veggies. To speed up the vegetable prep, I used my trusty julienne peeler to shave all of the veggies into slivers. For more textural contrast, you’re welcome to chop, grate, or dice some or all of the vegetables however you like.
- Blend the dressing. Peanut butter-based dressings are notoriously difficult to whisk together, no matter how much upper body strength you have. Save yourself the wrist pain and dump the dressing ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
- Toss it all together. Add everything to a large bowl, drizzle the dressing over top, and toss to combine. I like to garnish my saucy peanut noodles with chopped peanuts and cilantro, but a squeeze of lime would be good too.
Heidi’s Tip: If you like your peanut chicken noodles extra saucy, 1.5 times the amount of dressing so you can serve the extra on the side for drizzling.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Thai-Inspired Peanut Chicken Noodles Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound linguine noodles
- 4 cups cooked chicken breast , cut into ½-inch pieces
- 4 carrots , peeled and thinly shaved into ribbons
- 3 seedless cucumbers , julienned
- 2 bell peppers , seeded and julienned (red, yellow, or orange)
- 6 green onions , julienned
- ½ bunch cilantro leaves , chopped
- ½ cup chopped peanuts
For the Peanut Dressing
- 4 garlic cloves , minced or pressed
- 2 limes , juiced
- 1-inch knob ginger , peeled and grated
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ⅓ cup water
- 3 tablespoons
rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon hot chile sauce , like Sambal Olek
Instructions
- Prep the noodles. Cook 1 pound linguine noodles according to the package directions. Rinse and set aside.
- Add the chicken and veggies. Add the cooled noodles, 4 cups cooked chicken breast 4 carrots 2 bell peppers 6 green onions ½ bunch cilantro leaves and ½ cup chopped peanuts to a large bowl.
- Make the dressing. Add the 4 garlic cloves 2 limes , 1-inch knob ginger ½ cup creamy peanut butter, ⅓ cup water, 3 tablespoons
rice vinegar
, 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon hot chile sauce to a blender and blend until smooth. Add more water as needed to thin out the dressing. - Combine it all and enjoy. Pour the dressing over the noodles and vegetables and toss to coat. Garnish with the rest of the peanuts and more cilantro and green onions, as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
More Easy Chicken Dinners Ready in 30 Minutes or Less
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Donna
Question: do you use toasted sesame oil? I can’t wait to make your peanut noodles. Thank you!
Hayley
Hi Donna! Yes, we use toasted sesame oil. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
Che Heather
This sounds great! Used shrimp to make it healthy! GREAT; all loved it. Especially good by the way for sending off in lunches! Since it can be eaten cold! Yea!
JR
Hello,
The article mentions the peanut sauce that’s slightly sweet thanks to a dose of sugar that’s offset with the spicy heat of chili sauce. There is no sugar in the recipe and a few people have asked, without an answer. Can you please clear up this confusion? I really want to make this but would like clarity on the sugar. Thanks so much!!
eleanor katz
Can I use crunchy peanut butter instead of smooth ? Also what can I use instead of Sambal Olek ?
eleanor katz
Can I use crunchy peanut butter instead of creamy ? Also, what can I use if I can’t find Sambal Olek. I have never seen it in my store. Thank you.
Moana
Where is this?! The landscaping is beautiful!!!
Jami
Do you know how long this would last in the fridge? This looks like an awesome lunch!
Catia solutions
Mmmm looks so tasty.
Joyce Gress
I just made this and it is delicious. The flavors are to die for!
I would just recommend one small change. I didn’t like the texture of the “ribbon” cucumbers and next time I will scoop out the center of the cucumbers and slice them into little half-moons. This would add another dimension to the dish too since everything is ribbony. I also added some chopped dry roasted peanuts as a garnish.
(also, don’t forget to salt the cucumbers for 20 min then rinse and pat dry to remove excess liquid from the cucs)
Thanks for your note Joyce, that’s an easy switch to make for your taste buds.
Sarah
My husband had a peanut allergy. Had anyone tried it with cashew butter? It looks amazing!!
Sarah
*has*
I haven’t but I’d love to hear what you think if you do. Or almond butter?
Ana
Made this today for dinner. The sauce is amazing! We’re going to have plenty of leftovers. I ended up using half the chicken and half the noodles (I used DeLallo’s capellini noodles because the store I went to didn’t carry the linguine). Thanks for another great recipe, Heidi!
That is so great to hear Ana. Thanks for coming back and letting me know!