Thai Chicken Peanut Noodles
Published Feb 15, 2021•Updated Feb 27, 2024
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Saucy Thai Chicken Peanut Noodles are made from quick cooking instant ramen noodles coated in peanut sauce for a dinner that can be on the table in under 20 minutes.
Today’s dish is an update of a recipe that I first published back in 2017, but frankly, I just never loved the photos. So I’m bringing it back today with some new photos and a few tips. But it remains the same recipe that has long been one of the most popular noodle recipes on this site. Looking for something more Thai authentic? Check out how to make pad krapow gai (also known as Thai Basil Chicken).
If you already have the cooked chicken ready to go (it’s a great use for leftover chicken), these Thai Chicken Peanut Noodles comes together super fast. Here’s how to make it.
Ingredients
- Dry Ramen Noodles – Find these at any Asian / international grocery store, but every grocery store sells Instant Ramen, and they are certainly the most convenient. Toss out the flavor packets that come with them and what remains is a tender, curly, fast-cooking noodle that just needs to be soaked in hot water to serve.
- Cooked Chicken – Use leftover cooked chicken or shredded rotisserie chicken. You can also sear and then chop chicken breast or thighs before cooking the rest of the dish.
- Vegetables – Thinly sliced vegetables of any sort will cook quickly in the stir-fry. I typically use shredded carrots and thinly sliced bell peppers.
- Fresh Ginger and Garlic – It takes a few extra minutes to prep these ingredients, but their flavor really shines. Ginger paste (sold in tubes) can be a good option if you don’t have fresh ginger or want to save time.
- Peanut Butter – I always make this with regular commercial Peanut Butter (like JIF) which results in a really smooth and thick sauce. Natural and / or chunky peanut butter will absolutely work but will change the texture of the sauce a bit.
- Low-Sodium Soy Sauce – I test all of my recipes with low-sodium soy sauce (I buy Trader Joe’s), but any type of soy sauce will work fine. If using a full-sodium soy sauce, just be aware that the sauce may be a tiny bit more salty. You can balance it out with a pinch of added sugar or just squeeze some lime juice over the finished dish.
- Rice Vinegar and Toasted Sesame Oil – If you cook an occasional Asian-inspired dish, these are likely staples in your pantry. If not, you can still make the dish. Regular sesame oil will work in place of the toasted sesame oil. In a pinch, other types of vinegar will work instead of rice vinegar – red or white wine or even apple cider vinegar will change the flavor a bit but will work. White vinegar has a more intense flavor, so start with half the amount listed and add more, to taste.
- Hot Sauce – Only if you want some heat.
- Roasted Unsalted Peanuts – Don’t skip these! They add great crunch and flavor.
- Chopped Cilantro, Green Onions, Lime Wedges, or Sliced Cucumbers – Totally optional, but great for some added color and fresh flavor to the dish.
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Possible Variations
- Make it vegetarian – Any protein or vegetable will work in place of the chicken. Try it with tofu, sliced mushrooms, or a vegetarian meat substitute.
- Make it gluten-free – Try this with your favorite gluten-free noodles like soba or rice noodles. Just prepare the noodles according to package directions before adding them to the stir-fry. Use Tamari instead of soy sauce.
- Mix up the vegetables – Any vegetables work here. I’ve made it with any color bell peppers, broccoli florets, coleslaw mix, and snow peas to name a few. Just adjust the cooking time or steam the vegetables ahead (in the case of hearty vegetables like broccoli) so they are tender by the time the noodles are done.
More Ways to Use Ramen Noodles
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Thai Chicken Peanut Noodles
These saucy Thai Chicken Peanut Noodles are made from quick cooking instant ramen noodles coated in peanut sauce for a dinner that can be on the table in under 20 minutes. We like bell peppers and shredded carrots, but feel free to skip those or add your favorite vegetables of choice.Want to adjust the size of this recipe? Click on the number next to servings and use the slider to scale up or down.
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Wok
Ingredients
Thai Peanut Sauce:
- 1 teaspoon grated Fresh Ginger
- 1 clove Garlic, chopped
- 1/4 cup Peanut Butter (see note)
- 3 Tablespoons Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Toasted Sesame Oil
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha Hot Sauce (optional; we like Sriracha, but any type will work)
Noodles / Stir-Fry:
- 6 ounces Instant Ramen Noodles (discard any flavor packets)
- 1 Tablespoon Cooking Oil (I like grapeseed, vegetable or peanut)
- 2 cups Vegetables, thinly sliced or chopped (see note)
- 2 cups Cooked Shredded Chicken (see note)
- 1/4 cup Roasted, Unsalted Peanuts, roughly chopped
- Chopped Cilantro, Green Onions, Lime Wedges, or Sliced Cucumbers (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Bring a saucepan of water to a boil on the stove (or heat it in the microwave). Add noodles and soak in hot water until tender but still have some bite, 2 to 3 minutes. (Be careful not to overcook the noodles since they will continue to cook in the wok.) Drain.
- Whisk together ginger, garlic, peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, water, brown sugar, toasted sesame oil, and hot sauce.
- Heat a wok over medium-high heat. Add oil and then vegetables. Saute until vegetables are tender, 2 to 4 minutes (tough vegetables like carrots might need an extra minute or two).
- Add peanut sauce and chicken and cook everything together for a minute.
- Remove wok from heat and stir in noodles and peanuts. Top with chopped cilantro and / or green onions. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over top and / or sliced cucumbers if you'd like.
Notes
Soy Sauce – We tested this recipe with low-sodium soy sauce. If using regular soy sauce, taste the sauce and add more extra sugar if needed to balance the saltiness.
Vegetables – Any raw vegetables will work – be sure to thinly slice or chop them. Good options are shredded carrots, shredded cabbage, diced bell pepper, or any frozen vegetable mix (defrost it in the microwave first).
Chicken – We often use this recipe as a way to use leftover cooked chicken or turkey. If your
Peanut Butter – Use creamy or chunky peanut butter. This recipe was tested with standard commercial peanut butter (JIF).
Nutrition
Calories: 578kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 1490mg | Potassium: 628mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 4658IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!Jump to Comments
This was delicious! We will definitely be making this again! I see that you and your husband went to JMU. Me too! Go Dukes!!
Oh yay!! How fun! Go Dukes!!!
Made this for dinner tonight. It was so very delicious! Everyone loved it. Used rotisserie chicken as suggested and doubled the recipe. Once the ingredients were measured out it was a breeze to make. And the sriracha was a great addition! Will make this again!
Thanks so much for the note Marlene – glad this was a success for you!
I never write reviews. This was fantastic and tastes great leftover too! I love the flavor combination in the sauce! I’m glad that I stumbled across your recipes and plan to try more. I like how I’m able to prep ahead of time and just pull the meal together quickly at the end of the day.
Becky – thank you so much for the sweet note! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it!
Very tasty. I used diced pan fried chicken breasts, water chestnuts and walnuts as well as gluten free noodles. Yummy thank you!
Very good and very easy to prepare. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you liked it! Thanks so much for letting us know.
OMG this is so good!! Just found your blog and this was my first try. I can’t wait to try more!!
Awesome – Thanks so much for your note Stefanie! It’s one of our all-time favorites. Glad you liked it too!
I like to make and freeze meals for myself. I have a Tai cookbook but the recipes have a lot more time invested in one. A golfing buddy of my husband’s was from Thailand and his sisters cooked for us. I fell in love with the cuisine and I am happy to have found easy recipes for that. I did not have rotisserie chicken so I pan fried frozen chicken breasts strips with garlic powder, pepper and a bit of salt and tturmeric. I also added red pepper flakes to the peanut sauce. I did not have sarraccha sauce so I added generous amounts of Southern hot sauce. It could still be hotter, but it is good enough.
Sounds great, Sue Ann! I love the substitutions.
This is awesome! I love easy to prepare recipes and I think this would be a family favorite, my boys love noodles as much as I do!
Thank you for sharing!
Cheers,
Jessica
Woah! These look AMAZING!
They’re a favorite of ours Baxter!
I cannot forget the first time I tried Thai food in Bangkok. It was amazing. So, I am very excited to try this Thai Chicken Peanut Noodles. I love that it’s easy and fast to prepare. Will prepare this for dinner. Thank you for this awesome recipe.