This Peanut butter chicken is a dish that my mom used to make when I was a kid. I absolutely LOVED the thick peanut butter sauce that is rich, creamy and ridiculously tasty. It was a dish that I had completely forgotten about until I looked through my Moms old recipe books and discovered her recipe for it scribbled out on a piece of paper. With a few small adjustments I recreated the recipe and it’s absolutely delicious. This is an easy to make one pan dish that takes less than 30 minutes to make. I also love it because it freezes incredibly well so it’s great to have in the freezer for a quick and easy meal.
Holy wow! This is so darn delicious. Definitely a winner, will be making again and again.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Peanut Butter Chicken
- Have I mentioned the rich peanut sauce?! The creamy peanut butter sauce is ridiculously tasty, you will find yourself licking the plate! It’s the perfect blend of nut butter (almond, peanut, or cashew) plus creamy coconut milk, fragrant ginger, garlic, chili for a bit of heat, coconut aminos which gives it a nice umami flavor, and vinegar.
- It’s a one-pan meal: Everything can be made in just one pan, which means less cleanup!
- All you need is 30 minutes: It’s a quick and easy meal to prepare and takes less than 30 minutes to make! This is ideal for weeknight dinner with minimal chopping required.
- It’s healthy: Swap the peanut butter for almond butter or cashew butter to make this dish Paleo and Whole30. It’s also naturally grain-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free!
Ingredients You Need To Make This Peanut Butter Chicken
- Chicken Thighs: If you prefer white meat, you could also use skinless chicken breasts
- Olive Oil: I like using olive oil, but avocado oil or refined coconut oil would also work. All have a high-smoke point.
- Fresh Ginger and Garlic : I prefer fresh ginger grated with a fine grater, but ground ginger would also work.
- Onion: Yellow onion is a great option here, but you can definitely use a sweet onion too.
- Red Bell Pepper: Red peppers are a delicious option for this recipe, but you could also use orange or yellow bell peppers.
- Fresno Chili Pepper: Jalapeno peppers are a perfect substitute for a Fresno because they taste very similar. If you’re looking for a similar smokiness, I would recommend Chipotle peppers. Cayenne peppers will also work and give you a similar flavor.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: White wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar would also work. If you’re not SCD, you could also use rice vinegar.
- Coconut Aminos: Feel free to substitute for tamari or soy sauce, depending on your dietary restrictions or what you have on hand.
- Peanut Butter: Almond Butter and Cashew Butter would be delicious options if you have a peanut allergy or just prefer the others.
- Coconut Milk: Full-fat coconut milk or light coconut milk would work fine.
- Tomato Paste: The tomato paste is going to contribute to the thickness of the sauce. I would not recommend tomato sauce as a substitute. If you don’t want to open an entire can of paste, you can buy tomato paste in a tube and then use it accordingly.
- Chicken Stock: You could also use vegetable stock for this recipe. If you don’t have stock, you could use chicken broth or vegetable broth.
You can find a full list of ingredients in the recipe card below
How To Make This Peanut Butter Chicken
- In a large skillet, on medium-high heat, cook cubed and seasoned chicken thighs golden in color. Once seared, remove from pan and set aside.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the ginger, garlic, onion, bell pepper, and chili pepper to the pan. Saute until the bell pepper begins to soften and the ginger is fragrant.
- Stir in the vinegar and coconut aminos to deglaze the pan and remove any bits stuck to it. Next, add the nut butter, coconut milk, tomato paste, and chicken stock and simmer.
- Once the sauce is simmering, add the chicken and simmer for 10-12 minutes. Don’t let the sauce get too thick; add more broth if necessary.
Nut Butter Tip
Natural peanut butter and other nut butter tend to be quite oily and often separate in the jar with the creamy nut butter at the bottom and oil rising to the top. Before measuring out the nut butter to add to the sauce be sure to stir it otherwise the dish will end up being quite oily.
How To Modify:
- You can add more or less chili depending on your tolerance for spice. I find that adding a full chili is just the right amount of heat that helps to cut through the richness of the sauce.
- Use Chicken breasts in place of thighs.
Dietary Customizations:
- Gluten Free: use tamari in place of soy sauce.
- Grain Free/Paleo: Swap the soy sauce for coconut aminos
Sauce Thickens
The sauce will thicken as it cooks, so don’t hesitate to leave it to simmer for a while to help it thicken even more. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a splash more chicken stock and stir it through to thin it out
How To Serve This Peanut Butter Chicken
- I love serving this peanut chicken over sauteed cauliflower rice, which does an amazing job of soaking up all of that delicious sauce. For a more carb-heavy alternative, serve it over steamed white rice (jasmine rice is a great white rice option) or brown rice, or with a delicious coconut rice. Add a wedge of lime to the side of the bowl as a garnish or give it a squeeze of lime juice, which really helps give the perfect balance to make the flavors of the sauce pop.
- Garnish this peanut butter chicken with cilantro, chopped scallions/green onions, or slices of chilis and chopped nuts.
Common Questions
Yes! Place diced chicken, seasoned with salt and black pepper, in the bottom of the slow cooker and top with the onion and peppers. Mix the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and pour on top of everything. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours. If sauce gets too thick, add more stock or water to thin it to the desired consistency.
Absolutely! Place diced chicken, seasoned with salt and black pepper, in the bottom of the slow cooker and top with the onion and peppers. Mix the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and pour on top of everything. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours. If sauce gets too thick, add more stock or water to thin it to the desired consistency. Yum!
This entire dish can be prepared up to a day in advance. Reheat the chicken and sauce in a skillet on low-medium heat until warmed through. Add a splash of chicken stock to the sauce and stir it through if it appears to be too thick. Leftover peanut butter chicken will last for up to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container or it can be frozen for 3 months for the next time you need something quick for one of those busy weeknights.
Here are a few more one pan chicken recipes that you might enjoy…
- Chicken Chop Suey
- Mexican Chicken & Rice Skillet
- Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs
- Sheet Pan Greek Chicken
- Garlic Mushroom & Bacon Chicken Thighs
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Peanut Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken thighs cut into cubes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1 red bell pepper chopped into small pieces
- 1 fresno chili pepper finely diced
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or rice vinegar if not following SCD)
- 3 tbsp coconut aminos (or tamari/soy sauce)
- 1/2 cup almond or peanut butter
- 1 can (400ml) coconut milk
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 2/3 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 lime for garnish
- 2 tbsp cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Add the oil to a large skillet on high heat. Season the cubed chicken with salt and pepper and once the oil is hot, add the chicken to the pan. Cook the chicken for approximately 5 minutes until it is golden in colour.
- Once the chicken is seared, remove it from the pan (leaving any remaining oil in the skillet) and set it aside on a plate.
- Add the ginger, garlic, onion, bell pepper and fresno chili to the pan. reduce the heat to medium and saute for 3 minutes until the bell pepper begins to soften and the ginger is fragrant.
- Add the vinegar and coconut aminos to deglaze the pan. Use a wooden spoon to remove any bits stuck to the pan. Next add in the nut butter, coconut milk, tomato paste and chicken stock, lower the heat to medium and bring to a simmer.
- Once the sauce is simmering, return the chicken to the sauce and leave it to simmer for 10-12 minutes. If the sauce becomes too thick, stir in more chicken stock to thin it out.
- Serve the chicken with lots of sauce over cauliflower rice. Garnish with cilantro and wedges of lime.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a comment below and let us know how it was!
This post was originally published on September 28, 2021 and updated with new copy on August 6, 2024.
This recipe is DELICIOUS! Thank you
Yum!!! So simple and satisfying
Holy wow! This is so darn delicious 🤤
Definitely a winner, will be making again and again.