Peanut Butter Chicken is a strange sounding but awesomely delicious dinner recipe that the whole family will love. The flavorful peanut butter sauce for chicken is rich, creamy, and nutritious. It's an easy to make recipe that uses pantry-staple ingredients that's ideal for a quick, weeknight meal. You'll love it!

A bowl with peanut butter chicken, rice, and broccoli with lots of peanut butter sauce for chicken.

This peanut butter chicken recipe is in the running for my favorite new recipe this year. It's similar to one I've been making for years, but this one is even better.

Why we're in love with peanut butter chicken

  • Tender chunks of chicken swimming in a deep pool of peanut sauce.
  • Chicken thighs for max flavor. (But chicken breasts work, too!)
  • A simple to make sauce that is absolutely bursting with delicious peanut flavor.
  • Refined sugar-free. We use only 1 tablespoon of honey in the whole recipe.
  • Leftovers taste AMAZING and are totally worth yelling about.
  • It's a healthy recipe the whole family loves.
A close up of this peanut butter chicken bowl topped with peanuts.

How to make the best peanut butter chicken

After years of making peanut butter chicken, we've learned a few tricks to make it the best possible.

  1. Marinate your chicken pieces in some soy sauce or coco aminos. Even a little time in the marinade gives the chicken lots of flavor.
  2. Use chicken thighs. Technically, chicken breasts work, too. But thighs are juicier and more flavorful so it's what we prefer.
  3. Onion, garlic, and ginger. This is a new step for us. We add the trio after the chicken has browned and they add the best flavor to the recipe. Totally worth the added step!
  4. Keeping the sauce ingredients simple lets their flavor shine.

Ingredients in peanut butter sauce for chicken

Make sure to use natural peanut butter when making this recipe. Look at the ingredient list and make sure there are only peanuts and (maybe) salt.

  • Peanut butter
  • A can of crushed tomatoes – tomato sauce will also work
  • Chicken stock
  • Honey
  • Cumin
  • Coriander
  • Red pepper flakes

You may need to add a touch of salt if you've used unsalted peanut butter.

Peanut butter sauce for chicken being poured over the chicken in a bowl.

What to serve with peanut butter chicken

This saucy chicken recipe is ideal with steamed rice or cauliflower rice. You could also opt for some rice noodles or even zoodles. In the pictures, you see basic steamed broccoli and red peppers.

Here are a few of my favorite veggie sides:

Looking down on a bowl of peanut butter chicken with a fork inside.

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Looking down on a bowl of peanut butter chicken with a fork inside.

Peanut Butter Chicken

  • Author: Kristen Stevens
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 25 mins
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American

★★★★★

4.9 from 8 reviews
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Description

Peanut Butter Chicken is a strange sounding but awesomely delicious dinner recipe that the whole family will love. The flavorful peanut butter sauce for chicken is rich, creamy, and nutritious. It's an easy to make recipe that uses pantry-staple ingredients that's ideal for a quick, weeknight meal. You'll love it!

✨ If you love this peaut butter chicken recipe as much as I do, make sure to give it a 5-star review in the comments below!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 2 tablespoons coco aminos (can sub soy sauce)
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • ½ medium onion, finely minced
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • Minced cilantro, to serve

Peanut Butter Sauce

  • ½ cup natural peanut butter
  • 1 15-ounce can crushed tomato
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon each: ground cumin and coriander
  • A pinch of pepper flakes

Instructions

  1. Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces and put them into a large bowl. Add the coco aminos or soy sauce and mix. Let the chicken marinate while you chop the onion and make the sauce.
  2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together all of the peanut butter sauce ingredients.
  3. Heat the oil in a large, non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Pour the chicken and soy sauce into the pan (careful, it will splatter) and move the chicken around so that it is in a single layer. Let it cook undisturbed for 5 minutes then turn the chicken pieces over and let them cook for another 5 minutes.
  4. Add the onion to the pan and let it cook for 3 minutes, or until it is transparent. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 more minute.
  5. Pour the peanut butter sauce into the pan and let it cook until it begins to thicken a little, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and serve with a little minced cilantro.

Notes

Pair with steamed basmati rice or cauliflower rice

Perfect basmati rice in a pot.cauliflower rice in a pan with a wooden spoon.

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A bowl with peanut butter chicken, rice, and broccoli with lots of peanut butter sauce for chicken and the recipe title on the picture.