Chinese Peanut Butter Chicken is an easy dinner recipe ready in just 10-15 minutes and made with chicken breast pieces cooked in a delicious peanut butter sauce. It is a simple and quick weeknight meal for the whole family.
This Easy Peanut Butter Chicken Recipe offers you a flavorful, nutty, and oh-so-comforting creamy taste that takes fried chicken to the next level of deliciousness.
The chicken breast pieces are coated with cornstarch and fried until crunchy, but the magic of this recipe does not end there as the fried pieces of chicken are enveloped by the thick and creamy sauce made from the luscious combination of peanut butter, hoisin sauce, and soy sauce.
This is a fried chicken recipe complete with the crunch and the thick and creamy peanut sauce that coats every last bit of the chicken.
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Easy Peanut Butter Chicken Recipe
Some of us have little to no time to prepare a meal for the family after a busy day at work. Sometimes, a quick takeout from our favorite fast food or resto seems to be the last option if we want our family to have something to eat for dinner or lunch.
But why would you stick to takeouts and cold meals when you can make this homemade recipe that can come together in under 20 minutes?
Everyone in the family will enjoy eating something fresh from the pan, made by someone they actually know. Worry not because this dish will not take much time to make.
In fact, you will still have plenty of time to sit with your family around the table to talk about your day. Make your dinner special yet simple with this Chinese Crispy Peanut Butter Chicken on the dining table.
Why Does This Recipe Work?
This simple recipe is one of the quickest recipes you can ever put together in your kitchen without having to compromise the taste and texture of the dish. You can already enjoy this dish within twenty minutes, perfect for a quick dinner meal idea for the whole family!
This delicious dish offers you the most out of its texture and taste. The flavor is packed with the nutty taste of peanut butter and the savory taste of the hoisin sauce, and soy sauce that seeps into the flesh of the chicken breast. The texture is creamy and thick, and each bite will give you a luscious mouthfeel.
All of your Chinese takeouts and peanut butter cravings are satiated with this dish. Enjoy a homemade dish that gives you something so familiar yet so new.
Better than Chinese takeout and made with pantry-staple ingredients.
Ingredients
Boneless skinless chicken breasts. The best part of the chicken is the breast as it is lean and can be cut or sliced however you want it to. Chicken breast is perfect for frying as well since it will not be used up too much oil.
Cornstarch. It makes your fried chicken significantly better both in terms of taste and texture. Cornstarch makes the chicken a crunchy texture with that undeniably pleasing shade of golden brown when cooked. There is no other coating that will make your fried chicken have a nice golden brown hue than cornstarch.
Oil. Fry your chicken in oil. Make sure the oil you are using has a high smoke point.
Peanut Sauce Ingredients
Peanut Butter. It has a very rich mouthfeel that creates a creamier and thicker consistency for the sauce of this recipe. The velvety and creamy texture is all provided by the peanut butter once you add it to the mixture. The bold peanut flavor of peanut butter makes the whole dish taste so good too!
Hoisin Sauce. Hoisin sauce is an excellent thickener to the sauce of this recipe, especially with its aromatic or fragrant note that can be added to the dish. It imparts a salty and sweet flavor to the dish.
Soy Sauce. Light soy sauce goes well with hoisin sauce in providing this recipe that Cantonese touch. Soy sauce will balance the flavors added by the hoisin sauce by proving umami and a hint of sweetness and salty taste.
Sesame Oil. Some say adding sesame oil to the sauce will create a very Asian version of that sauce. They are not mistaken. Sesame oil creates an Asian flavor to the sauce of this dish by adding tangy, citrusy, and earthy tones.
Garlic. Add fresh garlic in making the sauce so that all the flavors found in the dish will be enhanced and balanced.
How To Make Chinese Peanut Butter Chicken?
One: In a small bowl, mix the chicken pieces with cornstarch until all the chicken pieces are well coated.
Two: (make the Chinese peanut sauce): In another mixing bowl, whisk together soy sauce, peanut butter, garlic, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, and water until combined.
Three: Now, heat the oil large skillet over medium heat, add the chicken and cook for 5-6 minutes until light brown.
Four: Stir in the sauce until the chicken is coated. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until the sauce, is thickened.
Five: Turn off the heat, garnish your dish with sesame seeds and green onions and serve.
Top Tips!
- Slice the chicken breast into bite-size pieces before coating them with cornstarch. The bite-size chicken will make the frying quicker and will make the whole dish equally convenient to eat.
- You can soak the chicken pieces in buttermilk before coating them with cornstarch. The buttermilk will make the chicken more tender and juicy once fried.
- After being coated in cornstarch, you may dip the chicken into an egg wash and then coat it with cornstarch again. This will ensure that the coating stays during frying to make a crispier fried chicken.
- For the best results, use creamy peanut butter.
Recipe Variations
- Use almond flour instead of cornstarch if you are aiming for a low-carb version of this dish.
- Add a few drops of honey to your sauce, as it will enrich and add subtle flavor to your peanut butter mix.
- Add some dried Sichuan peppers to make the chicken spicy.
- Top this dish with spring onions for some freshness!
- Add a teaspoon of brown sugar or a honey.
- To make a spicy peanut sauce, just add a pinch of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to the sauce; you can also add chopped chili pepper.
- You may use vegetable oil, olive oil or peanut oil instead of sesame oil.
- If you have peanut allergy or you don’t like peanut butter, you may use almond butter or cashew butter instead.
What to serve with this dish
Serve this Chinese Peanut Butter Chicken Breast on top of your boiled white rice to enjoy a very Asian-inspired quick and simple meal.
You may also serve this recipe as a side dish for your homemade stir-fried veggies or pasta dishes.
For a complete meal, serve this peanut chicken on top of cauliflower rice along with roasted veggies of your choice.
You can also serve it with bread, such as buns or tortillas or a bowl of salad, such as Bon Bon Chicken.
Storage
To store: Keep your leftovers in an airtight container before storing them in the fridge for up to three days.
To Freeze: While in an airtight container, freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before microwaving until piping hot, then serve once more.
Reheating: To reheat this dish, add a tablespoon of water to it then microwave for 30-60 seconds until hot and then serve it.
Recipe FAQs
Of course, you can. You may use chicken thighs so long as they are skinless and boneless and have been cut into bite-sized pieces.
If your peanut butter sauce is not as thick as we would like it to be, let it simmer in the pan for a few more minutes while constantly stirring.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
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Recipe
Chinese Peanut Butter Chicken Recipe
Equipment
- Frying pan
Ingredients
- 500 g chicken breast , chopped into bite sized pieces
- 3 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ cup Hoisin sauce
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoon oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the chicken pieces with cornstarch until all the chicken pieces are well coated.500 g chicken breast, 3 tablespoon cornstarch
- In another mixing bowl, whisk together soy sauce, peanut butter, garlic, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, and water until combined.¼ cup peanut butter, ¼ cup soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, ¼ cup Hoisin sauce, 3 cloves garlic, ½ cup water
- Now, heat the oil large frying pan over medium heat, add the chicken and cook for 5-6 minutes until light brown.2 tablespoon oil
- Stir in the sauce until the chicken is coated. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until the sauce, is thickened.
- Turn off the heat, garnish your dish with sesame seeds and green onions and serve.
Notes
- Slice the chicken breast into bite-size pieces before coating them with cornstarch. The bite-size chicken will make the frying quicker and will make the whole dish equally convenient to eat.
- You can soak the chicken pieces in buttermilk before coating them with cornstarch. The buttermilk will make the chicken more tender and juicy once fried.
- After being coated in cornstarch, you may dip the chicken into an egg wash and then coat it with cornstarch again. This will ensure that the coating stays during frying to make a crispier fried chicken.
- For the best results, use creamy peanut butter.
Stephanie
I meal-prepped this for my lunch, and it was so delicious! I added some peas as well.
Lisa
This recipe has the perfect amount of peanut butter sauce! I love it!
Kimberly
I made this recipe for dinner, and all the family loved it! So simple and easy!