Spicy Peanut Butter Chicken

Got a bad peanut butter habit? Well, there are worse ones to have! But my natural maple peanut butter recipe might just tip you over the edge as its 3 ingredients make it too easy. Leave out the maple syrup if that sounds too sweet.

Asian chicken recipe

Having spent time living in Asia, there is a special place in my heart, cooking and blog for recipes from that continent. I find the cuisine can be both comforting and exciting to prepare and eat. But I know many people avoid cooking Asian food imagining lots of exotic ingredients and sharp knives needed! Not so! So, each of these Asian chicken recipes has been written with Western kitchens and pantries, and busy, all-level cooks in mind. If you want to get into it, I recommend starting with one of these: – Filipino Chicken Adobo; strong and deeply flavoured, cooked low and slow or in the slow cooker. – Asian Air Fryer Chicken Wings; sticky and crispy-skinned wings for a starter or side dish. – Chinese Chicken Curry; hearty and saucy, serve over rice. – Chicken Yaki Udon; chicken, noodles and vegetables in one! – Thai Grilled Chicken Salad; and we’re back with the peanuts.

Peanut butter sauce

I’m not the kind of girl that will sit down to a peanut butter sandwich, but I cannot resist a peanut butter-based sauce. Especially on chicken. Especially on Asian chicken. Especially on spicy Asian chicken. While peanuts and chicken don’t spring instantly to the minds of Western cooks, the combo is huge in Asia. Think chicken satay skewers. But it’s not just the sweet and earthy peanuts that make this, and other Asian dishes so appealing, it’s a careful contrast and compliment of salty soy, tangy rice wine, spicy chilli and a touch of sugar. Smooth and naturally creamy peanut butter makes for a cheeky little sauce hack here, and in other recipes. It’s a reliable store cupboard staple and stirs in seamlessly. I always use a natural, unprocessed one that is 100% peanuts. No sugar. I’ve used smooth in this recipe, but you could use crunchy if you like a little more bite.

Serving suggestions

The beauty of this peanut butter chicken recipe is it takes almost no time at all to put together. To keep it low maintenance, serve with plain boiled fluffy white rice and Korean carrot salad. Or for variety and a bit more weight to the meal, prawn noodle stir fry brings all the vegetables and noodles to boot! You can easily leave out the prawns to make it meat-free, and if you’ve a vegetarian diner, make sure to swap out regular oyster sauce for vegetarian oyster sauce. Another great noodle option is miso noodles with Tenderstem broccoli. They will round out the meal perfectly while staying completely on them with flavours.

Storage and leftovers

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight containerfor to 2-3 days. Reheat gently on the hob with a little water to loosen. Or freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge before heating on the hob.