This spicy Thai peanut chicken is rich, savory, and full of bold flavor. Tender pieces of chicken simmer in a creamy peanut sauce layered with coconut milk, fresno peppers, garlic, ginger, and lemongrass. Served over jasmine rice and topped with fresh herbs, crunchy peanuts, and a squeeze of lime, it’s a balanced, satisfying dish that comes together easily.
spicy thai peanut chicken – the inspiration
Thai cuisine was one of my favorites to learn about in culinary school. We cooked some very traditional recipes, often including ingredients that are somewhat hard to find and techniques that might not be all that practical for a weeknight dinner.
This spicy Thai peanut chicken recipe brings the essence of Thai flavors, while keeping things fairly simple for a home kitchen.
The combination of coconut milk and peanut butter creates a silky base for the sauce, while fish sauce and lime juice bring brightness and depth. Fresh aromatics like ginger, garlic, and lemongrass give classic Thai flavor. You can add as much or as little heat to the dish as you’d like by adjusting the red fresno chile pepper and red pepper flakes amounts.
notes from the kitchen
Coating the chicken lightly in cornstarch helps it brown nicely and gives the sauce something to cling to. Take the time to sear the chicken in batches so it develops color instead of steaming. That extra step adds a lot of flavor (and texture) to the final dish.
The skillet will be really hot after cooking all of the chicken, so have your aromatics prepped and ready to go so that you can immediately start building the sauce. I like to mix the liquid elements of the sauce together in a bowl so they’re well incorporated and can be poured into the skillet in one easy step.
Let the chicken simmer gently in the sauce until it thickens slightly. It should be creamy and cohesive, and at this point you can season a little more to your liking whether that’s with salt, soy sauce, or fish sauce.
plating & serving
Serve the peanut chicken over warm jasmine rice and finish with plenty of toppings – chopped peanuts for crunch, scallions and cilantro for freshness, and extra red pepper flakes for heat.
A squeeze of fresh lime right at the end really is key to brighten everything up and add a nice acidic finish to the rich and creamy dish.
PrintSpicy Thai Peanut Chicken
a rich and flavorful Thai-inspired peanut chicken made with tender chicken, red & fresno peppers, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and coconut milk, finished with fresh herbs, crunchy peanuts, and lime
servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 (13.5 fl oz) can coconut milk
- ¾ cup chicken stock
- 2 red bell peppers, cored + thinly sliced
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 red fresno chile pepper, finely diced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
- 1 (4-inch) piece of lemongrass, smashed with the back of a knife
- 2 limes
- cooked jasmine rice, for serving
- ½ cup toasted peanuts, chopped
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 handful cilantro leaves
- kosher salt
- neutral oil
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into 1” pieces. Add the chicken, corn starch, and a good pinch of salt to a bowl. Toss to coat.
- Add the peanut butter, soy sauce, fish sauce, honey, and red pepper flakes to a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Slowly whisk in the coconut milk and chicken stock. Set aside.
- Heat a 12” skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough oil to coat the bottom. Once hot, add half of the chicken. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side until browned. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Repeat with the remaining half.
- Lower the heat to medium and add a little more oil to the skillet. Add the red peppers. Season with a pinch of salt. Sauté for about 6 minutes until browned and tender, stirring often.
- Stir in the shallot, fresno pepper, garlic, ginger, and piece of lemongrass. Cook for another 2 minutes or so.
- Pour in the sauce mixture and stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer. Add the chicken back to the skillet. Simmer on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
- Stir in the juice of 1 lime. Simmer for another 2 minutes. Taste the sauce and season more if desired (you could use more salt, soy sauce, or fish sauce). Remove the lemongrass.
- Serve the peanut chicken over rice. Top with the peanuts, scallions, cilantro leaves, and more red pepper flakes if desired. Use the remaining lime to squeeze lime juice onto the dish.
SO good! First time cooking with lemongrass. Delicious!
Thanks, Trudie! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and also got to try a new ingredient. Thanks for sharing!
Where is the recipe for filet mignon?
Hi Elaine – is this the recipe you’re looking for?
Whole family enjoyed this dish, and came together pretty quickly
Trying this tonight!
I hope you enjoyed it!!
Just followed along this recipe for a healthy dinner for my husband & I last night and he rated it 10/10. I agree, it was nothing short of flavourful and delicious. We will certainly be making it in the future 🙂
Wow! This was perfection!