Spicy Thai Peanut Chicken

A fun weeknight dinner to change up your everyday routine: spicy thai peanut chicken! Chicken breast browned in a hot skillet and tossed in a bold peanut sauce with caramelized shallots, red peppers, chile peppers, peanut butter, and coconut milk. With a few fun thai ingredients thrown into the mix, this dish is bursting with fresh and vibrant flavors. Served over rice and topped with toasted peanuts for a finishing crunch. It’s easy, healthy, and definitely not your average chicken dinner.

spicy thai peanut chicken – the details

I couldn’t love this spicy thai peanut chicken more. Because it’s of course absolutely delicious, but mainly because you can easily throw it together on any given weeknight. It’s got everything you need – chicken for a protein, red peppers for a vegetable, rice for a starch, and a really flavorful sauce to bring it all together.

I’m using boneless, skinless chicken breast for this recipe, but chicken thigh would work great as well. Tossing it in a little cornstarch will help give it more of a luxurious feel. It then gets browned in a hot skillet and after just a few minutes, transferred out.

Then you’ll start to build the sauce…some shallots, red peppers, and red chiles get caramelized. Thai flavors of lemongrass, garlic, and ginger are added. And then the stars – peanut butter, coconut milk, and chicken stock.

Everything is simmered with the chicken until creamy and cooked through. And finally some bright and flavorful finishing touches – soy sauce, fish sauce (you could use all soy sauce if you prefer), honey, and lots of lime juice.

The saucy, spicy thai peanut chicken gets served over rice and topped with fresh scallions, cilantro, and toasted peanuts. It’s hearty and comforting, while still being healthy and bright. The perfect complete meal for any cold winter night!

The leftovers are wonderful as well…so if you’re cooking for just yourself or two people, I’d suggest making the entire recipe and heating up leftovers the next day!

And if you’re looking for more weeknight chicken recipes, here are a few favorites:

Harissa Baked Chicken Meatballs with Couscous & Yogurt
Cheesy Tomato Baked Skillet Chicken
Everyday Roasted Red Pepper & Chicken Salad

Spicy Thai Peanut Chicken

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simple weeknight spicy thai peanut chicken with red peppers and rice

servings: 4

Ingredients

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• 1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• kosher salt 
• vegetable oil
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 2 red bell peppers, cored + thinly sliced
• 2-inch piece lemongrass
• 1 red fresno chile pepper, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp minced fresh ginger
• ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
• ½ cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 (13.5 fl oz) can coconut milk
• ¾ cup chicken stock
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp honey 
• 2 limes, juiced (plus lime wedges for serving) 
• rice, for serving
• ½ cup toasted peanuts, chopped
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 small handful cilantro leaves

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Instructions

1. Cut the chicken into approximately 1” pieces. Add to a bowl and toss well with the cornstarch and a generous pinch of salt. 
2. Heat a 12” cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add enough oil to just coat the bottom. Once hot, add the chicken. Cook the chicken for about 3 minutes per side, until browned. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Add the shallots and red peppers. Saute for about 8 minutes until caramelized and tender, stirring often. 
3. Bruise the lemongrass with the back of your knife and add it to the skillet, along with the fresno chile, garlic, ginger, and crushed red pepper. Cook for another minute or so. 
4. Stir in the peanut butter, coconut milk, and chicken stock. Mix well and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken back to the skillet. Simmer on low heat for 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. 
5. Stir in the soy sauce, fish sauce, and honey. Simmer for another 2 minutes. Lastly, stir in the lime juice. 
6. Serve the peanut chicken over rice. Top with the peanuts, scallions, and cilantro leaves. Serve the lime wedges alongside to squeeze over top.

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