This easy Peanut Chicken Stir Fry is loaded with chicken, veggies, and the irresistible flavor of peanut sauce. It’s a 30-minute meal you’ll crave again and again.
Peanut sauce fans will also want to try my Grilled Chicken Satay and Thai Crunch Salad.
I don’t remember the first time I tried peanut sauce—it’s all a delicious blur. But I can tell you this: I am unabashedly in love with the stuff. It’s one of those flavors I crave in a big way, and if you feel the same, this dish is about to become your new best friend.
It’s creamy, peanut-y, full of vibrant, delicious vegetables and it’s easy enough to make any night of the week.
Table of contents
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces.
- Vegetables: A small crown of broccoli, chopped into bite-size pieces, thinly sliced red bell pepper, sliced cremini ushrooms, thinly sliced green onions and minced garlic.
- Peanut stir fry sauce: Low-sodium chicken broth, cornstarch, creamy peanut butter, low-sodium soy sauce, (or tamari for gluten free), light brown sugar, grated fresh ginger root, and Sriracha.
- Oil: Your preferred neutral, high smoke point oil like avocado oil or vegetable oil.
- Seasoning: A little salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Garnish: The stir fry is finished with fresh cilantro and crunchy chopped peanuts
- For serving: Cooked white or brown rice. If you want to save time and effort, I highly recommend pouches of microwaveable rice. They take 90 seconds to prepare and the rice is cooked perfectly. You can find them in both shelf stable packaging and frozen.
Time Saving Tip
Ginger paste and store-bought minced garlic are great timesavers and won’t compromise that much on flavor in recipes like this. I prefer the type that is sold in a plastic bottle from brands like Spice World and Gourmet Garden.
How to Make Peanut Chicken Stir Fry
This is a quick overview of how to make this recipe. You’ll find detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Before heating your oil, whisk together the stir fry sauce ingredients in a small bowl so it will be ready to add to the recipe later.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok. Add as much chicken as you can, without overcrowding the pan. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and stir-fry until cooked through. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and repeat to cook any remaining chicken.
- Add a little more oil to pan and add broccoli and red bell pepper. Cook, stirring for several minutes, until barely tender. Add the mushrooms and green onions and stir-fry again until all the vegetables are crisp-tender. Add the green onions and garlic and cook 1 minute longer.
- Whisk the peanut sauce once more and add it to the pan. Bring to a low simmer; cook and stir for a minute or two until thickened.
- Stir in the chicken and finish it with cilantro and chopped peanuts.
Valerie’s Stir Fry Tips
Prep Before Cooking: Make the stir fry sauce, prep the chicken and slice all the veggies before you start. This process moves quickly and there will be no time for slicing and dicing once you get started.
Cook in Batches: Cook your chicken in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. The chicken (and you) will be happier.
Heat Matters: Get the pan as hot as you can without the oil smoking before adding the chicken. It will give it a nice sear and cook it quickly.
Veggie Timing: As with any stir fry, cook the harder vegetables first. Add garlic last since it has a tendency to burn easily.
Keep it Moving: Use a spoon to move the chicken and vegetables around while cooking—thus the name!
Storage Tips
- Peanut Chicken Stir Fry: Let the stir fry cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container. Store it in the fridge for up to 4 days. The sauce may thicken a bit after chilling—just stir in a splash of water when reheating to loosen it up.
- Cooked White Rice: Transfer the cooked and cooled white rice it to a container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. To reheat, sprinkle with a little water and microwave covered (or reheat on the stove with a splash of water) until hot and fluffy.
- Freezing: Both the stir fry and the rice can be frozen separately. Store in freezer-safe containers for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat as directed above.
Ginger Storage Tip
Store fresh ginger root in a zippered plastic sandwich bag in the freezer. It will grate SO much easier and stay fresh for a very long time.
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Easy Peanut Chicken Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce, or tamari for gluten free
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger root, peeled and grated or ginger paste (*see notes below)
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha, or to taste
- 2 to 2 ¼ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
- 3 to 4 tablespoons avocado oil, or vegetable oil, divided and as needed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 small crown broccoli, chopped into bite-size pieces
- 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 6 ounces cremini mushrooms, rinsed and sliced
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic, (*see notes below)
- 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 3 tablespoons chopped peanuts
- 1 ½ cups white rice, cooked according to the package directions (**see notes below)
Instructions
- Whisk together the chicken broth and cornstarch until cornstarch has completely dissolved. Add peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and Sriracha, whisking until smooth. Set aside.
- Add 2 tablespoons oil to a large skillet or wok. Stir-fry chicken in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan, adding additional oil between batches if necessary. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper and stir-fry for several minutes or until no longer pink. Transfer cooked chicken to a plate with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Add additional 1 tablespoon oil to pan and add broccoli and red bell pepper. Cook, stirring for several minutes, or until beginning to get tender. Add mushrooms and green onions; stir-fry 3 to 4 minutes longer or until all vegetables are crisp-tender. Add green onions and garlic; cook 1 minute longer.
- Whisk peanut sauce once more and add to the pan. Bring to a low simmer; cook and stir for a minute or two until thickened. Add chicken and heat through.
- Sprinkle with cilantro and chopped peanuts and serve over rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
More Ideas
This post was originally published on September 20, 2016. It has been updated with new text and images.
This recipe is a keeper! I let mine simmer for the period of time while I waited for my rice to cook and it was perfect! I’m not a great cook and it was easy to make! In the future I may add in a Thai Bird Chili Pepper to add the heat in place of Siracha.
Made this but the sauce didn’t thicken.. was so watery