My Peanut Butter Chicken is packed full of flavour and ready in 20 minutes! This Thai Peanut Chicken is a great mid-week meal, with no fussy ingredients!
I promise you right now, there is no better use for peanut butter than this recipe!
Something magical happens when you mix the peanut butter, lime and chilli to turn this into a lip smackingly great sauce. I love anything Thai, but for once you don’t need all the fish sauce, shrimp paste, tamarind, garlic etc. to get that amazing taste.
This recipe was made as part of our 20 minute Tuesday series on YouTube which includes super tasty recipes like my Pan Fried Salmon with Spaghetti, One of Chis’s favourites Crispy Chilli Chicken, awesome Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps and many more quick and easy meals.
Peanut butter – which is something that I HATE on it’s own bleugh! (sorry peanut butter lovers) is 100% the star of this dish.
Those red chilli add a great hit of heat, but feel free to leave them out if you don’t like it spicy.
It’s all on the table in about 20 minutes, so this is a great mid week meal too.
I’ve been making this for years now, it’s one that my mum passed down to me. I still have the recipe scribbled on a scrap of paper, dotted with oil spots from about 10 years ago! Mum’s version also has beansprouts in, which I include sometimes, along with broccoli or mange tout or whatever bit of veg I have around.
If you’re making this for kids who don’t eat chillies, I’d suggest leaving them out, dishing their portions up, keeping them warm and adding the chopped chillies to the rest of the pan. Then just stir through for a minute or two.
If you’re anything like me and LOVE these Thai flavours then why not try one of these too:
Seafood Laksa
Thai Peanut Pork
Thai Yellow Fish Curry
If you’ve tried my peanut butter chicken then please rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing your thoughts and add-ons to my recipes!
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The Peanut Butter Chicken Recipe:

20 Minute Peanut Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 chicken breasts chopped into bite sized chunks
- 1 large onion peeled and sliced
- 1 heaped tbsp ground coriander
- 2 heaped tbsp smooth peanut butter check if you need it to be gluten free, it usually is though
- 1 red chilli chopped finely (I use fresno chillies) - this is optional - leave out if you don't like heat.
- juice of 2 limes
- 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) chicken stock water + 2 stock cubes is fine (use bouillon for gluten free)
- 200 g (7 oz) green beans ends chopped off and sliced into short lengths
To Serve:
- boiled rice
- 1 red chilli sliced into thin strips
- 1 small bunch chopped coriander (cilantro)
- A blob of sweet chilli jam also tastes great!
- 2 tbsp toasted peanuts dry cook in a hot pan for 2 minutes until lightly browned)
Instructions
- If serving with rice, put the rice onto cook first, then you can cook the rest of the meal whilst the rice is boiling.
- Heat the oil in a large pan that has a lid, over a medium-high heat. Add in the chicken and cook, turning regularly, until sealed (about 2-3 minutes).1 tbsp olive oil, 3 chicken breasts
- Add the onion and continue to cook for a further 2 minutes, then stir through the ground coriander.1 large onion, 1 heaped tbsp ground coriander
- Add in the peanut butter, chopped chilli, juice of one of the limes, and the stock. Stir, bring to a gentle bubble, then place the lid on and simmer for 7-8 minutes until slightly thickened. Check on it and stir a couple of times to make sure it doesn't catch.2 heaped tbsp smooth peanut butter, 1 red chilli, juice of 2 limes, 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) chicken stock
- Add in the green beans, taste and add in the remaining lime juice if needed. Give everything a stir, and leave to cook for another 5 minutes with the lid off. You can add a splash of water if it's starting to look too dry.200 g (7 oz) green beans
- Serve with boiled rice, sprinkle with chopped chillies (or sweet chilli jam), coriander (cilantro), and toasted peanuts.boiled rice, 1 red chilli, 1 small bunch chopped coriander (cilantro), A blob of sweet chilli jam also tastes great!, 2 tbsp toasted peanuts
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Equipment:
In order to make this Peanut Butter Chicken recipe you will need:
-
- A good Kitchen knife. I have recently bought this Dalstrong one and love it.
- Chopping Board
- Measuring Jug
- Juicer
- Measuring Spoons
- A frying pan/skillet
- Wooden or Silicon Coated Spoons. We have just bought these and love them.
- Rice Steamer.
This is a remake of a recipe I first published in May 2014. Do you want to see how bad my photograpy was then? Ok here goes (cringe):
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It’d be really useful to know how many servings this recipe gives!
Hi Phil,
The top of the recipe card section shows you the number of serving (it serves four).
I personally hate lime so I have left that out. But instead I’ve added honey and a bit of butter and it phenomenal in taste!! Thank you for a great recipe to just guide me threw my dish. I’ve revamped it to make it to my own dish. 🙈❤🥰👏
Hmmm, I saw your recipe a few days ago & just had to make it for my boyfriend & I. I’ve made ahead of time (as I’m working & driving to see him tomorrow) just tasted the sauce & it’s phenomenal. I think this will be a real hit with him too.
Excellent as with all the recipes I have tried so far.
V good web site.
Loved it!
Super simple, nice and quick, and child friendly – what more can you ask for in a quick mid-week cook? Fab!
This dish is now a regular in our house. Gorgeous flavours and the kids thoroughly enjoy it.
Don’t usually post on stuff like this, but I must say this was really good, made it in the electric frypan, didn’t use the chili or coriander because of differing tastebuds, but it was a massive hit with the family. Definitely added into the cooking rotation!
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Made this for my wife on Date Night – used Aldi’s Coconut & Peanut butter, used shallots and spring onions, marinaded the chicken in lime juice first and replaced green beans with mangetout, mini corn cobs and beansprouts. Superb! You’ve given us a great recipe to take and adapt slightly (I took my cue from your comment in the writeup about using up any veg to hand..).
Made this last night huge hit with my two children and wife, calls for putting it on next week’s menu thoroughly recommend .