Thai peanut chicken pasta (Printable Version)

Tender chicken and pasta tossed in creamy peanut sauce with fresh lime and herbs for a quick meal.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz linguine or spaghetti
02 - Salt, for boiling water

→ Chicken

03 - 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
04 - 1 tbsp vegetable oil
05 - 1/2 tsp salt
06 - 1/4 tsp black pepper

→ Sauce & Garnish

07 - 1 cup ready-made Thai peanut sauce
08 - 2 tbsp soy sauce
09 - 2 tbsp lime juice (about 1 lime)
10 - 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
11 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
12 - 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
13 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint (optional)
14 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced
15 - 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
16 - Lime wedges, for serving

# How-to Steps:

01 - Boil linguine or spaghetti in a large pot of salted water until al dente according to package instructions. Drain thoroughly and set aside.
02 - Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the sliced chicken with salt and black pepper, then cook until golden and fully cooked, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Remove and keep warm.
03 - Reduce skillet heat to medium and add peanut sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, grated ginger, and minced garlic. Stir and simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes until warmed through.
04 - Return cooked pasta and chicken to the skillet. Toss thoroughly to coat all ingredients evenly with the sauce.
05 - Remove from heat. Stir in chopped cilantro, optional mint, and half of the sliced green onions.
06 - Divide into serving bowls and garnish with chopped peanuts, remaining green onions, and lime wedges. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent hours building layers of flavor when really you've got dinner on the table in under forty minutes.
  • The sauce clings to every strand of pasta, so there's no sad dry bits, just creamy peanutty goodness in every bite.
  • You can adjust the heat level to match your mood, and it works beautifully with whatever protein or vegetables you have hiding in your fridge.
02 -
  • Drain your pasta but don't rinse it, because that starchy coating helps the sauce cling instead of sliding off.
  • Thinly slicing your chicken breast makes all the difference in cook time, turning something that could take fifteen minutes into a five-minute job.
  • Add the herbs at the very end, off the heat, so they stay bright green and tasting fresh instead of turning dark and muted.
03 -
  • Toast your chopped peanuts in a dry skillet for just a minute before using them as garnish, which wakes up their flavor and makes them taste fresher.
  • Keep your peanut sauce at room temperature before stirring it into the pan, because cold sauce takes longer to warm through and the chicken might cool down while you're waiting.
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