Something you should know about my husband: He married me for a stir fry. Chicken Stir Fry with Thai Peanut Sauce to be specific.
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This chicken and Thai peanut stir fry sauce recipe is both the reason one of the reasons Ben married me—the first time I made it, he demolished the entire pot, collapsed into a food coma, then proposed two weeks later—and my way of sharing my appreciation for Ben.
Regular readers have gathered a few pieces of dirt on Ben:
- He eats an amount appropriate only for a baby elephant.
- He has a bizarre and infuriating ability to resist most sweets (including addictive salty-sweet pretzel chocolate chip cookies).
- He slept under a Superman comforter all four years of college—and still would if I allowed it.
What is not obvious in my posts is how much Ben contributes to Well Plated.
- He proofreads posts.
- Waits patiently for breakfast as I photograph Overnight French Toast Bake Supreme.
- AND endures the endless question of “Which photo looks better: this one or this one?”
Ben is my blog’s most loyal fan, and I cannot imagine running this site without him.
5 Star Review
“I cooked this for my family a few nights ago. My dad went back for thirds and had it for leftovers the next day. I think that says it all.”
— Ellie —
I originally posted this recipe for chicken stir fry with Thai peanut sauce during a time I was shooting my food photos with a flip phone beneath the light emitted from our microwave (true story.)
Today’s recipe is unchanged from the original (only the photos have been updated) because the original is already worthy of a diamond engagement ring. Literally.
If you end up loving this recipe (as much as Ben does) check out my Well Plated Cookbook where an updated version of this man-bait of a stir fry lives.
How to Make Chicken Stir Fry with Thai Peanut Sauce
A peanutty rich sauce, with layers of complex flavor, this stir fry is zippy, sweet, sour, fresh, and spicy all in one magical taste bud-blowing bite.
The Ingredients
- Chicken. We love chicken for this recipe in our house. You could certainly swap for tofu, beef or even shrimp if you prefer.
- Peanut Butter. The base for this addictive, rich, and creamy sauce.
- Brown Sugar. Just enough to sweeten the sauce and make it taste like your favorite takeout recipe (this Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken is one of my favs).
- Soy Sauce and Rice Vinegar. This dream team adds salt and acidity to the otherwise sweet sauce.
- Fish Sauce. Don’t let the fish sauce freak you out—it adds a savoriness that makes our Thai peanut stir fry sauce taste extra…Thai. It’s legit, trust me.
- Red Curry Paste. Brings depth and lots of spice to the dish. It’s a staple ingredient in in Thai recipes (like this Coconut Curry) that you can find in the Asian food aisle of most grocery stores.
- Ginger and Garlic. A dynamic duo that’s essentially…essential in all great stir fry recipes.
- Red Pepper Flakes. For just the right amount of heat to add some zip.
- Vegetables. Choose your favorite mix of fresh or frozen veggies.
- Mushrooms. I love the meatiness and flavor fresh mushrooms give this dish.
- Cilantro & Peanuts. The perfect garnish that adds color, freshness and crunch to every bite.
- Brown Rice. Or swap for cooked quinoa or whole-wheat spaghetti noodles.
The Directions
- Combine and mix the sauce ingredients.
- Sauté the onion and garlic and then cook the chicken. Remove the meat from pan and set aside.
- Add remaining vegetables and mushrooms and saute until tender-crisp.
- Return chicken to pan, add the sauce, and toss to coat. Cook until heated through and then stir in peanuts and cilantro.
- Serve over prepared brown rice, quinoa, or whole wheat spaghetti. Garnish and ENJOY!
Chicken with Thai Peanut Stir Fry Sauce
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Ingredients
- ⅔ cup creamy peanut butter
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce divided
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons red curry paste
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 4 teaspoons red pepper flakes divided
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic about 6 cloves
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced
- 12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 2 breasts), cut into 1/2-inch
- 28 ounces frozen mixed vegetables of choice, thawed (or substitute fresh)
- 10 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (or substitute any fresh or frozen, thawed vegetable)
- ½ cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts, chopped, plus additional for serving
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro plus additional for serving
- Prepared brown rice, quinoa, or whole wheat spaghetti, for serving
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together peanut butter, water, brown sugar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, fish sauce, curry paste, rice vinegar, ginger, and 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes until smooth. Set aside.
- In a large wok or deep skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion and cook until fragrant and beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add chicken sauté, stirring occasionally, until the middles are no longer pink and juices run clear, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
- Add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to pan. Add vegetables and mushrooms and saute until crisp-tender, about 6-8 minutes, depending on the veggies selected.
- Return chicken to pan. Add reserved peanut sauce and remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes. Toss to coat evenly and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir in peanuts and cilantro.
- Serve stir fry with prepared brown rice, quinoa, or whole wheat spaghetti. Garnish with additional chopped peanuts and cilantro, as desired.
Notes
- Thai red curry paste and fish sauce are widely available at most grocery stores in the Asian food aisle.
- To Store. Keep leftover Chicken Stir Fry with Thai peanut sauce in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
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Stumbled upon this recipe last night and made it. So good. One of our new favorited for sure.
Alyson, this makes my day! This recipe is one of our absolute favorites, and I’m so happy you enjoyed it too. Thanks for trying it and for taking time to share your comment. Have a great day!
DELISH! Loved this sauce! Thanks for sharing, moved from my “recipes to try” board to “made it, loved it” Will be repeating soon, probably in larger quantities so I can freeze it :-)
Marie, this makes me so happy! I’m honored to have a space on your “made it, loved it” board. I always mean to make extra too, but we eat the leftovers so quickly, none have made it to our freezer yet. Thanks for the inspiration. Maybe I will do a triple batch :-)
Thank you for the recipe. I made it today for lunch but used tofu instead of chicken. It tasted ah-mazing, like a real Thai restaurant. Yum!!
I’m so excited to hear that Jessica! Thanks so much for trying the recipe and letting me know. PS. I love making this with tofu too!
This is so amazingly delicious. I had some leftover sauce in the bowl and I licked it clean. Definitely deserving of a proposal
Hooray! It is one of our favorites too :) Thanks so much for trying the recipe and letting me know how it turned out!
I realize this is an older post, but soy sauce is actually borderline on whether or not it is gluten free. Depending on how it is fermented. Those with allergies or celiacs might want to use caution.
What kind of peanut butter do you use? All natural such as Brad’s unsalted/unsweetened? Or a typical brand such as skippy?
Hi Liz! I usually use Jif natural, but I think that a 100% natural peanut butter would work too, as long as it is well stirred first.
I love this recipe! A few notes from my mistakes/preferences … I don’t like fish sauce so I just added another tbsp of soy sauce. And I accidentally bought red chili paste instead of red curry paste, and it still tastes great either way. Also, for future recipe posts that have a long intro, it’s nice to put a “skip to the recipe” link for folks that want to use this again and again without a lot of iPad scrolling. Thanks!!
Hi Diane! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and sharing your thoughts. All great info :) I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it.
Hi! This turned out delicious! Only thing is- it was SPICY! Do you think if I toned down the chilli flakes, that would tame it? It might have been the red curry paste as well but with only 3 tbsp it should be ok.
Will definitely be making again!
Loni
Hi Loni! I’d suggest omitting the chili flakes next time. You can always sprinkle them on after if you want more heat. You could reduce the red curry paste too, but that’s a big part of the flavor background, so I’d leave as much of it in as you can handle. I hope you love round 2! Thanks for trying the recipe and letting me know how it turned out.
Hi! Frist time to your blog…great post!
I was thinking of making this for my family this week, but I’m worried about the curry paste for my girls. Is there a mild version? Or should I just scale it back? I often omit extra spice and then the hubs and I spike ours with sriracha. I just don’t want to ruin the flavor profile. Love me a good peanut sauce!
WELCOME STACI! I’m so happy that you are here :) If you are worried about spice, I’d start by reducing the curry paste to about 1/2 the original amount, then taste the sauce prior to adding it to the stir fry—you can always add more if you like. The red pepper flakes also add a bunch of heat (far more than the curry paste), so I’d leave that out or reduce it significantly, then just add it closer to the end or to individual servings. I hope that helps and that you love the recipe!
So I’ve never tried making peanut sauce before. Had to make some alterations, ground ginger instead of fresh, regular soy sauce, green curry paste instead of red, stir fried the veggies in white wine vinegar, peanut butter and brown sugar, but by the old gods and the new this is the tastiest thing I have made in quite some time. Thank you so much.
Bailey, I’m thrilled to hear how much you enjoyed this!!! Thanks so much for trying the recipe and sharing your review.
The recipe looks absolutely yummy! I do have one concern/question. As a vegetarian, I am wondering if fish sauce is actually made of fish or if it is simply a sauce used in cooking fish. If it does contain fish, do you have any recommendation for what to use in place of the fish sauce?
Hi Mark! Fish sauce does contain fish. I would suggest substituting a smaller amount of light soysauce. You can always taste and add more. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
What’s the logic behind adding the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes in step 4 (versus just adding it into the sauce in step 1)?
Hi Kaitlin! These additions aren’t mixed in with the reserved peanut sauce, so you can add them at the end to further adjust the dish to your tastes. I hope you enjoy the recipe if you try it!
Have you ever used PB2 instead of peanut butter? I’m wondering about the results. Your original recipe is SO GOOD. I don’t want to ruin anything.
Hi Erin, the peanut butter is needed to give the sauce its body and texture, so I wouldn’t recommend the powder in this case. I’m glad to hear you enjoy the recipe!
This recipe is sooo delicious I made it exactly except I cut the red pepper flakes in half it still had a bite (hubby doesn’t like it too hot) I have to tell you Erin this is the 3rd recipe I have made from your blog and everyone of them has been outstanding thank you so much!!!?
Susan, I’m so glad to hear you’ve had success with my recipes! I hope you continue to find some new favorites. Thank you for taking the time to share your review and tweaks to this stir fry!
My husband LOVES this. Even I enjoy it, and I am not a big fan of peanut sauces. It has been in our regular dinner rotation for years, so I thought I would finally leave a review (just made it for dinner tonight). I don’t add the cilantro or peanuts at the end. I find the sauce is so flavorful that the cilantro does not make a difference to the flavor of the dish. Omitting the peanuts is just a personal preference.
Monika, this totally made my day! Thank you!!!
Absolutely love your creative idea with chicken stir fry with thai peanut sauce! Can I post it on my blog? Thanks for sharing Erin!
Thanks Kara! You may post a link to the recipe on your blog, but I ask that you do not repost the recipe ingredients or directions.
I always have high hopes, but have never liked any Asian food that I’ve made at home and I’m always disappointed. This, however, was AMAZING! My husband loved it too. I used brown rice noodles and mixed them right in.
Thank you so much!
Allison, I am SOOOO happy to hear it, thank you!!
Thank you for this Erin. I love thai sauce!
Hello Erin, I made this lastnight for my meal prep. It turned out so good. I added sugar snap peas as well, and they work so well with this dish!
Thanks for sharing your tweaks, Jessica! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the stir fry.
DELICIOUS. We are putting this into our regular rotation now.
Thank you for sharing, Rimmy! I’m so happy it was a hit!
I love anything with peanut ! I love something that comes together quickly and has this much flavor! Thanks for the recipe! Pinning!
Thank you for sharing this kind review, Susan! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
Chicken, veggies, and rice stir-fried in a yummy peanut sauce — Quick, easy, and oh so tasty!!
Thank you for sharing this kind review, Richard! I’m so happy you loved the recipe!
That seems like a lot of peanut butter and brown sugar! Is this sauce for more than one use? Could I reduce the amount of pb and sugar?
Hi Kim! Both the peanut butter and brown sugar help give the sauce its body and texture. I wouldn’t recommend reducing them by much, if at all. The stir fry and the sauce will yield about 4-6 servings worth. I hope this helps!
I just love the peanut sauce , you created another tasty meal.
Thank you for this kind comment, Anthony! I’m so happy you loved the recipe!
chicken stir fry with thai peanut sauce is so tasty and healthy food. its ingredients are useful for health. i like it and it looks so fantastic.
Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review, Paul!
I made your recipe and I followed through with all your ingredients, but I made two small adjustments. First, I replaced the olive oil with roasted peanuts oil…it just made more sense to me. The second adjustment was to use less sugar. 1/4 cup of sugar is 32g, which is a lot. I used 20g instead. Will test the recipe with even less the next time I’m making this, see if it throws off its balance.
I served it over kelp noodles and it was perfect. My partner and I had two big bowls of it.
It was so good that I will incorporate it into my cooking repertoire. Thank you for sharing!!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe, Andra! Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review!
This is the absolutely best stir fry I have ever done and will be my only one from now on.
Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
I have made this twice now, so good!!!
Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review, Malissa! I’m so happy to hear that this recipe was a hit!
Loved it and I’m going to make it again tonight. I didn’t change a thing and didn’t see a need to.
YAY! Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review, Beks! I’m so happy that you enjoyed the recipe!
OMG I was looking for something healthy to eat and came across this page. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review, Lori! I’m so happy that you enjoyed the recipe!
Can this dish be made at home?
I will make it for my family dinner.
Hi Peter! Yes, you can certainly make this dish at home. I hope you enjoy the recipe if you try it!
Wonderful recipe Erin. Your chicken stir fry with Thai peanut sauce
looks ravishing, and I love the fact that it contains healthy ingredients. Thanks a lot for sharing, and I hope you and Ben stay happy forever.
Thank you for this incredibly kind comment, Sandra! It made my day!
This was GREAT, I doubled the recipe for our household of 6 and had enough leftovers to give my sister in-law and her 3 member family. I did not double the red pepper flakes and it was plenty spicy for us. This will be added to the regular dinner rotation for sure!
I’m so pleased that you enjoyed the recipe, Amy! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
OMG – this is sooooo good, it is going on our SFG list – and there are only a handful of recipes on that – and so easy too!!! Thank you!!!
I’m SO happy that you enjoyed it, Meg! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
This Thai peanut stir fry is mine and my husbands favorite meal. I love how delicious it is, I honestly think it’s just as good as going to my local Thai take out place. I do half the amount of red curry paste and just sprinkle in the red chili peppers because my husband can’t handle spicy but the first time I used the whole amount and we both still loved it. Not a difficult meal and also the left overs taste amazing the next day for a quick lunch meal at work.
I’m so happy that you’ve enjoyed it, Karly! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Hey Erin! I made this recipe last night and was super happy with the way it turned out. Thai peanut dishes are my favorite and your flavors did not disappoint, especially with the beautiful mix of veggies! Will definitely be making again.
I also had a question that maybe you’ll be able to answer. Both my chicken and veggies generated a ton of liquid, which I expected, but it made it quite tricky to get the veggies nice and crispy when liquid kept coming out. I did try to drain the wok into the sink, but when I put them back onto the stove, they just produced more liquid. I’ll also add that I used fresh veggies, not frozen, so not sure if that makes a difference. Any tricks to getting them crispy when trying to combat so much moisture? Thanks so much for your help!
I’m SO happy that you enjoyed the recipe, Nicola! Thank you for sharing this kind review! Make sure you don’t overcrowd the pan while you’re cooking, and if you’ve recently washed any of your vegetables, make sure to pat them dry before adding them to the pan. I hope this helps!
Adding this one to our list of favorites! Creamy peanut sauce with a little bit of heat, juicy chicken, saucy noodles, and lots of veggies to fill us up and balance out the meal. When you gladly choose to eat another bite with broccoli instead of chicken, you know the recipe is a keeper!
YAY, I am so happy to hear it Rachel, thank you!
This is such and amazing dish! The chopped peanuts and fresh cilantro give it a perfect balance! I substituted red chili sauce for curry paste (only because I didn’t have it on hand) and it was still delicious. I’ve made several of Erin’s recipes and they are all wonderful.
So so pleased to hear it Allison, thank you!
I’m looking for a way to do a quick stir fry and use up some peanut satay cooking sauce . Could I use a prepared commercial,brand instead of your recipe for the sauce. I know it won’t be as tasty but I am trying to use things up
Hi Elaine! I’ve only tested the recipe as written, so you’d be experimenting. I hope you enjoy the recipe if you decide to try it!
So Delicious!! Even our 1year old & 3year old
Children loved it :) ’ Thank for sharing – will
Definitely be making again soon’
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Celeste! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Delicious! Made it exactly as-is.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Michelle! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I cooked this for my family a few nights ago. My dad went back for thirds and had it for leftovers the next day. I think that says it all. :)
I’m so happy that it was a hit, Ellie! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
This is my husband’s favourite dish! I sometimes add a can of coconut milk, but it is delicious as is! He proposed to me after only 3 short weeks of meeting, but he says it would have been sooner if I had made this for him haha.
I’m so happy that it has been a hit, Adella! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Hi Erin. I’m having company this week and am going to make this dish. Do you recommend making it a day ahead if I’m short on time?
Hi Betsy! You can definitely make it a day ahead! Hope you enjoy it!
I’ve made this recipe about 6 times now because it is just that good! I’m so impressed with the flavor, level of spice and how you can add in different veggies every time to change it up! Love love love. Flavor 1000/10
Hi Breanna! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Hi Erin! Thanks for the recipe – I am planning on making it today and was wondering if you have any substitutes for the ginger and vinegar in the recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Summer! I’ve only tested the recipe as written. I know others have used white wine vinegar in place of the rice vinegar. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
Hi Erin! Is it possible to substitute red curry paste with green curry paste? I still have a full tub of green curry paste in my pantry and am a bit hesitant to buy a red one just for one recipe. Do you think green would work? Thank you!
Hi Kaye! I’ve only tested the recipe as written. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
Holy deliciousness, Batman. I made this with frozen veggies (thawed and pat dry as the cookbook says) and devoured it. It is so, so good – this will not keep for leftovers. You’ll eat the rest out of the pan because it is irresistible! I love well plated recipes (been making the tikka masala for years), but this one takes the cake! This is going to be a weekly staple for us!
Hi Charlotte! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I love eating this type of food, my husband, not so much, so we have never cooked anything like this at home. I followed your recipe and it was DELICIOUS!!!! It will now be a staple dinner at our house! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Hi Diann! So glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for this kind review!
Unfortunately this was way too peanut buttery for us. I love peanut butter and even felt it was too overpowering. We tried to fix it by adding more curry and soy sauce, which did help a little. Thank you anyway. At least we had a healthy meal.
I’m sorry to hear the recipe wasn’t to your taste, Aly. I know it’s disappointing to try a new recipe and not enjoy it, so I truly wish it would have been a hit for you.
Hi Erin,
I’m eager to try this, but a while back I copied your recipe for crispy tofu which includes freezing it first. Would this recipe benefit from the extra steps that would require, or will it taste better with the directions as is?
Hi Rhonda! This recipe actually calls for chicken. Are you hoping to swap it for tofu? If so, you could utilize one of my tofu preparation methods and add the sauce after.
Not sure what went awry for me with this dish as I love Erin’s recipes and have made great use of The well Plated Cookbook, but something was amiss for me here. I love spicy food but this was off the charts flaming hot and difficult to enjoy…this coming from a girl that adds hot sauce to everything! I am assuming that the brand of Thai chili paste I used may be the culprit, (Mekhala), as nixed the Chile flakes. I would welcome advice…. In the mean time, On to “On Purpose veggie Burgers with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce!!”
Hi Jojo. I’m guessing you will just need to adjust the flavors based on your taste.
Made this for dinner, really enjoyed it, great easy menu
Thank you
Hi Jenn! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
As a peanut butter and Thai peanut sauce lover, what can a vegetarian substitute fish sauce with? I’ll make the protein be tofu. I’ve been air frying tofu recently but can’t wait to try your method.
Hi Julie, I’d first try a vegan fish sauce, or increase the soy sauce or maybe try tamari sauce. Hope this helps!
The nutrition makes no mention of Sodium content. I know it has to be very high. Can you please tell me how much per serving?
Hi Jan! I stopped including sodium info because it can vary so much depending upon what products you used, and I found a lot of conflicting info online, so ultimately I didn’t feel comfortable publishing it because sometimes it wasn’t even in the ballpark. If you’d like to calculate it yourself, there are lots of free tools online (myfitnesspal.com is popular). I hope that helps!
Great recipe! I lightened it up by using peanut butter powder, reconstituted, and eliminated the sugar. And I increased the ginger, because we love it. Delicious! One question, though. Why do you divide the soy sauce and red pepper flakes?
Hi Cindy, you’ll be adding them both in step 1 and in step 4. Hope this helps!
This is so good and easy to make! Reheats well for lunches.
Great to hear, thank you Korina!