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These Thai Peanut Noodles are far and away better than any other recipe I have tried. The secret is in how the chicken is prepared, plus the sauce is to die for. It’s better than even most restaurants I have tried!
Why These Noodles are the Best
What makes this Thai Peanut Noodle dish better than any other peanut noodles that I have had is how the chicken is prepared. It’s a couple tiny extra steps but it makes a big difference in the texture of the chicken and how it holds onto the sauce. The trick is “velveting” the chicken. What is velveting exactly? Well I love this method so much that I actually wrote a whole post about how to velvet chicken. In short, velveting chicken means coating the chicken in a light marinade and briefly cooking it before it ever hits the stir fry. This locks in moisture and gives it that soft, silky texture you usually only get from takeout, and it helps the sauce cling to every piece instead of sliding right off. Combine that with tender noodles, fresh veggies, and an incredible peanut sauce and you’ve got yourself the best peanut noodles ever!
🩷Erica
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken – I like to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts sliced really thin. I usually pop the chicken in the freezer for a bit first so it firms up, it makes it so much easier to get the slices extra thin.
- Velveting marinade – This is what makes the chicken so tender. It’s a simple mixture of chicken broth, soy sauce, cornstarch, and oil that lightly coats the chicken and keeps it juicy while it cooks. It also helps the sauce cling better later on.
- Noodles – If you want to keep things more authentic, you can use Thai rice noodles. I usually just go with regular linguine because it’s easy to work with and I almost always have it on hand. I did recently find a Thai-style linguine noodle though, and I’ll definitely be using that next time I make this.
- Veggies – I keep it simple with carrots, green onions, and bean sprouts for a little crunch and freshness. You can easily add things like bell peppers, broccoli, or snap peas if you want to bulk it up.
- Peanut sauce – I stinkin’ love this sauce and I use it often as a dipping sauce. It’s made with peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, garlic, and ginger. If you want to make it into a smooth dipping sauce, warm it on low heat in a saucepan and whisk until smooth.
- Sriracha – you can add this to the peanut sauce for spice or over the top as a garnish. Lately I have been adding chili crisp and honesty I might like it better! Try them both and you decide which you like best.
- Garnishes – I always garnish these noodles with fresh cilantro, chopped peanuts, and lime wedges. The lime brightens everything up and the peanuts add a little extra crunch.
How to Make Thai Peanut Noodles
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, soy sauce, cornstarch, and oil until smooth. Add the sliced chicken and toss until evenly coated. Let it sit for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- While the chicken marinates, whisk together all of the peanut sauce ingredients until smooth and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until al dente. Using tongs or a pasta spoon, transfer the noodles to a bowl. Do not discard the water since you will use it to cook the chicken. Scoop out about 1 cup of the pasta water and set it aside. Keep the pot at a boil.
- Once the chicken is done marinating, drain off the excess marinade. Carefully add the chicken to the same pot of boiling water and cook just until it turns white, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Remove with a slotted spoon or drain in a colander and set aside.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and green onions and sauté until just tender. Add the chicken and bean sprouts and cook for about 1 minute more.
- Pour in the peanut sauce and stir until everything is well coated and heated through. Add the noodles and toss to combine. If needed, add a splash of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce.
- Remove from heat and stir in half of the cilantro. Top with the remaining cilantro, chopped peanuts, and lime wedges. Serve immediately.
Recipe Tips
- Reserve more pasta water than you think you need: Peanut sauce thickens quickly. A splash of that starchy water at the end helps loosen everything up and makes the sauce silky.
- Salt your pasta water: This should be a given, but don’t forget to salt the pasta water. It will give some flavor to the noodles before adding it to the rest of the dish.
- Don’t overcook the chicken during velveting: As soon as it turns white, it’s done. It will finish cooking with everything else in the stir fry.
- If your sauce feels too thick, use the reserved pasta water: It keeps the sauce smooth and helps it cling instead of thinning it out too much with regular water.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can, but they’re definitely best fresh. The noodles tend to soak up the sauce as they sit, so if you’re making them ahead, I’d keep a little extra sauce or broth on hand to loosen everything back up when reheating.
onestly, both. They’re great warm right off the stove, but they also work as a cold noodle salad. Just know the sauce thickens when it chills, so you may want to add a splash of water or broth before serving.
Absolutely! Just swap the soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos (or just GF soy sauce) and use gluten-free noodles like rice noodles
More Easy Noodle Dinners
Read More: 35+ Quick and Easy Dinner Ideas
Have you tried these Thai Peanut Noodles? I’d love to hear what you think! Drop a comment below and let me know how you liked it and what stir ins you added! And don’t forget to take a pic and tag us on Instagram @favoritefamilyrecipes! 📸🍜
Thai Peanut Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 12 ounces noodles, (linguine, rice noodles, Thai noodles, see notes above)
- 1 cup carrots, cut into matchsticks
- 5 green onions, chopped
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped, divided
- chopped peanuts, for garnish
- lime wedges, for garnish
Peanut Sauce:
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- 2-3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 2-3 teaspoons sriracha sauce, or to taste
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together chicken broth, soy sauce, cornstarch, and 1 tablespoon oil. Add sliced chicken and toss to coat. Marinate for 15-20 minutes.
- While the chicken is marinating, whisk together peanut sauce ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until al dente. Using tongs or a pasta spoon, transfer the noodles to a separate bowl (don't pour out the boiling water from the pot, you need this pot of water to velvet the chicken). Scoop out about 1 cup of the pasta water, and set aside. Keep the pot of water boiling.
- When chicken is done marinating, drain off excess marinade then carefully add the chicken to the same pot of boiling water. Cook just until the chicken turns white, about 1-2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon or drain in a colander.
- Cook just until the chicken turns white, about 1-2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon or drain in a colander. Set chicken aside.
- Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots and green onions and sauté until just tender. Add chicken and bean sprouts and sauté for about 1 minute more.
- Pour in the peanut sauce. Stir until everything is well coated and completely heated through.
- Add the noodles and toss until evenly coated. If needed, add a splash of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce. Remove from heat and stir in half the cilantro.
- Top with remaining cilantro, chopped peanuts, and lime wedges. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Slightly frozen chicken is easier to slice and gives you that tender, restaurant-style texture.
- If you prep the veggies and sauce while the chicken marinates, this will all come together super fast at the end.
- Using the same pot of water for both the noodles and the chicken keeps things simple and the starchy pasta water actually helps the sauce cling even better to the noodles, so be extra careful to not drain it off with the noodles!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Hi…I’m not an experienced cook, but I want to give this a try. We are vegetarians. I want to use tofu….would I sauté and cook it with the same ingredients you use for the chicken? Also, where do you buy the different noodles? I know the basic ones. What can I use besides chicken broth for the peanut sauce? I’m excited to try this…it looks delicious!!! Thanks for all the detail.:)
Hi Diane, tofu would work great as a chicken substitute in this recipe! Instead of chicken broth you can use vegetable broth. As for the noodles check the Asian section of your grocery store or see of there is an Asian grocery store nearby.
I’ve made this recipe a couple times and it’s one of my favorites.
I typically substitute the linguine for pre-cooked soba noodles from the store (it’s just so convenient!). I also substitute the fresh garlic and ginger for powdered with ratio conversion. I’m not the best with spice and we don’t have sriracha at the house often, so it’s typically not included, or I’ll use sweet chili sauce instead. Still amazing, 10/10, super easy, crowd pleaser, highly recommend
Can you substitute sunflower seeds for peanuts for people with nut allergy? I’ve always loved this dish and I’m so sad that Noodles took it away. My husband could never try it because he’s allergic to nuts but I always wished he could. A couple years back I started buying sun butter for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and depending on the brand, it actually tastes fairly close to peanut butter. I was wondering if the same could be said for this recipe or if you know of a variation of how to incorporate the flavor, like adding a scoop of sun butter to the sauce for instance.
We haven’t tried that, but you certainly could give it a go! Let us know how it turns out!
Delicious! I would just add unsweetened coconut milk to the peanut sauce next time.
So GOOD! My pickier one didn’t think he’d like it! But after one taste, with the lime and peanuts, he added more to his plate! 😁
I didn’t know what to do when noodles and company stopped selling this. I have used this recipe multiple times and I am very pleased with it.
I know! It was one of our favorite dishes there. I’m glad you found this recipe – and that you enjoy it!
Soooo good! One of my new faves! Thankyou!!
This is a wonderful recipe. I dont remember if the original noodles and company offering tasted this good. I will be making this again for a party tomorrow.
Ive made this numerous times.. Its a total winner. I love mine with crispy tofu!
Oh I am so glad you tried this with tofu and it turned out well! Thank you so much for commenting and letting us know!
Do you think I could get away with leaving the honey out? I’m doing a low carb/sugar diet and would to love using this on some cooked veggies!
Absolutely! You can just leave it out and you probably won’t notice much of a difference. Hope this helps!
Hey all I have used this recipe as my go to. I loved this dish from noodles. A couple of things I have found over the years of doing are:
1. Rice noodles (personal favorite)
2. Sambal oelek in replace of the Sriracha (and you can cut your garlic down as well)
my two cents for what its worth
Thanks so much for the comment! Never heard of Sambal Oelek. Where can you find it?
Thank you so much for developing this recipe, especially since Noodles & co. took this item off their menu. I made this last night and both my husband and I LOVED it and this is takes exactly like the original, but better! Fresher! Saving this one to make over and over.
Thank you so much Megan! I am so bummed they took it off the menu too– it was my favorite dish! So glad you (and your husband) liked this recipe. Indonesian Peanut Saute lives on! haha
Haven’t been to noodles and company in YEARS. Went there with my son last nite – learned that they took the Peanut Sauce dish from the menu. I walked out so disappointed. It was their only dish – and I had been craving it forever. I will try yours – thanks for posting!
I hate it when that happens! I hope you like our version of the sauce. I think it tastes the same as the sauce at Noodles and Co. Sometimes restaurants will bring back menu items if enough people complain about it. Send them an email!
I was just wondering what kind of peanut butter you used.
Was it Jiff/Skippy (traditional PB&J peanut butter) or a natural/unsweetened peanut butter?
I’ve been craving this like crazy since they took it off the menu and your recipe looks like the perfect thing to replace it!
We used a traditional peanut butter but you can use natural if you would like. I am so sad they took it off the menu! You will like this recipe, it tastes just like it– load on the Sriracha to make it just as spicy as theirs too 🙂
Noodles just dropped this dish from their menu 🙁
Glad you have this recipe posted … I’m going to have to give it a try
They did?! I wonder why?? That is my favorite dish there :'(
Looking forward to making this…without the animal products
amazing with crispy tofu!
This is beyond amazing! Thank you for this delicious recipe.
You’re welcome! We are so glad you like it!
This is SO GOOD. The Indonesian Peanut Sautee is one of my favorites and go-to orders for Noodles & Co, and this is easily just as good, if not better. Yum!
Thank you for the compliment. We love hearing that our readers have success with our recipes!
This looks so good! I am planning on making this dish, but just for 2 people. Would you recommend that I cut the recipe in half, or do the leftovers heat up well? Thanks!
I’ve never had anything from Peanut & Company (we don’t have any around here), and have never heard of this dish. It would be helpful if you’d give some general amounts for the vegetables, because when I do make this, I want it to taste as good as yours. (Sometimes adding too many veggies & not enough sauce to match it, or too much of one kind of veggie – it throws off the flavor of the original dish a lot.) If you could give me some idea, it would sure be appreciated. 🙂 (I just found your blog this morning, and am loving it. I also love the layout and colors.) You’re fun to read.
Thank you so much for your nice comment! Figure between 1/2 c. and 1 c. of veggies per serving. This usually serves about 6 so I do about 1 head of broccoli, a cup or two of sprouts, a about 1/2 to 1 c. carrot, and about 1/4 c. green onion. Usually about a handful of peanuts. Hope this helps! Sorry so vague– I just kind of eye-ball it. Sometimes I do more veggies, sometimes less. There is plenty of sauce so you can pile on the veggies if you want to! I am SO glad that you found us! I hope you keep coming back for more recipes! 😀
Best ever!!! Just like the real thing minus $6.
Just left the Noodle Co and I love their version but wanted to make my own! And look what I found. YUM can’t wait to try. Ever try it with rice noodles?
This was amazing! LOVE!
Wow! Wow! Wow! First of all, I have to admit that I am NOT a cook! I just do not like it at all! However, I have to cook otherwise I’d starve my family and myself! I have this love for Noodles & Company like no other! The good and bad thing about it is that I live about an hour away from the nearest one. See my point there?! My family is also a big fan of their pasta dishes so I got the hankering to do a search for a few of the Indonesian Peanut Sautes. This was the FIRST one to pop up! I looked at others but liked how you had it SO simplified….because that’s exactly what I need! Otherwise I will disregard it….that’s going back to my dislike of the kitchen. I went to the store with my handy-dandy list, nervously purchased the items needed and went to work in the kitchen. After the cooking part (which was easy-peasy) was all done, we sat down and all took a bite at the same time–yes, that was planned 😉 My family is brutally honest, so naturally I was nervous. The reaction? Let’s just say that this recipe is pretty much IDENTICAL, if not better, that Noodle’s. MMmmHmm! Not only was my family impressed with the taste of it (and that I didn’t burn or start a fire), there was a slight argument over who got the leftovers. THANK YOU so much for posting this recipe!!! You have put me back on the board as a cook and even gave me some confidence! Peace and Love!
Lindsey— WOW THANK YOU so much for your compliment!!!!! I am so glad that you (and your family) liked this recipe. It is a favorite of ours too. I hope you are the one who ended up with the leftovers 😉 It re-heats great! Thank you thank you again for taking the time to write this sweet note 🙂
Wow! Wow! Wow! First of all, I have to admit that I am NOT a cook! I just do not like it at all! However, I have to cook otherwise I’d starve my family and myself! I have this love for Noodles & Company like no other! The good and bad thing about it is that I live about an hour away from the nearest one. See my point there?! My family is also a big fan of their pasta dishes so I got the hankering to do a search for a few of the Indonesian Peanut Saute. This was the FIRST one to pop up! I look at others but liked how you had it SO simplified….because that’s exactly what I need! Otherwise I will disregard it….that’s going back to my dislike of the kitchen. I went to the store with my handy-dandy list, nervously purchased the items needed and went to work in the kitchen. After the cooking part (which was easy-peasy) was all done, we sat down and all took a bite at the same time–yes, that was planned 😉 My family is brutally honest, so naturally I was nervous. The reaction? Let’s just say that this recipe is pretty much IDENTICAL, if not better, that Noodle’s. MMmmHmm! Not only was my family impressed with the taste of it (and that I didn’t burn or start a fire), there was a slight argument over who got the leftovers. THANK YOU so much for posting this recipe!!! You have put me back on the board as a cook and even gave me some confidence! Peace and Love!
You are *hilarious*! It’s really sad that you don’t like to cook, because your blog would be so entertaining to read! Actually, you *should* start one about your cooking adventures – it would be a HOOT! 🙂
Making this tonight, how many servings does this recipe make?
around 4 to 6, depending on serving size
Just made this tonight and it was delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
This was SO delicious! On my second helping now. Thank you for the recipe!
This was really good! I replaced about 1/3 of the noodles with thinly sliced cabbage that I sauteed with the veggies to reduce calories/carbs somewhat and it was still great. I also omitted almost all the hot sauce (small kids) and 50% of my kids loved it (that’s actually pretty good) and I found it was still tasty. My husband added a bit more hot sauce directly to his bowl.
Hi.
If I was to refrigerate the sauce for how long will it remain able for consumption?
Thanks!
I wouldn’t go more than 4-5 days…
Wonderful recipe. Thank you and have a great day.
I skipped the Siracha in the sauce (though used it to fry up my tofu, yum!) and used Peanut Butter and Company’s “The Heat is On” peanut butter with chili added. Though I only put one or two tablespoons of it, normal peanut butter for the rest, because WOW this stuff is hot! And I have a high spice tolerance.
Wow that must be some spicy Peanut Butter!!!
How many can I expect to serve with this recipe?
4 to 6
I am so excited to make this! Can you please tell me where I would buy Sriracha chili sauce? Is it available at Wal-mart? If so, what aisle? Thanks!
Yes you can find it at Walmart. It’s usually in the Asian section.
Thanks so much for providing this recipe! We tried it out on our own with some slight modifications, and were literally AMAZED at how delicious it was. We just had our 3rd batch of leftovers last night, and we both agreed that this has just cracked the top 10 of our favorite dinners. Even better than my favorite similar version from The Cheesecake Factory.
This was insanely good!
Thanks for this great recipe! 🙂 I love your blog! I made this the other night for a friend of mine who is from Indonesia (this dish actually originates from Indonesia, it’s not a ‘Thai noodle dish’ though it does get mixed up with pad thai very often–the two food cultures are actually very different) and he loved it! Of course, he said it is different than the one back home (and he thought it wasn’t spicy enough–can you imagine?!)but nevertheless his bowl was empty and he said he really liked it!! Everyone else loved it too!! Thank you!!
I think you are right! At noodles and co. I think they actually call it Indonesian Sauté. Thanks for catching that, I’m glad your friend liked it!
Actually going to make the peanut sauce, and use it over sauteed veg as well as a dipping sauce for my cream cheese and scallion wonton appetizers! excellent dipping auce…thanks for sharing!
I made this tonight and it was yummy but my sauce was SUPER runny.. 🙁 Very sad.. IDK what I did wrong..
Stephanie– to be honest, I don’t know either! It usually turns out perfectly! I would say maybe cut down on some of the liquids next time to get it to the consistency you like. Also, make sure your noodles are well drained. Other than that I don’t know what to suggest!
I am making this hopefully tomorrow! Love this dish and can't wait to try making it at home. Thai food is oh so yum 🙂
This is so delicious! I've never had Noodles & Co.'s version but now I'm not sure I need to. I will definitely be making this again! Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes, I love your blog!
I made this recipe last night and it was AMAZING! I doubled the peanut sauce recipe because we like a lot of sauce and leftovers! (I also used a lot of veggies) As I was cooking the peanut sauce I tasted it several times and decided to add 2 more tbsp sriracha and 2 tbsps honey. To get the consistency I wanted I added more peanut butter. I also used chunky and it worked out very well! Next time I may try this dish over rice as well! We will be adding this dish to our favs! Thank you so much!
@ Steffani– You are a woman after my own heart… I ALWAYS add more sriracha because I like it pretty hot! I am always worried to put on the recipe how much Sriracha I REALLY use because I know most people don't like it as hot as I do. I am so glad that you liked it, it is definitely a "rotation" recipe at our house too!
Thanks of all of your nice comments!
Erica
Looks just amazing, and I gorgeous photo. I just "pinned" it 🙂
Thai Peanut dishes are my fav!! Can't wait to try this! Thanks! :0)
Very good! I had shrimp instead of chicken and I threw in some waterchestnuts and bamboo shoots because they were in the pantry. I also cut back on the hot sauce a bit after reading the other comments. It was just the right combination of spicy and sweet!
thanks for a great recipe! Made tonight and loved it. Had to cut back a bit on the Sriracha sauce because we can't handle things too hot, but other than that stuck to the recipe. Thanks for a great recipe website!!
I tried this a few days ago and it was much too hot (and I like hot). I would use the minimum Sriracha chili sauce next time. The flavor was good though.
Yum yum!! Very good, and really is very close to Noodles & Co, the only thing I'll do different next time is add more honey, I think the only thing that kept it from tasting exactly like Noodles & Co was it wasn't quite as sweet. Thanks for the great recipe!
Great recipe! I used only red peppers and broccoli for veggies and it turned out great. One warning – I used some where between the 3 tsp. and 4 Tbs. listed for chili sauce in the peanut sauce and it turned out just the way I like it – very hot. My two year old held a different opinion, however.
I used rice noodles. It turned out very good. As good as or better than Noodles and Co!!
I love the Indonesian peanut saute at noodles and this recipe was even better!!! I used rice noodles instead of linguine and tofu instead of chicken (vegetarian), but other than that I followed the recipe almost exactly. Thanks for posting!
This was REALLY good! My gluten-free hubby loved it and my kids ages 3, 5, and 7 also ate it. They kept saying, “My lips are burning/My chin is burning.” I substituted rice noodles for the linguine, but other than that we followed the recipe precisely.
This looks really good. I need to try this.
Cool, thank you! Will have to try it!