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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
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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!