In this recipe for Peanut Chicken and Noodles, Ramen noodles are jazzed up with a light peanut butter sauce and plenty of vegetables. It’s not your traditional Ramen bowl. It’s like eating peanut butter Ramen noodles in a sweet and savory sauce with added chicken and veggies.
If you’re looking for something different to make for dinner, give this recipe the old college try. Yep, we’re using the packets of Ramen noodles that you probably ate in college quite frequently! And instead of a classic vegetable stir fry, you get to enjoy the nostalgia of eating Ramen noodles along with it. It’s so much better than takeout!
Ingredients Needed:
- Ramen Noodles: Look for the classic, dried block of Ramen noodles in the soup section of your market. Buy the “Asian” flavor for this recipe.
- Vegetables: Be creative here, if you’d like. We use broccoli, red bell pepper, snow peas and carrots.
- Peanut Butter: Use creamy peanut butter for the best results of it melting into the sauce.
- Soy Sauce: Reduced-sodium soy sauce is probably best to use so you can control the flavor of salt in the sauce.
- Brown Sugar: It adds a little sweetness to contrast with the savory ingredients in the sauce.
- Cornstarch: This is used as a thickener for the sauce.
- Crushed Red Pepper: It adds a little spicy flair to the dish.
- Chicken: Already cooked chicken makes this dish easy to prepare in a flash.
- Water Chestnuts: Look for a can of water chestnuts in your market’s Asian section.
- Bamboo Shoots: Look for canned bamboo shoots in your market’s Asian section. Sometimes I leave these out of the recipe.
- Peanuts: These are used for the garnish on top. Feel free to be more generous than the recipe indicates.
- Green Onions: These are also used as a garnish on top.
How to make Peanut Chicken and Noodles:
- You know how the packages of Ramen come with a seasoning packet? You’ll use one of those and toss out the other (unless you have another use for it).
- The first step is cooking the noodles and vegetables briefly in boiling water. Then you’ll drain them and return them to the saucepan.
- For the sauce, you’ll whisk together water, peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch, crushed red pepper and that saved Ramen seasoning packet. Cook and stir for a couple of minutes, and then stir in the chicken, water chestnuts and bamboo shoots.
- The chicken and sauce mixture is then added to the Ramen noodles and veggies. Toss. Garnish individual servings with peanuts and green onions.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t use natural peanut butter. The processed, creamy peanut butter is going to work best for the sauce.
- You can leave out the chicken to make this a vegetarian meal.
- Use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken to make things easy.
- Make sure your peanuts are roasted and unsalted.
- Vegetables should be cut into smaller, even chunks for quicker cooking.
- Add a little chopped fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime on top.
Substitution Suggestions:
- Substitute beef, shrimp or tofu for the chicken.
- Use lo mein, soba, udon or rice noodles in place of the Ramen.
- Use coconut milk in place of the water to create a more rich and creamy sauce.
What to serve with Peanut Chicken and Noodles:
This is a great all-in-one meal since it has pasta and vegetables and a great sauce. But I think a refreshing cucumber salad or Asian slaw would be a nice accompaniment. And start the meal with some crab and cream cheese wontons!
What You’ll Love About This Recipe:
- It’s a meal you can totally prep ahead of time and just assemble when ready to eat!
- It’s much better than Asian takeout.
- You’ll enjoy re-visiting Ramen noodles and eating them in a much more delicious way than you did back in college.
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Set aside 1 seasoning packet from the ramen noodles to use in the recipe; toss the other one.
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In a large saucepan bring 2 quarts water to boiling. Break up the noodles slightly and add to the water along with the cut-up vegetables. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Boil gently, uncovered, for 3 minutes. Drain and return to the saucepan.
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Meanwhile, for the sauce, in a medium saucepan whisk together the 1¼ cups water (or coconut milk), peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch, crushed red pepper, and the seasoning packet. Whisk until smooth. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Add the chicken, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots to the sauce; heat through.
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Add the chicken mixture to the noodle mixture in the large saucepan. Toss to combine. Top with peanuts and green onions. Serve!
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 570kcal, Carbohydrates: 59g, Protein: 37g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 60mg, Sodium: 1646mg, Potassium: 884mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 723IU, Vitamin C: 84mg, Calcium: 100mg, Iron: 5mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.