Peanut Butter Chicken

This recipe for peanut butter chicken is so quick and simple, it’s perfect for busy weeknights when you want something rich and full of flavor without a lot of work. It pairs juicy chicken thighs with a creamy peanut butter sauce and red pepper flakes for a little heat. Serve it with rice or cauliflower rice to tie the meal together.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

• There’s so much flavor! The name might sound like pieces of chicken just slathered in peanut butter, but it has so much more depth than that. It’s rich and creamy, with a little heat from the red pepper flakes. The tomatoes make the sauce a little tangy, but that’s balanced out by the brown sugar. Everything works together really well.
• This recipe takes roughly 30 minutes, so it’s a great option if you want a delicious dinner but don’t have a ton of time or energy. If you’re serving it with rice, start cooking the rice first so everything can wrap up around the same time, or use an instant rice to make your meal even easier.
• You can keep any leftover peanut butter chicken in an airtight container in the fridge up to 5 days. Reheat it on the stovetop or in the microwave, microwaving in bursts and stirring frequently so it reheats evenly.

Key Ingredients

Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs – You can use chicken breasts if you prefer them, but chicken thighs are fattier, juicier, and have more flavor. They’ll be more tender than chicken breasts, too.

Creamy Natural Peanut Butter – Natural peanut butter is best here because it doesn’t contain any extra ingredients that might throw off the flavor or consistency of the sauce. Natural PB is just peanuts and sometimes salt! If you’re keto or just watching your sugar-intake, our post on Peanut Butter and the Keto Diet has some useful information about peanut butter ingredients to keep in mind. There’s a list of recommendations for keto-friendly types of PB in that post, too.

Red Pepper Flakes – There’s a very small amount of red pepper flakes in the peanut butter sauce. Just enough to add a little spice and flavor, without making the recipe hot.

Chef’s Tips

• If the peanut butter sauce is too thick for your liking after cooking, you can add a little more chicken broth. Alternately, if you like your sauce on the thick side, start out using only ¾ cup of chicken broth. Add more gradually to reach your ideal sauce consistency.
• I prefer to use creamy peanut butter, but you could use chunky peanut butter in your peanut butter chicken if you wanted to. The peanut butter will reduce to a sauce and you’ll have the added crunch from the peanuts.
• I haven’t tried it, but if you have a peanut allergy, you could substitute almond butter in this recipe. Of course, it wouldn’t really be peanut butter chicken at that point!

Other Chicken Recipes You’ll Love

• Marry Me Chicken
• Hibachi Chicken with Fried Rice and Vegetables
• Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Nuggets
• Chicken Gyoza
• Spatchcock Chicken with Garlic-Herb Butter
• Best Ever Tom Kha Gai Soup (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup)
• Everything Bagel Chicken with Scallion Cream Cheese Sauce (Keto)
• Shredded Chicken Tacos