As much as I love to to cook, on most weeknights, I feel fairly zapped creatively. I want to eat something interesting and nourishing and that I know Ben will enjoy too. After 5 p.m., however, it’s as if my brain’s culinary juices have been absorbed by a combination of remembering the lyrics to every ‘90s boyband hit (why is so much of my brain space wasted on this??) and whatever I last saw on Top Chef, neither of which is particularly useful when you are trying to pull together a healthy dinner.
Why I Love This Easy Peanut Chicken
To help on those nights when I realize in a moment of semi-exhaustion/mild panic that I do, in fact, need to cook dinner again, I’ve been working on my repertoire of meals that I can pull together with a few core ingredients, especially ingredients that I can prep in advance. For me, one of the best make-ahead ingredients is shredded chicken. I like to make a big batch on weekends (here’s the easiest way for how to cook shredded chicken—no fancy appliances required!). This peanut chicken came about when I was brainstorming leftover chicken recipes. My default is usually something Mexican-ish, but even I have my limits on how many nights in a row I can eat tortillas (please still be my friend anyway). Plus, we were out of tortillas, so I didn’t have a choice!
This easy peanut sauce turned out to be my answer. It was inspired by my favorite Chicken Stir Fry with Thai Peanut Sauce. It’s ultra creamy and brightly flavored with ginger, garlic, sesame, and lime. It’s so yummy, I couldn’t stop licking my spoon, and it has the power to make even something as basic as shredded chicken taste special. Compared to my original Thai peanut chicken, this recipe is quicker and easier. At first glance, the ingredient list may look long, but most are standard pantry items, especially if you make stir fries often (soy sauce, I’m looking at you). Also, because the recipe starts with precooked chicken, you save a step. If you don’t have leftover shredded chicken on hand, you can of course make some before the recipe starts or swap in shredded store-bought rotisserie chicken. To make the peanut chicken: simply stir the peanut sauce ingredients together on your stove, toss with the shredded chicken, then serve them with rice and whatever veggies you have on hand.
To turn the peanut chicken into a complete meal, I made a quick stir fry using the fresh veggies I had in my fridge (you’ll see suggested stir fry directions below), but you can easily swap any other vegetables you prefer. No time/not in the mood to chop? I feel you. Use frozen stir fry vegetables instead. (You can use them in this Teriyaki Beef Stir Fry too.) If speed is one of your top-goals for this peanut chicken recipe, I also recommend making the brown rice in advance. If you forget and are in a rush, you can swap a quicker-cooking grain like quinoa or use soba noodles, brown rice noodles, or even whole wheat spaghetti noodles. Ben is such a peanut sauce fiend, I ended up making a fresh batch of the sauce to drizzle over our leftovers. If you share our sentiment that Peanut Sauce Is Boss, I’d suggest doubling the sauce ingredients, then saving the extra for leftovers or to drizzle over the top of the fished peanut chicken and veggies.
Recipe Adaptations
To Make Vegetarian or Vegan. Swap the chicken for Crispy Tofu or chickpeas. To Make Gluten Free. Swap the soy sauce for gluten free tamari. Serve with a gluten free grain, such as rice or quinoa.
How to Store and Make Ahead
To Store. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To Freeze. Place in an airtight freezer-safe storage container int he freezer for up to 3 months. To Make Peanut Sauce Ahead. Love peanut sauce or know you will be eating some of the recipe as leftovers? I’d suggest making about 1.5 times the sauce amount, or (if you are married to my peanut-sauce loving husband) even doubling it. Toss enough of the sauce with the chicken to nicely coat it, then save the rest for serving or for perking up leftovers.
