A Pad Thai-inspired noodle dish—that isn’t really like Pad Thai at all—with whole wheat pasta, vegetables, chicken, and a spicy peanut sauce.
Hi readers! I’m sure you’ve all noticed that there’s been a bit of a lack of new posts recently. It seems that the holiday season coupled with a bout or two of whatever nasty cold has been going around made it a little difficult to satisfy your needs for mouthwatering photos, delicious recipes, and witty banter. Well here we go!
This post for spicy peanut noodles with chicken and vegetables is somewhat inspired by the flavors of Pad Thai. However, I looked up what actually goes into the traditional dish—rice noodles, eggs, fish sauce, tamarind juice, peanuts, cilantro, and lime (according to Wikipedia)—and I then realized how far off I was in my original line of thinking. Regardless of what this actually is, you will not be disappointed by the taste of this recipe.
I use whole wheat angel hair pasta as the base for this recipe, but any long noodle should do. The sauce is a combination of peanut butter, soy sauce, sriracha, and rice wine vinegar. (If you don’t have rice wine vinegar, regular distilled white vinegar will also work.) From there you can really add whatever you want. I went with diced chicken breasts, carrots, and snow peas, but the possibilities are endless!
Oh, and the crushed peanuts add a nice crunch and lovely textural contrast to the dish.
Spicy Peanut Noodles with Chicken
A Pad Thai-inspired noodle dish with vegetables, chicken, and a spicy peanut sauce.
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound whole wheat angel hair pasta
- 1 cup smooth peanut butter
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup sriracha
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- Neutral oil (i.e. vegetable, canola, corn, etc.)
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder
- 1 cup julienned carrots
- 1 cup snow peas
- Crushed peanuts, for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta per the instructions on the box until al dente (tender but with a little bit of bite).
- Meanwhile, mix together the peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, and sriracha; taste and adjust to your liking. Reserve.
- Heat some oil in a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with some salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook the chicken until browned on both sides, a few minutes per side. Add the carrots and snow peas, season with some salt and pepper, and cook until the vegetables have softened a little and the chicken is fully cooked.
- Add the cooked noodles and peanut sauce to the chicken and vegetables and stir to combine. Taste and adjust. Divide among bowls and sprinkle with crushed peanuts, if using.
This post was updated on March 21, 2020.
I love Pad Thai, so I can’t wait to try this recipe. But what is “sriracha” and where do I find it?
It’s a hot chili sauce that should be available in the Asian aisle of the grocery store. The brand I recommend is Huy Fong. http://www.huyfong.com/no_frames/sriracha.htm