This quick and easy peanut butter chicken recipe with tender chicken pieces cooked in aromatic, savoury, spicy peanut sauce! It is one of my favourite go-to curry dishes, and it can be prepared at home in under 30 minutes.
This Asian fusion peanut butter chicken is our family favourite, easy, creamy, and packed with flavour. It’s our go-to when we want something comforting but quick.
The sauce is similar to a mild Chinese peanut satay sauce, and I use just a touch of mild chilli powder, so even my son can enjoy it.
It’s rich, cosy, and always gets clean plates! We serve it with rice or flatbreads, and it’s firmly in our weekly dinner rotation.
If you like creamy chicken curries like us, you've gotta try out our Butter Chicken, Chicken rendang or Chicken Tikka Masala recipes.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Chicken - Boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts.
- Peanut butter
- Onion, garlic & ginger
- Spices - turmeric, chilli, cumin, coriander powder, garam masala.
- Double cream ( heavy cream )
- Salt to taste
- Fresh Chillies & Coriander
- Cooking oil
How to Cook Peanut Butter Chicken
1. First saute aromatics
Heat the pan or large skillet over medium heat, drizzle oil and sauté the onions for 2-3 minutes until soft and translucent. Then, add the grated garlic and ginger and cook until the onions are slightly brown.
2. Season the chicken with ground spices
Add chicken and spices; turmeric, ground coriander, cumin, chilli, garam masala, and salt to taste. Saute the chicken for 1-2 minutes.
3. Make peanut sauce
Add peanut butter, pour the water and double cream. Stir and combine well with the rest of the ingredients. Close the lid and cook for 20 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Stir occasionally.
4. Adjust seasonings and finish with fresh herbs
Make a taste test and add more salt or water if needed. Finish with chopped coriander leaves and some fresh chillies.
What type of Peanut Butter to use?
I love adding smooth natural peanut butter. It's great for adding to curries and sauces, which contain no unnecessary ingredients like palm oil and sweeteners. It helps the curry sauce thicken without adding flour or cornflour.
Feel free to use regular peanut butter or crunchy peanut butter to your preference.
Make some adjustments to taste
Try creamy coconut milk or oat milk as a substitute for double cream.
I use cashew nut paste instead of peanut butter sometimes, and it tastes so so good too! Sesame paste, almond, or tahini are also great options if you don't like peanuts.
You'll love my quick hacks
- Adjust the consistency! Peanut sauce thickens as it cools. Add a splash of water to loosen it, then reheat to your desired consistency before serving.
- To make it Thai-style chicken with peanut sauce, you might want to omit all the ground spices used in this recipe and add Thai red curry paste for a bit more spicy, pungent flavour.
- To make the curry richer, you can add low-sodium chicken broth or chicken stock instead of water.
- Make it spicier! Adjust the heat level to your preference by adding more fresh or dried chillies. Thai birdseye chillies go well with peanut sauce!
How do we serve
This chicken peanut sauce is best served with cooked basmati or jasmine rice. It also goes well with rice noodles, egg noodles, bread, and salads.
Squeeze some fresh lemon or lime juice to balance the creamy coconut flavour.
Sort out the leftovers
You can make a large peanut chicken curry and let it cool down before storing it in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.
Reheat it like other curries
When reheating in a pan or microwave, add a splash of water. It maintains the creamy texture and moisture of the curry. Using a pan, you can reheat at medium heat until it sizzles.
If using a microwave, reheat the curry in a microwave-safe container for 1 minute, or until it is loosened and heated through.
Does peanut butter really go well with chicken?
Surprisingly, yes! Creamy peanut butter sauce goes well with chicken and most types of protein. It brings a nutty flavour and a creamy texture to the curry sauce.
Can you add peanut butter to other recipes?
Peanut butter is used in popular Asian dishes, like Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce and Spicy Peanut Noodles. The peanut sauce used in this dish is more similar to Malaysian-style Satay Chicken Curry rather than the Chinese Crispy Chicken with Peanut Sauce.
Try More Easy Chicken Curries!
If you enjoyed this easy chicken with peanut butter recipe, you might also love our readers’ favourite following Chicken Curry Recipes.
If you've tried out this easy peanut butter chicken recipe, please share your feedback in the comments and give me star 🌟 ratings!
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📖 Recipe
Peanut Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- 500 gram Chicken thigh or breast, boneless & skinless, cut small cubes
- 2-3 Onions Shallots or small onions, cut small dice
- 1 tbsp Garlic Grated garlic or garlic paste
- 1 tbsp Ginger Grated ginger or ginger paste
- 4 tbsp Peanut butter Smooth natural peanut butter
- 6 tbsp Double cream ( heavy cream )
- 1 cup Water Add warm water
- 1 tsp Salt Or salt to taste
- 2 tbsp Cooking oil
- handful Coriander
- 2-3 Chilli pepper hot or mild
Ground spices
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- 2 tsp Chilli powder
- ½ tsp Coriander powder
- ½ tsp Cumin powder
- 2 tsp Garam masala
Instructions
- Heat the pan or large skillet over medium heat, drizzle oil and sauté the onions for 2-3 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Then, add the grated garlic and ginger and cook until the onions are slightly brown.
- Add chicken and spices; turmeric, ground coriander, cumin, chilli, garam masala, and salt to taste. Saute the chicken for 1-2 minutes.
- Add peanut butter, pour the water and double cream. Stir and combine well with the rest of the ingredients.
- Close the lid and cook for 20 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Stir occasionally.
- Make a taste test and add more salt or water if needed. Finish with chopped coriander leaves and fresh chillies.
Notes
- Peanut sauce thickens as it cools. Add a splash of water to loosen it, then reheat to your desired consistency before serving.
- Options for heavy cream: Creamy coconut milk is the best substitute for heavy cream ( double cream ).
- Peanut butter substitutes: You can try this peanut chicken curry with sesame paste, almond, cashew, or tahini instead of peanut butter.
- Make it spicier: Adjust the heat level to your preference by adding more fresh or dried chillies. Thai birdseye chillies go well with peanut sauce!
Amy says
Now I love peanut butter in my curry. It so rich and creamy. Absolutely enjoyed it.
Janette Phipps says
found recipe easy to follow but afraid mine does not look like yours ,was looking good untill the cream went in 😔. but Tate was great. only put 1tsp of chillie as I am not to great with to much heat. but I did enjoy the meal. Next time I think I will leave the cream out.