Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles

Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Servings: 6
Yield: 6 servings

Description

Spicy Thai flavors, a creamy peanut butter sauce, rice noodles, and chicken come together quickly in this delicious Asian noodle dish.

Ingredients

1/2 cup peanut butter
6 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons sesame oil
2 red Thai chiles, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons chile-garlic sauce
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 cup matchstick carrots
1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
4 green onions, thinly sliced
2 cups bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 (16 ounce) package pad Thai rice noodles
1 tablespoon chopped unsalted peanuts

Directions

1 Make sauce: Whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, Thai chiles, chile-garlic sauce, ginger, fish sauce, and pepper in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside.
2 Make noodles: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large wok or nonstick pan over high heat. Cook and stir chicken in hot oil until chicken is almost cooked, about 3 minutes. Pour in 1/4 cup sauce and continue cooking until chicken is no longer pink in the center and juices run clear, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer chicken with its juices to a medium bowl.
3 Reduce heat to medium-high. Heat remaining tablespoon olive oil in the same wok or pan used for chicken. Add carrots; cook and stir until just softened but still crunchy, about 3 minutes. Stir in bell pepper; cook until softened, about 1 minute. Add reserved chicken with its juices, remaining sauce, green onions, bean sprouts, and cilantro. Cook and stir until just heated, about 1 minute. Keep warm.
4 Meanwhile, place noodles in a large bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside until noodles are softened, about 5 minutes. Drain.
5 Stir cooked noodles into chicken-vegetable mixture. Garnish with peanuts.