Peanut Noodles with shredded chicken, carrots, cucumbers and scallions tossed in a fabulous sesame peanut sauce! A whole delicious Asian meal. Or, skip the chicken and double the veggies for a vibrant vegetarian version. The most important thing? These crave-worthy spicy peanut noodles can be on your table fast - just 30 minutes to noodle nirvana!
Whether it's sizzling beef chow fun noodles or veggie-packed Vietnamese noodle salad, Asian noodle dishes send my cravings into overdrive. But these Spicy Peanut Noodles have been my number one go-to for years. I've been making them since my kids were little – they're easy to prepare and ridiculously good.
Peanut Noodles
My love for this dish goes way back. When I worked in an office in Manhattan, before I did much home cooking and way before I started this blog, I used to dash out and grab a container of spicy sesame peanut noodles at a gourmet food shop down the street – they were my absolute favorite lunch.
I remember thinking 'how can anything be this good?' And now, to be able to enjoy these at home, anytime… it's just the best.
Let's break down what makes these peanut butter noodles so amazing:
- Irresistible Spicy Peanut Sauce: Peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, garlic, ginger, sriracha, and sesame oil – all whizzed in the blender until super creamy, creating a sauce that coats the noodles with BIG flavor!
- Slurpable Noodles: coated with that amazing peanut sauce!
- Crunchy Veggie Power: chopped carrots, scallions and cucumber matchsticks add freshness and crunch.
- Adaptable: Poached chicken, leftover chicken, or rotisserie chicken are all great options. Or, skip the chicken entirely for a veggie-forward meal.
- Quick & Easy: While the pasta cooks, you can whip up the spicy peanut sauce in your blender or food processor and start slicing the veggies.
- Great for a Crowd: Everyone loves spicy peanut noodles, and these can be made ahead, so no stress when you're expecting a crowd. Serve these as a main dish or as a side with Yakitori Chicken, Korean Burgers, Thai Ribs or anything else!
Walk-Through of this Recipe, with photos
Here's an overview of how to make this dish:
- Boil The Pasta: Cook the pasta according to package directions, then rinse under cold water and drain.
- Make The Spicy Peanut Sauce: To save time, do this while the pasta is cooking. Simply add all the sauce ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until creamy.
- Prepare the Veggies: Chop the carrots and scallions, and slice the cucumber into matchsticks.
- Toss: In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta, chicken (if using), carrots, and scallions with the peanut sauce.
- Garnish and Serve: Top with scallions, cucumbers and sesame seeds.
Tip for making cucumber matchsticks: Cut the cucumber into four or five segments, each about the length you want your matchsticks to be. Then, slice each segment lengthwise into five or six slices. Lay each slice flat, and cut it into thin matchsticks.
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Tip for chopping carrots: Peel them into wide, thin strips using a vegetable peeler. Then, mound the strips together and slice them thinly, crosswise.
As you go, add everything to a big bowl: drained pasta, shredded chicken, chopped carrots and sliced scallions.
Pour that rich and creamy peanut sauce over the noodles, veggies and chicken and toss to coat.
Enjoy!
Variations and Substitutions:
- For Gluten-Free Spicy Peanut Noodles: Make this recipe with Pad Thai-style rice noodles. I've done this, with great results!
- For Vegetarian Peanut Noodles: Double the carrots and cucumbers and/or add additional vegetables. There are lots of veggies that work here to add fresh flavor and crunchiness. Here are some of my favorites: bell pepper strips, blanched asparagus cut into 1-inch segments, thinly sliced snow peas or snap peas.
- Toppings: consider adding or substituting chopped peanuts, chopped cilantro, jicama matchsticks or fresh bean sprouts.
This recipe is a fusion of two longtime favorites: 'Sesame Chicken and Asparagus Pasta' from The New Basics Cookbook and 'Butterfly Noodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce' from All Around The World Cookbook. After years of tweaking, I've created my ultimate peanut noodles dish.
If you try this Spicy Peanut Noodles Recipe, I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think!
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Spicy Peanut Noodles Recipe: Chicken or Vegetarian
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 6-8 Servings 1x
Description
These Spicy Peanut Noodles feature linguine (or rice noodles), crunchy raw vegetables, and shredded chicken (or a double dose of veggies for delicious vegetarian peanut noodles) – all tossed in an intensely flavorful, creamy peanut sauce. Perfect as a quick weeknight dinner or a crowd-pleasing side dish, these noodles are always a hit.
Ingredients
Noodles:
- 12 ounces linguine (see notes for a gluten free option)
- 1 tablespoons salt (for pasta cooking water)
Chicken (if using)
- 3 cups shredded poached chicken or any cooked chicken
Peanut Sauce
- ¾ cup crunchy peanut butter
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 6 tablespoons warm water
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic (5 medium cloves)
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger root
- 1-2 teaspoons Sriracha, depending on how hot you like it
- 4 tablespoons plus ¼ teaspoon sesame oil, divided
Veggie Mix-Ins: (To make this dish vegetarian, see notes)
- 2 carrots, shaved into ribbons with a vegetable peeler, ribbons sliced thinly crosswise (refer to photos in post)
- 6 scallions, sliced thinly crosswise, divided
Toppings:
- ½ of an English (hothouse) cucumber, cut into matchsticks
- ¼ cup toasted sesame seeds (see notes)
- ¼ of the sliced scallions (from above)
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Instructions
Noodles:
- Cook linguine in salted water, per package directions. Drain in a colander, rinse with cold water to cool, and drain again, thoroughly. Transfer noodles to a large mixing bowl and toss with ¼ teaspoon sesame oil, to prevent noodles from sticking together.
Peanut Sauce:
- Add to the bowl of a food processor or blender: the peanut butter, soy sauce, water, vinegar, honey, garlic, ginger and Sriracha, and process for a minute or so until fully combined. Add 2 tablespoons of the sesame oil and blend thoroughly. Repeat with remaining 2 tablespoons sesame oil. If the sauce is too thick, add more warm water, a tablespoon at a time, until you get the desired consistency.
Assemble:
- Add the chicken, carrots and ¾ of the scallions to the bowl with the noodles. Pour the sauce over and toss gently to combine. Transfer noodles to a serving bowl or to individual bowls. Garnish with cucumber, remaining scallions and sesame seeds. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
- To Make this Gluten-free: Use Pad-Thai-style rice noodles.
- To Make this Vegetarian: Double the carrots and cucumbers or add steamed asparagus cut into 1-inch segments or a couple handfuls of blanched and thinly sliced sugar snap peas or snow peas.
- To Toast Sesame Seeds: toss and stir them constantly in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant and lightly toasted, watching carefully to prevent burning. Remove from heat immediately when they start to color.
- Nutrition Disclaimer: We do our best to provide accurate nutrition values using an online nutrition calculator; however our nutrition information should be used only as an approximation.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: noodles
- Method: boil
- Cuisine: Chinese
Updated: Originally published September 28, 2016, this post has been completely revised. The title (Spicy Sesame Peanut Noodles with Chicken) has been changed for better accuracy, to 'Spicy Peanut Noodles: Chicken or Vegetarian.' I've added a step-by-step walk-through of the recipe, new photos, nutritional information, and useful information about how to make this dish vegetarian or gluten free and how to make it with a variety of different vegetables and toppings. The recipe remains unchanged – as delicious as ever!
Simple and delicious. I love the flavors in this dish.
It's a very good dish, the sauce is excellent.
I've been trying to recreate my favorite Sesame Peanut Noodles from a Boston cafe I used to work at, and this was *exactly* what I was looking for. Delicious sauce, thank you thank you thank you!
Hi Monika - I'm so glad you found what you were looking for and enjoyed!
This is the best recipe for sesame chicken noodles I have ever made...so good! No changes needed except adjusting for quantity. Congratulations for having such a great recipe!
I'm so happy to know you enjoyed! Thank you for letting me know 🙂
Hi. The pictures and description are great but I can't see the recipe. I can see other recipes on your site though. Could you please repost the sesame chicken noodle recipe? Thanks!
I'm so glad you let me know about this Jessica. I'm not sure what happened here but you're right. Somehow the recipe was gone! But luckily I was able to restore it from a saved draft. Thanks you for letting me know!
Thanks Lisa, for answering so fast! I'm off to the grocery store...
I LOVVVVEE noodles with peanut sauce. SOO excited to make this
So tempted to have some of that right now. That looks marvelous!
I'm looking forward to trying your recipe, but I leave tomorrow morning for Boston, and I'm so happy to hear that the leaves are starting to show their fall colors. Exactly what we were hoping for!
My oven broke a month ago, and I recently found out that the service protection plan I have will pay for a replacement range. So besides getting ready for this trip, I've been looking at new ranges. I miss baking. Many of your casseroles look so inviting, too. I love casseroles.
Have a fabulous time in Boston Eileen. I hope you get a new range soon so you can get into some delicious fall baking and casserole cooking. 🙂
Yuuum! These look SO tasty! I can already tell these are going to be a new family favorite. Must try them soon!
This looks sooooo YUM!!
This looks refreshing! I might make this now as it's almost lunch time!
Looks delicious, and your photos are gorgeous!
Ugh!!!! You're a lifesaver! I have been wanting to try this!!!!
I'm so glad to be a lifesaver. I hope you enjoy Patty!