Peanut Butter Chicken Stir Fry
Peanut Butter Chicken Stir Fry is a cozy, weeknight-friendly dinner made with tender chicken, sweet potatoes, and a rich peanut sauce inspired by the flavors of West African peanut butter stew. It’s savory, slightly spicy, and a really fun way to add something a little different to your table.
What you’ll love about this stir fry recipe:
- Unexpected flavors (that work so well): The sauce is rich and nutty, but the tomato paste, paprika, cinnamon, and sweet potato give it more of a peanut stew-inspired flavor than a more common Asian peanut stir fry.
- One Pan Recipe: You know how much I love it when there’s only one pan to clean up at the end of the night!
- Relies on pantry staples: The ingredients for this recipe are pretty basic. If you have chicken, peanut butter, a sweet potato, and a few spices, you probably have everythign you need to make it!
Not Your Usual Peanut Butter Chicken
Years ago, my husband had a Ghanaian coworker who made the most incredible peanut butter stew. It completely changed how I thought about using peanut butter in dinner recipes!
This peanut butter chicken stir fry recipe is in no way meant to be an authentic version of that stew, but it is loosely inspired by those flavors. I wanted something with that same spicy, peanuty, but in a faster stir fry format.
Most peanut butter chicken recipes tend to lean more Asian-inspired, with soy sauce, lime, or Thai curry flavors. Those are delicious, obviously, but this one goes somewhere a little different. The sweet potato, smoked paprika, and pinch of cinnamon make it warmer and earthier, while the jalapeño adds just enough heat.
Serve it over rice for an easy and comforting dinner that feels familiar but also a little unexpected.
peanut butter chicken stir fry Ingredients
Chicken: You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breast for this recipe. The quick cooking method means either one will stay juicy and get those great craggly, browned edges, but I personally love the richer flavor of thighs and will pick them every time.
Peanut butter: Use creamy peanut butter for the smoothest sauce.
Cornstarch and baking soda: This quick velveting step (more on that below) helps the chicken stay tender and gives it a light, crisp coating that the sauce can cling to.
Smoked paprika and cinnamon: Just enough to make the sauce warm and savory without taking over. I promise, it doesn’t taste like cinnamon! If you didn’t know better, you’d probably never guess the recipe called for it.
Sweet potato: Sweet potato is what makes the recipe feel so different from other peanut butter chicken stir fry recipes. Peel it and dice it small so it cooks quickly.
Onion, jalapeño, garlic, and ginger: These build the flavor base. Remove the jalapeño seeds for milder heat, or leave some in if you want more kick.
Tomato paste: Adds depth and gives the sauce that stew-inspired backbone.
Chicken broth: Helps thin the peanut butter and adds more flavor. If you don’t have any, you can use vegetable broth or, in a pinch, water.
Brown sugar: Just a touch balances the savory and spicy ingredients.
Worcestershire sauce: Just a splash adds so much depth.
Pro Tips
- Dice the sweet potato small so it cooks through quickly without burning. Speed up the process by putting a lid on the pan.
- When you add the chicken to the pan, let it sit there for a few minutes without touching it. I know it’s tempting to start stirring around, but letting it be is how you get those browned, slightly crisp edges. When it’s ready, it will release from the pan easily without sticking.
- Cook the tomato paste for a minute or two before adding the sauce. It deepens the flavor and keeps it from tasting flat.
- Once the sauce goes in, give it short pauses between stirring. Letting it sit for 30 to 60 seconds at a time helps it caramelize.
What Is Velveting Chicken?
You know how when you get a restaurant stir fry, the sauce clings to the meat instead of just sliding off like it usually does at home? That’s because restaurants use a technique called velveting. It’s probably one of the top 10 most useful things I learned about in culinary school.
To velvet chicken (or any other meat) you toss it with cornstarch, baking soda, and a little oil and let it sit for about 10 minutes before cooking it. This forms a super light coating that helps protect the chicken from drying out in the hot pan. The baking soda raises the PH of the chicken, preventing the proteins from tightening, which helps keep it tender and juicy. The cornstarch adds texture to the outside of the chicken that browns beautifully and grabs onto the sauce.
If your stir fries used to be fine but never quite restaurant quality, this is probably the step you were missing.
Frequently asked questions
Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 months. To reheat, add a splash of water to loosen the sauce, then microwave or heat in a covered skillet on medium heat until warmed though.
Yes. Leave some seeds in the jalapeño, add a second jalapeño, or finish with a few spashes of hot sauce. I love the fruity sweetness of habanero hto sauce with this one if you’re really looking to bring the heat!
This is great over rice or with flatbread, like pita or naan. I also like to add a few chopped peanuts for extra texture.
Other recipes you might like:
- Ginger-soy sheet pan salmon and asparagus
- Ginger Chicken Stir Fry
- Bo Loc Lac (Shaking Beef)
Peanut Butter Chicken Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 medium sweet potato diced
- 1 onion diced
- 1 jalapeño sliced, seeds removed for less heat
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅓ cup peanut butter
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- cooked rice cilantro, and chopped peanuts optional for serving
Instructions
- Velvet the chicken: In a bowl, toss the 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs with 1 tablespoon cornstarch ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon olive oil, salt and black pepper. Let sit for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the potatoes.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil and the 1 diced sweet potato. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potato starts to brown.
- Add 2 tablespoons water and cover for 3-5 minutes. Once mostly tender, transfer to a plate.
- Add the remaining oil to the pan. Add the chicken in a single layer and let it cook undisturbed for 2–3 minutes.
- Add 1 onion and 1 jalapeño and cook another 3–4 minutes until the vegetables softened and the chicken is browned with slightly crisp edges.
- Add the 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika and ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon. Cook for 1–2 minutes until the tomato paste darkens slightly.
- In a bowl or measuring cup, whisk together ⅓ cup peanut butter, ¾ cup chicken broth, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce. Pour into the pan and stir to coat the chicken.
- Return the sweet potatoes to the pan and simmer for 2–3 minutes until the sauce thickens.For the best texture, let the mixture sit undisturbed for 30–60 seconds at a time between stirring so the sauce caramelizes slightly onto the chicken. Serve over rice, topped with cilantro and peanuts, if deseired.
