This Easy Peanut Butter Chicken (Quick Recipe) is a delicious dinner recipe for any day of the week. With only four ingredients and 30 minutes in the kitchen, you can create a wonderful dinner for the entire family. The recipe features chicken, onions, peanut butter, and canned tomatoes as the main ingredients.
You'll be amazed at how this flavorful combination of juicy chicken, onions, creamy peanut butter, and canned tomatoes come together to create a mouthwatering feast. Get ready to savor every bite of this dish!
This recipe is part of my Meat and Poultry Category, where you will find plenty of recipes to make for dinner, like this Tinga Poblana (Mexican Pork Tinga) Recipe, or this One-Pan Harissa Chicken Thighs with Potatoes and Lime. From one-pot meals to roasted chicken or pork, there is something for everyone.
Do you want to entertain? Check out this classic for Chicken Marbella.
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💝 Why you will love this Easy Peanut Butter Chicken recipe
- Easy and affordable: This recipe is both easy and affordable, suitable for cooks of all skill levels. It works with either raw or cooked chicken, using simple, common ingredients like butter, oil, onions, and canned tomatoes, making it a cost-effective way to prepare a tasty meal.
- Versatile and customizable: This recipe is adaptable and can be customized to your taste. Add chili flakes or hot sauce for a spicy kick, and pair it with sides like rice, noodles, or roasted vegetables for a complete, satisfying meal.
- Family-friendly meal: Peanut butter chicken is a dish that appeals to a wide range of palates, making it an excellent choice for family meals.
📝 Basic ingredients required
(For ingredient quantities, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this article.)
Chicken: The best part is that you can make this dish with either raw or already-cooked chicken. Let's talk about each one of the options:
- Raw chicken: I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts to show you how the recipe is made. However, you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs or drumsticks, or boneless chicken thighs.
- Cooked chicken: This version will take less time to make the stew, as the chicken is already cooked. Think rotisserie chicken, roasted chicken, or boiled.
Peanut butter: Use plain, natural peanut butter with no sugar added to it. I like natural creamy peanut butter. However, crunchy peanut butter is also acceptable. If you want more texture, throw a handful of chopped peanuts in the sauce for more texture.
Canned tomatoes: To make this peanut butter sauce, a ½ cup of canned diced tomatoes or tomato pure for this peanut butter sauce is all you need.
Onion: Use a large onion and dice it small.
Butter and oil: Butter and oil make everything better when you brown meats with it. You can also use vegetable oil. It is your personal preference.
Chicken stock or water: I prefer low-sodium chicken stock as I like to control the salt in the food, and sometimes, regular stock is very salty. Use regular water if you do not have any stock or broth in the house.
Optional spices: Cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, paprika, black pepper, or garlic powder are great options if you want to add spices to the dish.
Related: Chicken Stewed in Tomato Garlic and Cinnamon- Kota Kapama- a Greek dish made with chicken, tomato sauce, and cinnamon.
👩🍳 How to make this dish:
- Step One. Gather ingredients and prepare them. Cube the chicken and dice the onions. Set aside.
- Step two. Oil and butter. Using a large skillet, melt the butter and oil on medium heat.
- Step three. Cook the chicken and onions. Add the chicken and brown it for about 15 minutes until cooked. If you use chicken thighs or drumsticks, brown them on each side. While the chicken is cooking, add the diced onion to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper.
- Step four. Add the canned tomatoes and water or chicken broth.
When the meat is cooked, and the onions are soft, add diced tomatoes in tomato sauce and mix it with the remaining ingredients. Also, add water/chicken stock to make a sauce. Allow the chicken to simmer in that sauce for about 10 minutes.
Tip: You can also use tomato puree or tomato paste instead.
- Step five. Add peanut butter.
Now is the time to add some of this delicious peanut butter. Mix well to coat the chicken with the creamy peanut butter sauce.
Add more water to dissolve the peanut butter if the sauce is too thick. You want a smooth, creamy consistency for this sauce, but you do not want a soup.
Simmer the chicken in peanut butter sauce on low heat for about 5 minutes. Taste for salt and add if there is a need for it. At this point, you are ready to serve it. I mean, how easy was that?
🍽️ How to serve this dish
This recipe for peanut butter chicken is perfectly served in a small bowl over cooked plain, steamed rice for an easy and complete meal. Jasmine or brown rice are delicious options, but rice noodles don't sound bad either.
Sprinkle some diced green onions on top as garnish if you want to be fancier. Traditionally, this stew is served with couscous, fufu, quinoa, or even sweet potatoes.
You can add some cooked vegetables next to the rice and chicken. Steamed broccoli works very well. Use cauliflower rice if you want to keep it on the low-carb or keto-friendly side. It will definitely be a delicious meal.
❄️ How to store leftovers
Store the leftover chicken and peanut butter sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, defrost it in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat it in the microwave or the stovetop on medium-high heat.
🙋♀️ Recipe faqs
While I haven't personally tested this recipe with alternatives to peanut butter, you might consider trying almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter. Each of these substitutes should offer a unique flavor profile and consistency. However, I'm curious about the outcome and would love to hear your feedback if you try one of these alternatives. Your experience could be a valuable addition to this recipe!
Add chili flakes, cayenne pepper, or a splash of hot sauce while cooking to elevate the heat.
Related: Pantry Staples Checklist
More chicken recipes
Easy No Breaded Fried Chicken Thighs
Acorn Squash With Chicken & Fennel
10 Bone-In Chicken Breast Recipes
More recipes with rice
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📖 Recipe
Easy Peanut Butter Chicken (Quick Recipe)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 big chicken breasts cubed
- 1 large onion diced
- ½ cup diced tomatoes in tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 cup hot water or low-sodium chicken broth
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
If you make the recipe with raw chicken:
- Melt butter in the pan on medium heat and add the oil.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place it in the pan. Fry it on both sides until golden brown. You can also chop it if you prefer it this way.
- Add the chopped onion and saute it until soft and translucent.
- Add the diced tomatoes in the tomato sauce and water and simmer the chicken for about 10 minutes.
- Add the peanut butter to the pan. Mix well to coat the chicken.
- Bring to a boil, constantly stirring to make a sauce.
- Lower heat to a simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Taste for salt and pepper.
- Serve over cooked rice.
Notes
- Melt butter in the pan. Add the oil and the chopped onion and saute it until soft.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the pieces of cooked chicken.
- Stir the peanut butter into the pan.
- Add hot water and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Lower heat to a simmer for another 4-5 minutes.
- Taste for salt and pepper.
- Serve over cooked rice.
Nutrition
This recipe was republished with new images and updated text in November 2023.
Anonymous says
Mary H says
I made a spicy version tossing the chicken with Tabasco sauce before cooking and adding thyme and nutmeg to the sauce.
We call it African Chicken.
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maura says
Thanks! This was very easy and tasty and I also really appreciate how concise and too the point the instructions were!
Gigi says
I’ve made this recipe many times and it always turns out. It is so delicious that it is always hard to only have a little bit. I recommend it to everyone.
Gabriela says
Thank you, Gigi, for taking the time to leave a comment. This recipe is indeed very good!
Tammy Jo Canini says
I made this a couple of times my family loves it. I used rotisserie chicken instead of breast ans added green peppers .