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a grey plate of grilled peanut butter chicken topped with cilantro and lime wedges near bowls of peanut sauce and rice.
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Peanut Butter Chicken

Peanut butter chicken proves that the best thing you can do with peanut butter is not pairing it with jelly in a sandwich, but making it into a fragrant and flavorful Thai-inspired sauce. Add it to juicy grilled marinated chicken breast and dinner is ready—and amazing.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Fusion
Keyword: chicken with peanut butter sauce, peanut butter sauce for chicken
Servings: 4
Author: Sarah Cook

Equipment

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade

  • 1.5 lb chicken breast, boneless skinless
  • 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 4 cloves crushed garlic
  • 1 green onion, sliced

Peanut Butter Sauce

  • 1/4 cup unsweetened creamy peanut butter
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
  • 5 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 tbsp coconut milk
  • 2 tsp sesame oil

Instructions

Marinate the Chicken

  • Slice chicken breast into long, thin strips against the grain.
    1.5 lb chicken breast, boneless skinless
  • In a medium bowl combine soy sauce, olive oil, garlic, and sliced green onions.
    1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce, 1/4 cup olive oil, 4 cloves crushed garlic, 1 green onion, sliced
  • Add the chicken and marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 36 hours.

Make the Sauce

  • Combine the ingredients for the sauce, and whisk until smooth. If the sauce is a bit thick, drizzle in extra milk until it is just barely pourable. It will thicken as it sits.
    1/4 cup unsweetened creamy peanut butter, 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated, 5 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce, 2 tsp fresh lime juice, 1 tbsp honey, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 4 tbsp coconut milk, 2 tsp sesame oil
  • Set the sauce aside. For food safety, I recommend placing 1/4 of the sauce in a separate bowl for brushing on the chicken while it cooks.

Grill the Chicken

  • Heat a BBQ/grill to 450-475˚F.
  • Lightly brush the grates of the grill with olive oil.
  • Using tongs, place the chicken on the grill and let it sit for 4 minutes. Flip and cook for 4 minutes.
  • Brush some of the peanut butter sauce on the finished chicken and reduce the grill's temp to 350˚F.
  • Keep the chicken on the grill until the internal temp is 165˚F using an instant-read thermometer.
  • Remove the chicken from the grill and place on a plate. Loosely tent the plate with foil and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
  • Serve chicken with remaining peanut butter sauce on the side.

Notes

  1. Only use low-sodium soy sauce. Regular soy sauce will absolutely alter the flavor of the chicken and peanut sauce.
  2. The peanut butter sauce will thicken as it sits. You can always thin it with additional coconut milk, or a bit of water.
  3. You can add sauce to both sides of the chicken on the grill, but your grill will become very messy.
 
Stovetop Instructions
For the stovetop, I recommend cutting the chicken into bite-sized pieces instead of strips. It will cook more quickly and is less likely to dry out.
  1. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  2. Add ~2 tbsp of olive oil to the skillet.
  3. Add chicken pieces to the skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes on one side, flip and cook for another 4-5 minutes.