Thai Peanut Noodles
- By Amy Dong
- Published Aug. 3, 2021
- Updated Mar. 4, 2024
Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles are big on flavor, full of goodness, and can be served warm, cold, or room temperature. Easy and delicious for any weeknight dinner.
Thai Peanut Noodles with a Kick
Can I just take a moment to say I’m actually good with the sky being cloudy and cool today? It’s soooo not my nature to say something that outlandish; I’m a summer gal through and through. But we just emerged from a weeklong heat wave, with humidity nearly thick enough to steam up your eyeglasses.
I’m that girl that rarely turns on the air condition in the car or in the house, as I’d rather throw open the windows all the way and let the warm wind happen. All summer long, I’m outdoors every second possible. Except last week.
When it’s too hot to turn on the oven or even consider the grill, it’s time for cool recipes like Thai Peanut Noodles.
Easy Weeknight Meal
Whether it’s keeping the kids busy while they’re home all summer or it’s the hectic reorienting of fall schedules, one thing is certain: easy yet delicious dinners are appreciated.
The only cooking you’ll need to do is boil the noodles. All the other components (vegetables and peanut sauce) require only slicing and tossing.
How to Meal Prep This Dish
- The fresh vegetables, such as sweet bell peppers, zucchini, and green onions, can be sliced well in advance. Keep them chilled in an airtight container, up to 2 days. If you want maximum crispness in your dish, toss them with noodles just before serving.
- Shred rotisserie chicken up to 2 days in advance; keep chilled in an airtight container until ready to use.
- The peanut sauce can be made at least 2 days ahead of time. Just give it a good stir when ready to use.
- For ultimate weeknight ease, prepare entire dish the afternoon or night before you want to serve it. Keep chilled and give it a toss before serving.
Serve it Cold or at Room Temperature
If you like having your meals prepared ahead of time, you’ll love that this Thai peanut noodle dish can be made well before you have to serve it. Because it can be served chilled or at moderate room temperature, there’s no need to worry about timing dinner just right. This dish is superb for your lunchbox the next day as well.
Choose your spice level, pick your protein
This Asian noodle dish is full of fresh, crispy, colorful veggies. Keep it vegetarian, or add shredded chicken or sautéd shrimp for extra protein.
If you or your eaters enjoy a bit of kick, there’s no better choice than a dash (or three) of Sriracha to deliver a flavor punch.
As for the noodles, spaghetti or linguine noodles work great. Gluten-free noodles can also be used.
More to Cook and Eat:
- Lo Mein Noodles (Easy Meal Prep)
- Chicken Chow Mein: How to Stir Fry Noodles
- Soba Noodles with Shrimp and Lime Cilantro
- Thai Chicken and Rice (One Pan Meal Prep)
Watch and Cook: Teriyaki GRILLED CHICKEN
Did you make this?
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Thai Peanut Noodles
Ingredients
For the Noodles:
- 16 oz spaghetti, uncooked, or linguine noodles
- 2 TB Asian toasted sesame oil, found in Asian aisles
- 1 large red bell pepper, seeded, halved, and thinly sliced
- 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and sliced into thin strips 2 inches long
- 1 cup green onions, chopped
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
For the Peanut Sauce:
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ water, hot
- 2 TB Asian rice vinegar
- 3 TB regular soy sauce
- 2 TB pure honey
- 2 TB lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 TB fresh ginger, grated
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 TB Asian toasted sesame oil
- salted peanuts, (optional garnish), chopped, or toasted sesame seeds, chopped cilantro, Sriracha chili sauce
Instructions
- Cook: In a large heavy pot, cook noodles in well-salted boiling water, according to package instructions. Rinse with cold water thoroughly. Drain well. Transfer to a large bowl and sprinkle with 2 TB Asian sesame oil. Toss well and set aside.
- Sauce: While pasta is cooking, prepare peanut sauce: Combine all sauce ingredients and whisk together in a bowl until fully incorporated. Set aside Note: sauce can be made in advance.
- Toss: Toss sauce with cooled noodles until well coated. Add bell pepper, cucumber, green onions, and shredded chicken, tossing to combine well. Can be covered and chilled or kept at room temp until ready to serve. Garnish as desired when ready to serve.
Notes
- For the perfect noodle texture, cook the spaghetti or linguini noodles until they are just al dente. This will prevent them from becoming mushy when you add the peanut sauce.
- Rinsing the cooked noodles with cold water not only stops the cooking process but also removes excess starch, which helps to prevent the noodles from sticking together.
- Don’t skip the step of sprinkling the cooked and rinsed noodles with Asian toasted sesame oil. This will add a beautiful sheen to the noodles and prevent them from drying out.
- Feel free to customize your Thai Peanut Noodles by adding or omitting vegetables. You can also omit the chicken for a meatless version.
- Prepare the fresh vegetables and shred the rotisserie chicken in advance to save time. They can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days before using it.
- Making the peanut sauce in advance is a great time-saving tip. It can be prepared 1-2 days ahead and stored in the fridge. Just give it a good stir before using it.
- This Thai Peanut Noodles recipe is a great make-ahead dish. You can prepare the entire recipe the night before and store it in the fridge. Just give it a good toss before serving.