Peanut Butter Pasta with Chicken
This is an easy recipe for getting a flavorful, homemade pasta dish on the table fast. A spicy peanut sauce inspired by Thai sate sauce gives spaghetti an Asian spin. Be sure to see the notes for vegetarian and gluten-free versions.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb whole wheat pasta or spaghetti* reserve ¼ cup of pasta cooking water
- 1 tsp kosher salt optional
- 1/4 cup creamy, natural peanut butter
- 2 tbsp honey**
- 1 1/2 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 1/2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark sesame oil also called toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp finely minced ginger
- 2 garlic cloves finely minced
- 3/4 tsp red-pepper flakes
- 12 oz cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin 1/2-inch-wide strips
- 1 medium cucumber peeled and seeded and julienned
- 1 red bell pepper halved and julienned
- 1 medium carrot peeled and julienned
- 1 tbsp and 1 teaspoon chopped peanuts unsalted (optional)
- 2 scallions chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt.
- Add the whole wheat pasta and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Drain pasta and reserve ¼ cup cooking water.
- Briefly rinse pasta under warm running water. Set aside.
- In medium bowl whisk peanut butter, reserved pasta cooking water, vinegar, honey, soy sauce, sesame seed oil, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes until smooth and creamy.
- Pour over warm pasta and toss the pasta with chicken, cucumber, red bell pepper.
- Sprinkle each serving with scallions and 1 tsp. chopped peanuts.
- Serve warm or cold.
Notes
*If you want to make a gluten-free pasta, use brown rice or quinoa spaghetti. Be sure to check that your soy sauce is gluten-free.
**If you want to make a vegan pasta, omit the chicken and use brown rice syrup in place of honey.