These chicken satay noodles are the ultimate easy and delicious weeknight dinner. This quick stir fry is healthy, and comes together with a creamy, rich homemade peanut satay sauce in under 30 minutes! You won’t want to order takeaway when you realise just how easy this family favourite is to make at home.
These noodles have been a go to dairy-free dinner recipe in my house for years. We have a creamy, rich homemade satay sauce coating a big bowl of noodles with crunchy vegetables, and perfectly cooked chicken.
It’s so simple but so delicious you’ll be glad you made these instead of ordering takeaway!
With so many amazing flavours coming together to create a delicious, easy and healthy meal, these chicken satay noodles are exactly what weeknight cooking is all about.
How to make homemade peanut satay sauce
Chicken satay noodles is one of my favourite takeaway meals to order as I love the rich creamy sauce that is packed with flavour, coating the thick egg noodles. I have struggled to make a peanut satay sauce at home that rivals the complex flavours of my favourite restaurants, but after many attempts, I have found the perfect combination and ratio of ingredients.
Into a blender or food processor goes the following 7 ingredients combined with some water;
- peanut butter
- soy sauce
- honey
- sesame oil
- garlic
- sriracha chilli sauce
- lime
And out comes a creamy, tangy and just the right amount of spicy sauce that is perfect for so many uses.
I have a full post dedicated to this easy peanut sauce as well, that’s how much I love it so make sure to read through it for more in depth details.
I also use this sauce for my crispy tofu and zoodles with peanut sauce which are fantastic low carb and vegetarian option, as well as my tofu lettuce cups, and as a dipping sauce for my fresh spring rolls.
Key Ingredients
Once you’ve got your homemade peanut satay sauce, you can get started with the rest of the ingredients needed to make these easy chicken noodles. This is a customisable recipe as well so feel free to make substitutes based on what you have or like!
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Noodles – You can honestly use any you like but thin hokkien or any dried egg noodles work well. You can also use dried ramen noodles or rice noodles for a gluten free alternatives.
- Chicken – I do prefer the breast rather than the thigh as I think that cut tends to lend itself to longer cooking due to it being a bit more fatty, but really either would work.
- Vegetables – I used a combination of carrots, capsicum and beans, but you could also use broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, cabbage, baby corn, snow peas and anything else you like. This is a great opportunity to get those extra veggies in your diet, so use what’s left in your fridge, or load up on your favourite combo.
Step-By-Step Instructions
To make this recipe I recommend using a wok however if you don’t have one, a large frying pan with taller sides will work just fine. Just remember this recipe has a fair volume due to the noodles so you want to make sure your pan is big enough.
This meal takes about 30 minutes from beginning to end and the key to keeping it simple is preparation. Our order of operations is;
- Make the sauce
- Chop the veggies and chicken
- Cook the noodles
- Cook the chicken and vegetables
- Bring everything together
The sauce is simply prepared by adding all of the ingredients into a food processor or blender and mixing until well combined.
Next prepare the vegetables and chop them into bite-sized pieces and set aside in a bowl. Slice the chicken breast into small pieces.
Depending on what noodles you’re using, you’ll need to cook these according to the packet instructions.
While the noodles cook, you can begin frying the chicken in a hot wok until browned. Depending on the size of your wok, it might be easier to do this in 2-3 batches. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the wok and add in the vegetables, stir frying for another couple of minutes until soft.
Drain the noodles and add them back into the wok with the vegetables and the cooked chicken pieces. Pour over most of the peanut sauce, reserving a little to finish.
Mix everything together until well combined and the noodles are saucy. Serve the noodles with the extra peanut sauce drizzled over the top and a few extra peanuts and sesame seeds for garnish.
Variations
As I said, like any stir fry this recipe is super customisable. You can use it as a base and then change things up as you like. Here are just a few suggestions;
- Skip the noodles and serve the chicken satay and vegetables over brown or white rice.
- Change the protein and use sliced beef or pork instead of chicken.
- Make it vegetarian by swapping the chicken for cubed firm tofu. Cook the tofu according to the method from my peanut tofu and zoodles recipe.
- Swap the peanut sauce for any other store bought stir fry sauce to make this the perfect emergency meal for those extra busy nights.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! I made a big batch of these noodles for meal prep and they froze perfectly ready to reheat in the microwave for quick meals throughout the week. There was no loss of flavour in the sauce and there was no noticeable change to the texture of the noodles.
My only tip if you are planning this is to undercook the veggies as they will get softer as part of the microwaving process and make sure to add a little extra sauce to each container.
More easy weeknight dinner ideas:
Turmeric Fried Rice
Spicy Pork and Peanut Noodles
Easy Chicken Fried Rice
Mushroom Tagliatelle with Olive Oil and Garlic
Golden Turmeric Sweet Potato Soup
10 Minute Peanut Butter Noodles
Chicken Satay Noodles
Equipment
Ingredients
For the stirfry:
- 450 grams thin hokkien noodles
- 500 grams chicken breast
- 1 large carrot sliced
- 1 red capsicum sliced
- 1 cup green beans sliced
For the satay sauce:
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1-2 tablespoons sriracha
- juice of 1 lime
Instructions
- Place all sauce ingredients in a small blender and pulse until smooth and creamy.
- Cook noodles according to packet instructions. One done, drain and set aside.
- Slice chicken into small pieces. Heat a wok or large frying pan with a tablespoon of oil and cook chicken in batches so the pieces do not overlap, until chicken has started to brown as is cooked through.
- Wipe out wok with a paper towel, add a bit more oil and chopped vegetables and cook for about 3 minutes or until soft. Add in cooked chicken, drained noodles, and most of the satay sauce. Mix together until everything is coated with the sauce.
- Serve the noodles with extra lime and crushed peanuts if desired, and another little drizzle of the remaining sauce.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
This post was originally published on the 29th September 2019. It has been republished to include better instructions, more helpful information and new photos.
Florence Rowe says
How many does this serve? Thank you!
Sally says
Hi Florence, this recipe will serve 4. Thanks!
Erica says
This is absolutely delicious! I make it once every fortnight for myself and my fiancé and we just love it 😀
Sally says
So glad you love it Erica!
Sylvie says
I really need to try this homemade satay sauce asap, it looks so yummy and it’s such a great idea of easy dinner you could make when people come over!
Sally says
Exactly! Thanks Sylvie
Robyn says
This looks so delicious, will definitely be cooking it sometime very soon! Cannot wait!
Sally says
Thanks Robyn!