Chicken Stir Fry with Peanuts

5 from 1 vote

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This chicken and peanut stir-fry is packed with flavor and crunch and ready in under 30 minutes!

Chicken Stir Fry with Peanuts

This chicken stir-fry recipe — ready in less than half an hour — has so much flavor that it actually makes your eyes pop open a bit. And so few ingredients make it happen! The chicken is coated with a just-the-right-level-of-intense mixture of garlic, scallions, and hoisin sauce, and the nutty crunch from the peanuts is so fabulous. Seek out gluten-free hoisin sauce if you want a gluten-free dish.

Make sure to serve this with a bit old pile of rice to soak up the sweet and savory sauce. Or think about Vegetable Stir-Fried Rice if you want to go the extra mile. You could also pair this dish with Asian Bok Choy or Clean and Spicy Asian Greens to turn this into a Chinese restaurant-style dinner!

Chicken Stir Fry with Peanuts in a turquoise dish.

Chicken Stir-Fry wtih Peanuts: This easy weeknight stir fry (made in under 30 minutes!) is packed with flavor and crunch.

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Ingredients

  • Boneless, skinless chicken breastCut the chicken into 1 ½-inch cubes.
  • Cornstarch – Tossing the chicken in cornstarch before cooking it in high heat leads to chicken that is nicely crispy on the outside and deliciously juicy inside. The cornstarch also thickens the sauce.
  • Lightly salted peanuts – Peanuts provide a salty, nutty crunch to this dish.
  • Vegetable or canola oil
  • Scallions – These onion-adjacent alliums add a zesty, bright flavor. Optionally, You can toss additional sliced scallions atop this dish right before serving (I forgot to top the stir-fry with sliced scallions for the pic, but I think you should try not to make that same little mistake). Use both the greens and whites of the scallions.
  • Garlic cloves – Garlic is a must in most stir-fries.
  • Rice wine vinegar – This tangy vinegar is a mainstay in Asian cooking, lending acidity and complexity. Use unseasoned rice vinegar if possible.
  • Hoisin sauce – Made from fermented soybean paste, hoisin sauce is where this recipe gets much of its flavor.
  • Hot cooked rice to serve – Soak up all that flavorful sauce with some fluffy rice.
Chicken Stir Fry with Peanuts in a serving bowl.

Variations and Substitutions

  • For a bit of heat, consider adding red pepper flakes from your pantry when sautéing your garlic and scallions. You could also add either fresh or dried Sichuan chilies for a truly authentic Chinese flavor. For a simple, spicy addition, add Sriracha or your favorite hot sauce from your pantry.
  • If you don’t have hoisin sauce on hand, soy sauce mixed with oyster sauce is a good substitute.
  • If a peanut allergy is at hand, cashews might be a better option.
  • Make sure to use gluten-free hoisin sauce if you are looking for a gluten-free stir-fry.
Chicken Stir Fry with Peanuts over rice on blue and brown plate.

How to Make Chicken Stir Fry with Peanuts

  1. Prep the chicken: Cube the chicken. Toss it with the cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
  2. Toast the peanuts: Cook the peanuts in a pan, stirring them frequently, until nutty and golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.
  3. Cook the chicken: Sauté half of the chicken in oil until it is lightly browned all over, 3 to 4 minutes, but not cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and repeat with the rest of the chicken. Transfer the chicken to the plate with the first batch of chicken.
  4. Finish the stir fry: Sauté the scallions and garlic, then deglaze the pan with rice vinegar. Return the chicken to the pan, add the hoisin sauce, and stir until the chicken is cooked, about 2 minutes. Stir in the toasted peanuts and serve over the hot rice.
Chicken Stir Fry with Peanuts in a serving dish and on a plate over rice.

Make-Ahead and Storage

  • You can dice and chop all of the ingredients up to 2 days ahead of time.
  • Leftovers can be reheated in a pan over medium heat, stirring frequently, or in the microwave.

What to Serve With Chicken and Peanut Stir-Fry

Chicken Stir Fry with Peanuts with a fork on a plate.

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5 from 1 vote

Chicken Stir-Fry with Peanuts

This chicken and peanut stir-fry is packed with flavor and crunch and ready in under 30 minutes!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6 People

Ingredients 

  • 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast (cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes)
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • ½ cup lightly salted peanuts
  • 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable or canola oil (divided)
  • 6 scallions (white and green parts; trimmed and chopped)
  • 4 garlic cloves (minced)
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
  • Hot cooked rice (to serve)
  • Sliced scallions for garnish (optional)

Instructions 

  • In a medium bowl, toss together the chicken and the cornstarch until the chicken is well coated. Toss again with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
  • Heat a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium-high heat. Add the peanuts and toast them in the pan, stirring them frequently, until they smell nice and nutty and are golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer them to a small bowl.
  • Spray the same skillet with nonstick spray if you are not using a nonstick skillet. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in the skillet over high heat, and sauté half of the chicken until it is lightly browned all over, 3 to 4 minutes, but not cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and repeat with another tablespoon of oil and the rest of the chicken. Transfer the chicken to the plate with the first batch of chicken.
  • Return the pan to medium-high heat, add the remaining teaspoon of oil to the pan, and then add the scallions and garlic and saute for 2 minutes, until they start to become tender. Add the vinegar to the pan and stir to deglaze, scraping up any flavorful bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan, until the vinegar has pretty much evaporated, just 1 minute. Return the chicken to the pan, add the hoisin sauce, stir to coat well, and cook through, about 2 minutes. Stir in the toasted peanuts and serve over the hot rice.

Notes

  • Make sure and start the rice first because the stir-fry comes together very quickly once you start cooking.
  • You can dice and chop all of the ingredients up to 2 days ahead of time.
  • Leftovers can be reheated in a pan over medium heat, stirring frequently, or in the microwave.

Nutrition

Calories: 290.82kcal, Carbohydrates: 8.41g, Protein: 29.41g, Fat: 15.54g, Saturated Fat: 6.19g, Cholesterol: 71.68mg, Sodium: 239.93mg, Potassium: 569.18mg, Fiber: 1.66g, Sugar: 2.48g, Vitamin A: 119.64IU, Vitamin C: 2.88mg, Calcium: 32.66mg, Iron: 1.18mg
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About Katie Workman

Katie Workman is a cook, a writer, a mother of two, an activist in hunger issues, and an enthusiastic advocate for family meals, which is the inspiration behind her two beloved cookbooks, Dinner Solved! and The Mom 100 Cookbook.

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