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[[ Chicken · Meat · Dinner · Stir-fry · Quick ]]

Thai Coconut Peanut Chicken Stir-Fry with Hokkien Noodles

A weeknight stir-fry with tender chicken, fresh hokkien noodles and plenty of vegetables in a creamy coconut peanut sauce. It has a gentle heat and a savoury, slightly sweet flavour with good depth from the fish sauce and lime. On the table in just over half an hour.

Time: 35 min
Effort: Medium
Steps: 9

7 of the steps have a timer you can start with one tap.

Pencil drawing of Thai Coconut Peanut Chicken Stir-Fry with Hokkien Noodles

Ingredients

4 to feed

750 g chicken breast
15 g cornflour
55 ml fish sauce
40 ml neutral oil
200 ml coconut cream
60 g peanut butter
25 g palm sugar
45 ml bottled lime juice
3 tsp chilli flakes
60 ml water
4 cloves garlic
1 whole orange capsicum
1 whole yellow capsicum
300 g broccoli
300 g bok choy
600 g fresh hokkien noodles
4 whole spring onions
15 g fresh coriander
30 g roasted peanuts

How it goes

PrepMarinate the chicken · Loosen the noodles · Make the sauce · Prep the vegetables
CookBloom the chilli · Sear the chicken · Stir-fry the vegetables · Bring it all together
FinishFinish and serve

Method

Marinate the chicken
Slice the 750g chicken thin across the grain, ~5mm thick, and pat dry with paper towel — dry meat sears, wet meat steams. Toss with 15g cornflour, 15ml fish sauce and 10ml oil until evenly coated and slightly tacky. Leave at room temperature while you prep everything else.
Loosen the noodles
Place 600g hokkien noodles in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Gently separate with tongs or chopsticks for 1–2 minutes, then drain well and toss with a small splash of oil to stop them clumping. Set aside.
Make the sauce
In a small saucepan over low heat, whisk together 200ml coconut cream, 60g peanut butter, 40ml fish sauce, 25g palm sugar, 1 tsp chilli flakes, 60ml water and 30ml bottled lime juice. Stir gently for 2–3 minutes until smooth and the sugar dissolves — don't let it boil. Set aside.
Prep the vegetables
Mince the 4 cloves garlic. Slice capsicums into 1cm strips. Cut broccoli into small even florets. Separate bok choy stems from leaves — cut stems into batons, keep leaves whole. Slice spring onions, keeping whites and greens separate. Line everything up by the stove before you start — a stir-fry moves too fast to chop mid-cook.
Bloom the chilli
Heat the wok over high heat until it just starts to smoke. Add 15ml oil, then immediately 2 tsp chilli flakes. Stir for 20–30 seconds until the oil turns red and fragrant — pull back the moment they darken.
Sear the chicken
Add the marinated chicken to the chilli oil in a single layer — work in two batches if it looks crowded. Leave undisturbed for 60 seconds to build a golden crust, then toss and stir-fry 2–3 minutes until just cooked through (≥75°C internal, no pink). Remove to a plate.
Stir-fry the vegetables
Add the remaining 15ml oil to the ripping-hot wok. Add broccoli and capsicum — spread out and leave 30 seconds before tossing. After 2 minutes add bok choy stems, spring onion whites and garlic and toss constantly for a final 1–2 minutes until crisp-tender with charred edges. A small splash of water off the side of the wok creates a burst of steam if the broccoli needs a little more time.
Bring it all together
Return the chicken and any resting juices to the wok. Add the loosened hokkien noodles. Pour in the coconut peanut sauce. Toss hard over high heat for 2 minutes until the sauce coats everything and is glossy. Loosen with a splash of water if it thickens too much.
Finish and serve
Kill the heat. Fold through the bok choy leaves, spring onion greens and most of the coriander, tossing just until wilted (~30 seconds off residual heat). Taste — add a squeeze of bottled lime juice for brightness, a few drops more fish sauce if it needs salt. Serve into bowls scattered with crushed peanuts and remaining coriander.