These super saucy peanut noodles, inspired by the classic satay chicken, are a fabulous one-pot meal for any day of the week. Slippery noodles, a nutty, creamy coconutty sauce, lots of fresh herbs, and a sticky gochujang chicken topping make for a seriously tasty idea for the whole family.
A big warming bowl of saucy, luscious noodles is one of the greatest meals around, especially in the colder months. And these, inspired by the take-out favorite satay chicken, are pretty special. Part ramen, part noodle soup, part saucy noodle bowl, they take 30 minutes (max!) to make and largely use store cupboard staples.
I’m topping the noodles with lovely sticky gochujang ground chicken which adds extra protein to the recipe (but if you like, you can skip it and just make the peanut noodles or replace it with crumbled tofu). A big drizzle of chili oil, along with lots of fresh herbs take the bowls to another level.
These noodles use a similar formula to my quick spicy coconut noodles, which are more gochujang-heavy and even quicker to make!
If you love these satay-inspired flavors, I think you’ll also enjoy this satay crispy rice salad, charred peanut butter chicken, satay chicken flatbreads and one pot saucy satay chicken meatballs.
Ingredients
- Peanut butter. For the best flavor, I recommend using natural peanut butter here (so peanut butter that only lists peanuts and salt in the ingredients list). Ones with added sugar and oils will impact the flavor of the sauce, so just keep that in mind if you do use brands with those additions.
- Noodles. I’m using ramen noodles here, but you can use whatever you like. Udon, rice noodles or regular egg noodles are great. Just check the packet instructions so you know how long they need to cook in the sauce.
- Coconut milk. I like using coconut milk with a coconut extract percentage of 60% (or higher) for the best, creamy flavor. Sometimes you’ll find the coconut and liquid separates in your can – if this happens you can just mix them back together – or just add it separated to the pot as it’ll come back together as it warms up.
- Gochujang paste. This sweet, spicy Korean fermented chili paste is one of my most used ingredients. It’s super savory and rich and I highly recommend using it here if you can. You’ll find it in the Asian section of grocery stores, or you can pick it up from Amazon. If you can’t find it, use red curry paste, sriracha or sambal oelek.
- Fish sauce. I promise this won’t make the sauce taste fishy – it just adds a lovely, deep savory flavor you won’t get from salt alone. You can skip it if you like, or use an extra teaspoon of soy sauce.
- Ground chicken. I love this sticky gochujang chicken topping here and ground chicken works brilliantly with the noodles. It really mixes into the sauce. But, you can use chopped chicken thighs or breast pieces if you prefer. Or, use crumbled tofu or a plant-based ground meat alternative for a vegetarian version.
How to make it
Cook your sticky chicken topping in the pot first, then remove and set it aside until you’re ready to serve. Add the gochujang paste, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce and sweet chili jam to the same pot and cook for a couple of minutes before adding the peanut butter.
Then, add your stock and coconut milk and whisk until super smooth.
Leave the sauce to simmer for a few minutes, then add your noodles directly into the sauce and leave them to cook through. Divide them between your bowls, then add all your toppings and serve while hot and super saucy.
Watch how to make them
Got a question?
You can! They’ll keep for 3 to 4 days, stored in the fridge. Just note that the noodles will absorb a lot of liquid as they sit. So I prefer to reheat them on the stovetop, adding a little water (or stock) to loosen them up again. But you can microwave them too, just add a little liquid when you do.
You can really play around here, based on what you like and what you have on hand. You could add broccoli, frozen edamame beans, peas, green beans, pak choi or asparagus. If you don’t want to make the chicken, you can skip it, or use crumbled tofu.
Like this recipe? Try these easy one pot ideas next
One Pot Saucy Peanut Satay Noodles with Chicken
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
These super saucy peanut noodles, inspired by the classic satay chicken, are a fabulous one-pot meal for any day of the week. Slippery noodles, a nutty, creamy coconutty sauce, lots of fresh herbs, and a sticky gochujang chicken topping make for a seriously tasty idea for the whole family.
Ingredients
For the sticky gochujang chicken topping –
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1lb/500g ground chicken
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon gochujang paste
- 1 tablespoon honey
For the peanut butter noodles –
- 1 tablespoon gochujang paste
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sweet chili jam
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1” piece of ginger, grated (or use 1 teaspoon of ginger paste)
- 1/3 cup peanut butter
- 14oz/400g can of coconut milk
- 5 cups of chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
- 10oz/300g noodles of your choice (I’m using ramen)
- 1 head of broccoli, florets only
- 3 scallions, finely sliced
- A handful of cilantro (coriander), chopped
- A handful of Thai basil leaves (chopped)
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons chili oil
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Make the sticky gochujang chicken. Set a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Drizzle in 1 tablespoon of sesame oil then add your ground chicken, crushed garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of gochujang paste and 1 tablespoon of honey. Cook, stirring, until sticky, crispy and cooked through, roughly 7 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside for now.
- Cook the aromatics. To the same pot, over medium-high heat, add another 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, followed by 1 tablespoon of gochujang paste, 2 teaspoons of fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of sweet chili jam, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, the crushed garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes.
- Add the peanut butter, stock and coconut milk. Once the gochujang is looking a little deeper in color (and smelling glorious), add 1/3 cup of peanut butter. Stir it through the aromatics in the pot, then pour in the coconut milk and 5 cups of chicken stock. Use a whisk to mix the peanut butter gochujang base into the broth. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and leave for five minutes.
- Blanch the broccoli. While the broth simmers, add the broccoli florets to a large heat-proof bowl. Boil your kettle, then pour the boiling water over the broccoli. Leave for 2 minutes, then drain and set the broccoli aside.
- Add the noodles. After five minutes of simmering, add your noodles directly into your peanut butter sauce and cook according to packet instructions. Stir the noodles through the sauce so they don’t stick together and cook evenly.
- Garnish and serve. Once your noodles are cooked, divide them between serving bowls. Top with the sauce, then spoon the sticky gochujang chicken on top. Divide the blanched broccoli between bowls, then scatter with the sliced scallions, cilantro, Thai basil and sesame seeds. Finish with a good drizzle of the chili oil, and serve with lime wedges on the side.
Notes
PRO TIP: The noodles will absorb a lot of the liquid as they sit, so if it starts looking a little thick, just add a bit more stock or water to help loosen things up again.
INGREDIENT NOTES: I recommend using natural peanut butter in this recipe for the best balanced flavor – that means peanut butter that lists peanuts and salt as the only ingredients. You can use any noodles you like here, just check the packet instructions for the correct cooking time.
SUBSTITUTIONS: You can play around a lot with this recipe, based on what you have on hand. Swap the broccoli for tender stem broccoli, frozen edamame beans, peas, green beans, pak choi or asparagus. Swap the chili oil for ginger scallion oil if you don’t want the extra spice. Skip the ground chicken topping, or use crumbled tofu for a vegetarian version. Swap the gochujang paste for red curry paste, sambal oelek or sriracha.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: The noodles will keep for 3 to 4 days, stored in the fridge. Because the noodles absorb a lot of liquid as they sit, I prefer to reheat them on the stovetop, adding a little water (or stock) to loosen them up again. But you can microwave them too, just add a little liquid when you do.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: one pot
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 200g
- Calories: 963
- Sugar: 13.3g
- Sodium: 1764.7mg
- Fat: 52.4g
- Saturated Fat: 25.9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 23.2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 85g
- Fiber: 2.8g
- Protein: 49.5g
- Cholesterol: 116.5mg
I followed the recipe exactly and it is amazing
So warming! Swapped out chicken mince for pork and used udon instead of ramen. With a broth this good, its great that the other ingredients are flexible.
So tasty! Made a vegetarian version with quorn pieces instead of mince. Reduced the noodles and added capsicum, green beans, and mushrooms. Also only used three cups of stock rather than five for a slightly thicker soup. So good topped with a sprinkle of lime and sesame seeds. Will definitely be making it again! Yum!
Hi Alex 🙂 Ahhhh I’m so happy you enjoyed it! LOVE these additions too – I need to try them out, sounds amazing xx Kate
I made this with miso paste instead of gochujang paste and beansprouts as veggie.
It was delicious! 10yo and 13yo both loved it.
Hi Indri! I love the gochujang/miso swap, that sounds amazing. Bean sprouts would have been great too, so happy the kids enjoyed it xx