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This 30 Minute Thai Peanut Chicken Ramen is for those nights when you need a cozy, healthy dinner, and you need it fast. All made in the instant pot (or in one pot on the stove), using healthy, pantry staple, ingredients. It’s creamy, spicy, filled with veggies, lean chicken, and ramen noodles. Perfect for a cold night in, after a long busy day.
It’s official, I’ve entered full on cozy food mode and don’t see myself straying from it anytime soon. Currently all I can think about is slow cooked dishes, creamy soups, pastas, bowls of chili, homemade beer bread, and fall baking. It’s possibly the best thing ever and I’m loving it!
We had a cold front move in this week. Monday was dark and stormy almost all day. Our leaves are just passing their peak color, and it’s the perfect fall weather. Soaking up this time before the snow comes and the ground is covered in white…not ready for that.
I know I’ve been saying this very often lately, but this is the best time of year. Makes me so happy!
I’m also loving the fact that I am finally starting to get a good rhythm going on in the new studio. So far this week I’ve had three solid days of work. Feels really good to be back to my normal self, cooking, photographing, writing, etc, etc. Love a good busy day that feels productive, the best!
Anyway…
Moving onto this bowl of ramen which I am so excited to share with you guys. Every fall it’s become a tradition to make a new ramen recipe. This year it’s about this creamier Thai inspired peanut chicken ramen.
This is actually a recipe that I adapted from years and years ago, and I’m loving this new fresh take. Plus this version is easier and slightly healthier too. Cool. Cool. Always love easier and healthier without having to sacrifice flavor!
Here are the details.
I wanted this recipe to be EASY enough for weeknights, but also DELICIOUS. Lately I’m loving using both my instant pot and slow cooker. It was either cook this ramen quickly, or go low and slow with it. Since nothing in this recipe really needs a long and slow cook, I went with my instant pot (which I’ve truly been using every day).
SO, add all ingredients to the instant pot, set it to cook for ten minutes, walk away, pour some wine, make a cocktail, fold laundry, scroll the Gram, do whatever it is that you do. Then come back, shred the chicken, add the ramen noodles, cook five minutes, and dinner is done.
YES. It’s that simple, and I promise, it tastes great too!
As you can guess from the recipe title, this is not your average bowl of ramen.
I used some of my favorite Thai ingredients like Thai red curry paste, coconut milk, peanut butter, mushrooms, and bell peppers, to create a ramen that’s a mix of both Asian and Thai flavors. It’s definitely very different, but don’t worry, it’s delicious.
For the actual ramen noodles, I love using Brown Rice and Millet Ramen noodles (which you can find at Whole Foods and in many grocery stores). These taste just like real deal ramen noodles, but they are much healthier, gluten free, and vegan. Also, I recommend storing the soup and noodles separately, then adding the noodles just before serving. If you let the noodles sit in the soup, they will soak up all the broth and become very mushy.
This ramen is perfect for any night of the week whether it’s a crisp cool night, pouring rain, or a night where you just need a healthy dinner, and you need it fast.
It’s warm, creamy, peanutty and salty. My current favorite bowl of soup to cozy up with on the couch after spending all day testing recipes, emailing, and running around like a crazy person. I love autumn, but man, it’s always crazy busy! Thankful for easy dinners like this!
Watch the How To Video:
If you make this 30 minute Thai peanut chicken ramen, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
30 Minute Thai Peanut Chicken Ramen
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 578 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 can (14 ounce) coconut milk
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup Thai red curry paste
- 3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 red bell peppers, chopped
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
- 2-4 squares ramen noodles
- juice of 1 lime
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1/3 cup fresh basil or cilantro, roughly chopped, plus more for serving
- chopped peanuts and toasted sesame oil, for serving
Instructions
Instant Pot
- 1. In the bowl of the instant pot, combine the chicken broth, coconut milk, soy sauce, fish sauce, honey, peanut butter, and curry paste. Add the chicken, cremini mushrooms, red peppers, ginger, and garlic. Cover and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.2. Once done cooking, use the natural or quick release and release the steam. 3. Set the Instant pot to sauté. Shred the chicken, it should fall apart. Stir in the noodles, lime juice, spinach, and cilantro. Let sit 5 minutes or until the noodles are soft. 4. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with peanuts and toasted sesame oil. Enjoy!
Stove Top
- 1. In a large soup pot, combine the chicken broth, coconut milk, soy sauce, fish sauce, honey, peanut butter, and curry paste. Add the chicken, cremini mushrooms, red peppers, ginger, and garlic. Set over medium heat on the stove and bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily.2. Once done cooking, shred the chicken.3. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat. Stir in the noodles, lime juice, spinach, and cilantro. Let sit 5 minutes or until the noodles are soft.4. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with peanuts and toasted sesame oil. Enjoy!
Notes
*I recommend storing the soup and noodles separately, then adding the noodles just before serving. If you let the noodles sit in the soup, they will soak up all the broth and become very mushy.
This post was originally published on September 26, 2018
We made this last night and it was really delicious! Thanks for posting.
Thank you so much Lauren!
I made this ramen the other night and raved to all my coworkers about it. It came out OUTSTANDING. I did add 2 cups of water to it as I read the broth came out a little thick and I like soupier ramen broth. Also added a little extra soy sauce and added in about 2 tbsp of red chili paste to give it a kick. I baked my chicken breasts separately and shredded them and added them to the broth at the very end. Definitely will make this again. Super easy and made great leftovers!
Thank you so much Victoria! I am so glad you loved this!
This dish is fantastic. Comes together quickly and tastes like it was made in a restaurant. I modified it just a bit – added 1/4 cup sriracha and used rice noodles instead of ramen. Thanks so much for this recipe!!!
Thank you so much Garima! I am so glad you loved this recipe!
Hi! This looks so yummy! I was thinking of making this for my three year old. Is the red curry paste spicy?
HI! It is not too spicy, but I would reduce the curry paste to 1 tablespoon. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much and happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
I am so excited to try out this recipe! Wondering how spicy it is…I love Thai food but am a bit of a baby with spice/heat!
HI! It’s not too spicy, but I would adjust the amount of chili paste and use wha you feel comfortable using. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
I want to make a yummy homemade bread with this…any recommendations of what would go well? I’ve made your cheaters sourdough about a hundred times, so so so good.
HI!! I recommend my Naan with this recipe (recipe below). It is my FAVORITE!! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
https://fett-weg.today/homemade-naan-step-step-photos/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
I just love your blog, it is so well presented- beautiful and easy to follow. You have such a gift!
This is so sweet. Thank you so much Lauren!
I made this as is and it was amazing! My husband and I added chili garlic paste to our bowls for an extra kick! It was so good and so easy!!
Ooo yum! I am so glad you both enjoyed this Jaime! Thank you!
This may be a dumb newbie instant pot user question but any reason why you can’t half the recipe? I probably wouldn’t want to make 6 servings! Although I guess you said you could freeze it. Do the veggies, peppers, spinach really freeze well?
Thanks
Sarah
Hey Sarah! You can certainly halve the recipe. I would keep the same cooking times and use the same directions. And yes, this freezes really nicely. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
Those asking about spinach – I subbed for bok choy and it came great! I threw the stems in with the rest of the veggies and the leaves in with the noodles. It worked pretty well!
Thank you Caitlin! I am so glad this turned out so well for you!
This is amazing! I had my husband and his friend eat half of it and couldn’t stop talking about it. Next time I’ll add a bit more spice.
Thank you so much Gretchen! I am so glad you loved this recipe!
This soup was delicious and I was able to find the brand of ramen you linked at Target. However, I spent $7 just on the noodles and I was wondering if I could just sub spaghetti cooked separately next time.
HI! I am sure spaghetti will be delicious! Please let me know if you have any other questions. so glad you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
Ok this was amazing! BUT. The calorie count above says 243 calories for 1/6 of a pot and when I put the ingredients into a calorie counter it is MUCH higher than that. What are you using to calculate this?
Hey Bonnie, we use an online calculator. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
I made this last night, had it for leftover today, and a few things have really frustrated me:
– the prep time is wildly inaccurate. I’ve scrolled through the comments and see that multiple others have noted how off the prep time is, and how it took them much longer. I understand that you can’t be perfectly accurate to everyone’s skill level/kitchen layout — but when SO MANY people are telling you that the prep time is too short, that should be a signal for you to update the recipe. 5 minutes is ridiculous — I’d at least say ten but to be honest, for most people it would be 20 (and the comments have reflected this). strongly recommend you change the prep time
– i wish you have noted in the actual recipe that for meal prep purposes, the noodles should be cooked and stored separately. You have stated this in the comments, but it would have been helpful in the recipe. I cooked it all together as per the instructions, and today it’s a gross mushy mess. The broth is completely absorbed and it basically tastes like instant ramen. Such a shame after spending 1.5 hours cooking this last night, and only getting one good portion out of it. i’m tempted to just throw it all out now because it’s sooo noodle-y.
– i’d decrease the amount of ramen – 4 squares seems excessive and it overpowered the other wonderful flavours.
Most of these comments have been made by others as well, so I think you should incorporate them and update your recipe accordingly. these inaccuracies make me hesitant to try another one of your recipes.
Hey MJ,
I am sorry you have had trouble with this recipe. My prep time is 15 minutes and not 5 minutes. Maybe you misread? I think 15 minutes is a fair amount of time for prep. I am not seeing SO MANY comments stating that they had issues. Most readers have really enjoyed this recipe and not had issues. Also, did you happen to actually read my blog post? I noted within the post that you should not leave the noodles in the soup. They will soak up the all of the broth. I have now edited the recipe to include this note. I am sorry if that was not clear for you. Please feel free to use less ramen noodles. Thanks for all the feedback. Sorry you had trouble, but glad you felt the soup was flavorful. Pleas let me know if you have other questions. Thanks, Tieghan
Can this recipe be done in a crockpot? If so, how long do you think it should cook on low?
HI! Sure! I would cook for 5-6 hours on low. Add the noodles during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan