A good weekend prep session should make the rest of the week easier, not leave you eating the same dinner five nights in a row. Our Chicken Hunan Noodles & Peanut Sauce take a simple noodle salad foundation and turns it into a warm, satisfying dinner in about 30 minutes.
The trick is a little kitchen planning. A batch of Hunan sauce does double duty: half seasons the noodles and vegetables, while the other half becomes a rich, savoury peanut sauce. Add Crispy Panko Chicken prepared ahead, and dinner comes together with very little last-minute cooking.
Or add any protein you like: grilled tofu, quick shrimp sauté, the last of a pork tenderloin, or leftover steak all work here.
What You Need
Rapid-cook chow mein noodles provide the base, with Napa cabbage, red pepper, carrot, snow peas and hearty greens bringing colour, texture and freshness. The vegetables can be sliced during weekend prep and kept ready in the refrigerator.
The sauce combines soy, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, sesame oil and sunflower oil. Salty, sweet, tangy and aromatic, it gives the noodles plenty of flavour without requiring a long list of ingredients.
Peanut butter transforms the second portion into a creamy sauce that clings to the noodles and chicken. Crushed peanuts add crunch, cilantro brings freshness, dried chilies provide a little heat, and lime gives you that little hit of fresh acidity that really brings together a range of fresh, Asian flavour.
The Technique: Two Sauces, One Prep Session
The key is dividing the sauce before adding the peanut butter to one portion, and a light neutral oil (I used sunflower oil), to the other. The vinaigrette portion seasons the hot noodles and vegetables, while the other becomes the warm, creamy peanut sauce. One preparation gives you two distinct textures and jobs, without doubling your work.
Tossing the noodles while they’re hot helps them absorb the dressing. A brief rest lets the vegetables soften just enough while retaining some crunch. Meanwhile, gently warming the peanut sauce makes it easier to drizzle over the finished bowls.
Peanut butter can thicken quickly when heated, so keep the heat low and add warm water if needed. The goal is a smooth, pourable sauce rather than a heavy, sticky paste.
Make Weekend Prep Work Harder
This is where Crispy Chicken Schnitzel earns its place in the weekly rotation. Cook it ahead, refrigerate it properly, then slice and reheat it for dinner. The same prepared chicken can become a completely different meal when paired with fresh slaw, a burger bun or these saucy noodles, which can go warm or cold, as our Hunan Noodle Salad.
With the vegetables sliced and the sauce ready to go, the work on dinner night is mostly boiling noodles, warming the chicken and bringing everything together. That’s the point of prepping once: less chopping during the week, more variety on the plate.
Why I Love It
The best part is how easily the flavours and textures come together. Savoury noodles, crisp-tender vegetables, creamy peanut sauce and crunchy peanuts make a satisfying bowl, while the cilantro and chilies keep everything lively. It’s a practical way to turn a few prepared ingredients into a dinner that feels entirely different from the meal you started with.
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Chicken Hunan Noodles & Peanut Sauce
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
Description
Make dinner, fast. You can turn out Hunan noodles with chicken and creamy peanut sauce in 30 minutes, flat. A quick, flavour-packed dinner using weekend meal prep.
Ingredients
For the noodles
- 8 ounces (225 g) rapid-cook chow mein noodles
- 1 cup thinly sliced Napa cabbage
- 1 red pepper, thinly julienned
- 1 large carrot, thinly julienned
- 1 cup thinly sliced snow peas
- 2 Crispy Panko Chicken Breasts, sliced into strips, or an equivalent amount of cooked protein
For the Hunan noodle sauce
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 - 4 Red Thai chilies, or dried chilies - to taste
- 1/4 cup sunflower oil - after we divide the sauce
For the peanut sauce
- Half of the prepared Hunan noodle sauce
- 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
- 1/4 cup chicken stock, as needed to loosen the sauce
To Finish
- 1/4 cup crushed peanuts
- Green onions
- Fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
- Dried chilies, to taste
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Make the sauce. Whisk or blend together the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, chilies, sesame oil until the sugar dissolves. Pour off about half of the sauce into a small pot.
- Finish the vinaigrette. Once we divide the Hunan sauce base, whisk in your sunflower oil into your portion to dress the noodles.
- Cook the noodles. Prepare the chow mein noodles according to the package directions. Drain well, reserving a little hot cooking water if needed.
- Prepare the peanut sauce. While the noodles cook, finish your peanut sauce. Add both peanut butter and chicken stock to your pot with the other portion of the sauce. Over medium heat, whisk to combine, then immediately remove from the heat to cool and thicken slightly. We’re looking for a smooth, pourable consistency. Reserve, warm.
- Dress the noodles. While the noodles are still hot, toss them with the remaining plain sauce. Add the prepared cabbage, pepper, carrot, snow peas and greens. Cover for 2–3 minutes to let the residual heat soften the vegetables slightly and help the noodles absorb the sauce.
- Heat the chicken. Heat the chicken separately until hot throughout, then slice your Crispy Chicken into strips when ready to serve. Warm the peanut sauce gently in a saucepan over low heat, stirring regularly. Add a little water if it thickens too much, taking care not to simmer the peanut sauce aggressively or it will scorch.
- Plate and serve. Divide the dressed noodles and vegetables between four bowls. Arrange the warm chicken on top, spoon over the peanut sauce, and finish with crushed peanuts, green onions, cilantro, dried chilies and lime.
Notes
• Protein: Crispy Chicken Schnitzel is ideal when prepared ahead, but cooked chicken, tofu, prawns or leftover roast pork also work.
• Make-ahead prep: Slice the vegetables and prepare the Hunan sauce in advance. Refrigerate the prepared ingredients separately until needed.
• Sauce consistency: Peanut butter thickens as it cools. Warm water is the easiest way to bring the sauce back to a silky consistency.
• Heat level: I’m pretty spice oriented. Dried chilies let everyone adjust the heat to taste.
• Storage: Refrigerate leftover noodles and chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Toss with greens like we did in the Hunan Noodle Salad. Store extra peanut sauce separately when possible. Reheat thoroughly, loosening the sauce with a splash of water.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Boiling, Frying
- Cuisine: Asian
