This is a delicious, nutritious dish that I make frequently for King-Man and myself. Or, perhaps I should say, "The King and I." (Sorry I can't help using that corny line every now and then. Forgive me. At least you can't hear me breaking into songs from the musical. Be thankful.)

This recipe is a great use for leftover pasta. Although it would be more authentic with rice noodles, I prefer to use whole wheat spaghetti or linguini for the added whole grain nutrition and taste. This recipe includes chicken but is also good with shrimp. Or, leave out the meat for a great side dish or vegetarian meal. 

This recipe is loaded with good-for-you ingredients. It's high in protein, vitamins A, B6, & C, niacin, selenium, and fiber. You can modify the recipe to use whatever fresh veggies you have on hand. 

Nutritional Information (per serving--1/6 of recipe): 387 calories, 23.4g fat, 576mg sodium, 23.6g carbs, 5.2g fiber, 7.5g sugars, 24.8g protein; Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 10

• Lower carb option.  Reduce the amount of noodles and increase the amount of veggies. Or, swap out some or all of the noodles with zucchini noodles made with a spiral cutter.
• Vegetarian option.  Omit the chicken and substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth. 
• Gluten free option.  Substitute rice noodles for whole wheat pasta and use gluten-free tamara sauce in place of soy sauce.

Step-by-step photos for making

Asian Peanut Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables

Step 1. Assemble the ingredients:

• pasta (I use whole wheat linguini)
• chicken breasts
• canola or peanut oil
• low sodium chicken broth 
• low sodium soy sauce or tamari sauce
• veggies -- a combination of 6 or so veggies of your choice. My favorite combo: green onions, carrots, snow peas, mushrooms, baby bok choy, & red pepper. I've also substituted asparagus, green beans or broccoli, if I happen to have those in my fridge

• peanut sauce-- You can purchase ready-made peanut sauce in the Asian aisle of a grocery store, but it's easy and so much tastier if you make your own. My peanut sauce recipe is made with coconut milk and is eat-it-with-a spoon delicious. Here's the link:  

Asian Peanut Sauce

Step 2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Undercook it slightly--this will keep it from getting over cooked when it is added to the rest of the recipe and reheated.

view on Amazon: 12-quart pasta pot & steamer, pronged pasta server, whole grain linguini

Step 3. Chop the vegetables. You can do this while the pasta is cooking. You need approx. 6 cups of chopped veggies. I like to use a diagonal cut on the carrots and green onions. Remove strings from the snow peas.

view on Amazon: 7-Inch Santoku knife (my go-to for chopping veggies)

Step 4. Cut the chicken into thin, bite-size strips. The chicken will be more tender if you cut across the grain. 

• TIP: Slightly frozen chicken breasts are easier to cut. If yours are thawed, place them in a single layer on a plate or tray (not piled) and freeze them for 30-60 minutes. This will firm them up enough to make for easier cutting. Bring them to room temperature before cooking.

Step 5. Now it's time to stir fry in batches over medium-high heat. Drizzle a little oil in a large skillet (mine is 12", 5 quart) or wok and add the chicken. Cook for 2-3 minutes, turn it over and cook another minute or 2 min. until it's no longer pink. This cooks quickly. Remove chicken from pan and set it aside on a plate.

view on Amazon: 12" stainless steel skillet (my preference), 12" non-stick skillet (easy & economical); both have glass lids

Stir fry the veggies in batches so you don't overload the skillet. Be careful not to over cook them. Cook veggies together that you think will require about the same amount of cook time. That way none is either over- or under-cooked. Here's a recommended order, if your using the same assortment of veggies as me. 

Step 6.   Started with the mushrooms, stir and cook them until just done, and remove them from the pan. Pile them on top of the chicken that's resting on a plate.

Step 7. Next add the snow peas and carrots. Cooked until crisp tender and remove from pan.

view on Amazon:  locking stainless steel tongs

If your pan dries out, you can add a little more oil with any of these steps. I needed to add a little here.

Step 8. Next add the baby bok choy, red pepper strips, and green onions. These all cook very quickly and are best if they're still crisp when removed from pan.

Now the chicken and veggies are cooked.

Step 9. Pour chicken broth (or water) in the pan and stir with a whisk to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

view on Amazon: wire whisk

Step 10. Add the peanut sauce and whisk it in. If needed, add more peanut sauce or chicken broth to achieve a gravy-like consistency.

Step 11. Add the chicken and veggies back in and stir so that everything gets coated with the peanut sauce.

Step 12. Add the cooked pasta and use a large fork or tongs to gently mix it in. Cook just until everything is reheated.

Finished!

Serve it up and garnish with chopped peanuts and cilantro, if desired. I like to garnish mine with some red pepper flakes, too--just to add some more spice and heat.  I serve this dish in individual pasta bowls.

Enjoy!

Make it a Yummy day!

Monica

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Asian Peanut Noodles with Chicken & Vegetables

By Monica              Servings: Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. (8 oz) whole wheat spaghetti or linguini, cooked
• 2-3 chicken breasts, thinly sliced across the grain into bite-sized pieces (shrimp is good, too)
• 6-7 cups (approx.) cut veggies of your choice (I like 1 c. carrots, 1-1/2 c. snow peas, 2 c. mushrooms, 3/4 c. red pepper, 1 c. baby bok choy, 3/4 c. green onions)
• 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 c. (or more) chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
• 3/4 to 1 c. peanut sauce* (view that recipe online at www.TheYummyLife.com/recipes/16)
• For garnish:
• Unsalted, roasted peanuts, chopped
• Cilantro, chopped
• Crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

In large skillet or wok, stir fry chicken in 1-2 T. oil.  Remove from pan.
Stir fry veggies in batches in same skillet (add more oil, if necessary).  Remove from pan after each batch. For example, stir fry mushrooms & remove from pan; stir fry carrots and snow peas & remove from pan; stir fry red pepper, baby bok choy, green onions & remove from pan. Add chicken broth (or water) and soy sauce to skillet and stir to remove brown bits from bottom of pan.  Add peanut sauce and whisk together.  Add more chicken broth or peanut sauce, if necessary, to achieve a gravy consistency.  Add cooked spaghetti, chicken and veggies; toss with tongs.  Heat through. Add more soy sauce to taste (if not salty enough).

If desired, garnish with chopped peanuts and cilantro; add crushed red pepper flakes for more heat.

*You may need to adjust the amount of peanut sauce depending on the volume of veggies that are used. Start by adding 3/4 cup of peanut sauce; add more to taste as needed.

Nutritional Information (per serving--1/6 of recipe): 387 calories, 23.4g fat, 576mg sodium, 23.6g carbs, 5.2g fiber, 7.5g sugars, 24.8g protein; Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 10

--Lower carb option.  Reduce the amount of noodles and increase the amount of veggies. Or, swap out some or all of the noodles with zucchini noodles made with a spiral cutter.
--Vegetarian option.  Omit the chicken and substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth.
--Gluten free option.  Substitute rice noodles for whole wheat pasta and use gluten-free tamara sauce in place of soy sauce.

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This post was updated 10/26/14.