This Chinese Peanut Butter Chicken tastes just like the ones from the Chinese buffet. The chicken is crispy and juicy and the peanut butter sauce is to die for. This is the first post on my blog, and I wanted it to be special, so I am sharing one of my favorite recipes. I actually learned it from my dad because he also really likes this dish.
Growing up, I remember going to the Chinese buffets with my parents and always getting a plate of the peanut butter chicken. The sauce was always my favorite part. It was peanut buttery, creamy, and just a little bit sweet. I always licked my plate clean because the sauce was so good.
The chicken is very similar to the type of cutlets you get at Japanese restaurants. It is very crispy and textured on the outside. The chicken is dredged in egg wash, coated in breadcrumbs, and then deep-fried in hot oil until super crispy.
The peanut butter sauce
The peanut butter sauce is made with peanut butter, sweetened condensed milk, soy sauce, and water.
Peanut butter: You want to use "processed" peanut butter instead of "natural" peanut butter where the oil separates. This makes the sauce much creamier and it is cheaper too. I am using the Jif brand of creamy peanut butter.
Sweetened Condensed Milk: This is a canned milk product you can buy from grocery stores. It is thick and VERY sweet. It is honestly the key ingredient that makes the sauce taste delicious so don't try to skip it. I have tried using just sugar but it does not taste nearly as good.
Water: The water helps thin out the sauce and also makes it creamy because it forms an emulsion with the oil in the peanut butter. When you mix it in, you will notice the peanut butter get paler and more creamy-looking.
How to make the chicken
This recipe calls for boneless chicken thighs. You will want to flatten the chicken using a meat mallet (or rolling pin) so that it is an even thickness and cooks evenly.
I decided to bread the chicken using an egg wash and breadcrumb combo. The egg wash is made with flour, salt, eggs, and peanut butter. It should be about the same consistency as a pancake batter so that the breadcrumbs stick to the chicken.
Once the chicken is breaded, all you need to do is deep-fry it. I am deep-frying at 350°F in a Dutch oven. It is my favorite vessel for deep-frying because it retains heat very well, so there are less temperature fluctuations. It took me about 2 minutes of cooking per side. Your cooking time may differ depending on how thick your chicken is.
Note on the breadcrumbs
For the breadcrumbs, I am using Panko breadcrumbs. If you are not familiar, this is a Japanese style of breadcrumb. The breadcrumbs are larger and flakier than regular breadcrumbs. They give the chicken an amazing texture, but you can use regular breadcrumbs if that is all you have.
Chinese Peanut Butter Chicken (Buffet Style)
Ingredients
- ½ cup peanut butter (plus 1 tablespoon for the egg wash)
- ¼ cup sweetened condensed milk
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 pound boneless chicken thighs
- 3 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter, sweetened condensed milk, soy sauce, and water. It will be hard to mix at first but should get more creamy as you go. If your sauce is pasty and not creamy, just mix in a tablespoon of water at a time until it becomes creamy.
- Use a meat mallet to flatten the chicken thighs to about ½-inch thickness.
- In a shallow dish, whisk the eggs, flour, salt, and 1 tablespoon of peanut butter. It should look like a smooth pancake batter. Add extra flour or water as needed.
- In another shallow dish, add the panko breadcrumbs.
- To dredge the chicken, dip it in the egg wash, then coat it in the breadcrumbs.
- Heat about 1 inch of oil to 350°F. Fry the chicken 1 or 2 pieces at a time for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to drain excess oil.
- Cut the chicken into slices and drizzle the peanut sauce top.
Junior
Can't wait to try! This looks great, I'll update once we make it but 4 starts just for simplicity and this looks like what I'm looking for!
Grumpy
Thanks! Do let me know how it goes 🙂
Madz
I’m from small town EastTx & the Chinese buffet that closed a few years back had the best “peanut butter” chicken ever. I now live in Hawaii, and I’ve been craving it. I took to google to even see if it was possible to recreate what they had served. I came across this recipe & the picture looked exactly like their entree. I gave it a shot, it is exactly like theirs! I was taken aback by it. It was so dang yummy, and perfect & now this has become a weekly meal for my family. Thanks so much! 10/10 stars!
Grumpy
Thank you so much for the comment and making my day! Im so glad you loved it 🙂
Robin
Absolutely love this recipe. The closest I've found to the peanut butter chicken I've gotten at the buffet.
Christina Howart
I made this tonight and it was amazing! I used breasts because I had no thighs and it still turned out great. Will be making this regularly.
Grumpy
Hi Christina, so glad you liked it! And yes, breasts would work well here too! 🙂
Elizabeth
I made it as written, the only suggestion I have is to double or triple the sauce because I can put that on anything.
Grumpy
Thanks, Elizabeth! I agree this sauce would go well on just about anything 🙂
Karen L Knusta
Elizabeth, you are correct, double the pb sauce. It's delicious!
Leslie
It was very tasty but I did something wrong. My sauce was more like a paste.
Grumpy
Hi Leslie, sorry to hear that about your sauce! If that happens again, you just need to add more water until it becomes creamy and no longer pasty. When water first gets mixed with peanut butter, it seizes up. But if you add enough water, it will loosen up and get creamy.
G Bruce
Been searching for a recipe like this. A1!! So delicious and whole family really enjoyed this!! Will make it often
Grumpy
Excellent Bruce, enjoy!
Lettie
Made this tonight- OMG! It was amazing! Made white rice and used some peanut sauce on it. Turned out wonderful! Thank you so much.
Grumpy
Awesome Lettie, so glad you liked it!
Karen
Thank you! This is a great recipe, as close as I've found to the China buffet! Your tips were helpful: the egg and flour before panko and the condensed milk in the sauce. Condensed milk makes everything better 🙂 I too, could eat the sauce on anything!
Grumpy
Thanks, Karen! I actually just made the sauce a few days ago to eat with crackers- it's so good with everything!
Lisa
Can I substitute the Sweetened condensed milk for regular milk ? Trying to cut calories.
Grumpy
You probably could. I'd recommend adding a sugar-free sweetener in that case. This dish isn't the same without the sweetness
Kayla
I have tried 20 or more recipes for peanut chicken like my local buffet serves. Always a fail. THIS is the recipe!!! So easy and absolutely perfect. Next time I will thin out the sauce a bit and pop in the oven for a few minutes.
Becky
Our favorite Chinese buffet closed due to Covid. There are no others that had this or came even close. You nailed it. I knew it was awesome when I tasted the sauce. I didn't have any chicken, but I did have some good frozen chicken nuggets and it was heaven on a fork. The buffet used breast meat, but I'm going to try it with thighs. This stuff would be yummy on waffles. Thanks so much for sharing!
Grumpy
Thanks for the awesome review, becky! Funny, I just had this with frozen chicken strips that I air-fried the other day 🙂
Jack Diamond
Great recipe. I did fix a healthier version of the recipe. I used coconut cream instead of evaporated milk. It has the same consistency and instead of deep frying the chicken. I air fried it. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe
Ali
Second time making this and my family just loves the recipe!
Julius
Thank you! This is the recipe I have been looking for.
I've tried another recipe years ago but it didn't turn out well.
Yours definitely felt like my fave Chinese buffet hicken dish.
Crissty
Hiyah Grumpy!
I so happened to make this, and this, my friend, is by far the best recipe I happened to come across. It was delicious and my family snapped it right up! Thank you for your time and dedication to share your wonderful recipes and passion with us!
Crissty M.
Grumpy
Thanks Crissty, so glad your family enjoyed it!
Grumpy
Crissty, thank you for the great comment!. So glad everyone liked it!
Orion
Came out absolutely perfect, been looking for a recipe for a while