In this flavorful and healthy Instant Pot Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken recipe, plain spaghetti is elevated to the next level with a homemade vibrant Thai peanut sauce. This Thai Noodles in Peanut Sauce recipe can be made vegetarian by omitting the chicken and substituting fish sauce with soy sauce.
This Healthy Instant Pot Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken recipe is my take on a Thai restaurant favorite. Rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, and chili garlic sauce gives the Thai peanut sauce its delicious tangy, sweet, spicy flavor.
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Tips and Substitutions
The Thai peanut sauce has a bold tangy flavor that my family loves. If you’re not a big fan of tangy flavors, I would suggest that you add half the quantity of lime juice before cooking and add more at the end, to taste.
To make this dish vegetarian, you can omit the chicken and add some extra veggies. Substitute fish sauce with soy sauce. No other changes are needed to the recipe.
Rice wine vinegar is also called rice vinegar.
For the fish sauce, I like the quality of Red Boat fish sauce. You can find it at Asian grocery stores. But it is more expensive than other fish sauce brands. Tiparos is another brand of fish sauce I’ve used – it’s more affordably priced.
There’s no substitute for fish sauce. It adds that depth of flavor, the umami, to the dish. But if you’re vegetarian, I’ve had readers recommend the Fysh brand of sauce. I have not tried it. You may need to add a little extra.
The spaghetti I use for this recipe is Barilla Spaghetti No. 5 which is a medium thickness. Its stovetop cook time is 9 minutes. If the cook time listed on your package is different, you may need to change the pressure cook time.
Spaghetti tends to clump together when cooked in the Instant Pot. You can reduce the clumping drastically by spreading out and layering the dry spaghetti in a criss-cross pattern. If there are still clumps when pressure cooking is completed, stir the spaghetti and separate the clumps using a fork.
You may find that there’s extra liquid when you open the Instant Pot. Just allow the Instant Pot Thai Peanut noodles to rest for a few minutes and they should thicken up nicely.
I like to use the Huy Fong brand of chili garlic sauce. It has a tangy, garlicky flavor that I love. You could substitute sriracha sauce or sambal oelek, but they don’t have the same garlic flavor so you may need to add some garlic.
I occasionally add chopped peanuts as a crunchy topping.
If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, please read the Instant Pot DUO Beginner’s Quick Start Guide or the Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Quick Start Guide first and then come back here to learn how to make this Instant Pot Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken.
Instant Pot Thai Peanut Noodles Recipe Ingredients
How to Make Instant Pot Thai Peanut Noodles Recipe (Step-by-Step Instructions)
- In a medium bowl, combine rice vinegar, chili garlic sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, and peanut butter.
- Stir with a whisk until well blended.
- Instant Pot DUO: Select the ‘Saute’ function.
- Instant Pot ULTRA: Select the ‘Saute’ function and press ‘Start’.
- Once the Instant Pot has pre-heated, add oil to the inner pot and allow it to heat up.
- Add bell peppers and carrots or any vegetables of your choosing.
- Saute for a couple of minutes, until tender-crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside
- Saute ginger, green onions (white parts only), and chicken until chicken is no longer pink, about a minute. *
- Press ‘Cancel’ to turn Instant Pot off.
- Deglaze with a couple of tablespoons of broth if there’s anything stuck to the bottom.
- Stir in remaining broth and reserved peanut sauce.
* If the Instant Pot becomes too hot and the ingredients are burning, turn it off to cool it down and turn back on once cooled. Add a tablespoon of broth to deglaze the inner pot if you find that the ingredients are browning too quickly.
- Add one-third of spaghetti into the inner pot, spreading it out vertically.
- Add the next one-third of spaghetti, spreading it horizontally.
- Add the final layer, spreading out vertically.
- Using a spatula, push down on spaghetti until submerged in the liquid.
Instant Pot DUO Pressure Cook:
- Close the lid and make sure steam release handle is in ‘Sealing’ position
- Press ‘Manual’ (or ‘Pressure Cook’) and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until the display reads ‘6′ (6 minutes).
Instant Pot ULTRA Pressure Cook:
- Close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust time to 6 minutes (00:06).
- Press ‘Start’.
- Instant Pot display will change to ‘On’.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down from 6 to 0; it will then switch to ‘Keep Warm’ mode and display ‘L0:00’ or ’00 00′ and begin to count up.
Instant Pot DUO 2 Minute Natural Pressure Release:
- Once pressure cooking is complete, wait for 2 minutes and release pressure.
- Move the steam release handle to ‘Venting’. I like to place a folded towel over the steam release handle and move it to the venting position. Remove the towel after turning the knob.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press ‘Cancel’ and open the Instant Pot.
Instant Pot ULTRA 2 Minute Natural Pressure Release:
- Once pressure cooking is complete, wait for 2 minutes and release pressure.
- Press down on the Steam Release Button until it locks into place, and steam begins to come out of the Steam Release Valve.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press ‘Cancel’ and open the Instant Pot.
- Stir the Instant Pot Thai peanut noodles and if there are any strands of spaghetti stuck together, use a fork to separate the strands.
- Add back the reserved sauteed vegetables, cilantro and green onion stalks.
- Stir to combine.
- If you find the noodles to be too liquidy, allow them to rest for 3 to 5 minutes, and they will absorb the extra liquid.
Instant Pot Thai Peanut Noodles
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp chili garlic sauce
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp fish sauce
- 1/4 cup peanut butter (creamy)
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup bell peppers julienned
- 1/2 cup carrots julienned
- 1 Tbsp ginger minced
- 4 green onions sliced (white and green parts separated)
- 2 1/4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup boneless skinless chicken (approximately 8 oz.) cut into strips
- 8 oz. dry spaghetti
- 2 Tbsp cilantro finely chopped
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine rice wine vinegar, chili garlic sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, fish sauce, and peanut butter.
- Stir with a whisk until well blended and set aside.
- Select the ‘Saute’ function and pre-heat the Instant Pot.
- Add oil to the inner pot and saute the bell peppers and carrots until tender-crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Saute ginger, green onions (white parts only), and chicken until chicken is no longer pink, about a minute. Add more oil as needed.
- Press ‘Cancel’ to turn Instant Pot off.
- Deglaze with a couple of tablespoons of broth and scrape any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the inner pot.
- Stir in remaining broth and the reserved peanut sauce.
- Divide spaghetti into three batches. Add spaghetti to the inner pot in a criss-cross pattern: add one-third of spaghetti into the broth, spreading it out vertically. Add the next one-third of spaghetti, spreading out horizontally. Add the final layer, spreading out vertically. (see blog post for step by step photos).
- Using a spatula, push down on spaghetti until submerged in the broth.
- Close the lid and pressure cook for 6 minutes.
- Do a 2 minute natural pressure release (NPR 2).
- Press 'Cancel', open the lid and stir the noodles. If there are any strands of noodles stuck together, use a fork to separate the strands.
- Add in the reserved sauteed vegetables, cilantro, and green onion stalks.
- Stir to combine. *
Notes
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. minced garlic, cut vegetables, etc.
- * If you find the noodles to be too liquidy, allow them to rest for 3 to 5 minutes, and they will absorb the extra liquid.
- See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips.
Nutrition
I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
If you loved this recipe, please give it a 5 Star rating in the comment section below and please share it on social media using the social media share buttons at the top and bottom of this post. Thank you so much!
You might also like to try these Instant Pot Recipes:
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| Instant Pot Thai Grilled Chicken | Instant Pot Thai Red Curry | Instant Pot Panang Curry |
Susan
If I double the recipe, do the cooking times (pressure time) remain the same?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Susan, yes you would leave the cooking time the same. Enjoy!
Johanna
My husband and I made this tonight and it was terrific. Followed the recipe to a T and it turned out wonderful (I may have added a little more chili sauce because I like things spicy). I doubled the recipe so we can eat it all week! I will definitely make again!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Johanna, I don’t think I’ve doubled the recipe before, so thanks for sharing that 🙂 Glad to hear you both liked it!
Jen
We loved this! Doubled the recipe for my big eaters – it fit just fine in my 6 qt Instant Pot and we had plenty for my three teenagers. Because I added extra chicken, I sauteed it in another pan since the IP doesn’t have much surface area, then added the cooked chicken to the Instant Pot and proceeded as the recipe called for. Will definitely make this again.
Jen
Oh! And I used boneless chicken thighs because that is our preference and what i had on hand. No changes needed!
Geno
This is the 1st recipe I made from this site. Delicious, full of flavor and super easy to make. I doubled the recipe and it fed 6 (3 kids, 3 adults… and we’re not huge eaters). This is better than what you’ll get in a restaurant AND you can add more of your own personal favorite veggies to it. This recipe will be a regular for my family.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks Geno! I’m really happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe – I love how easy it is too 🙂
Veronica McMahon
I have made this four times in the last month! It is now one of my favorite meals to make. I use my 8 Qt Instant Pot. I double the recipe, except triple the sauce, as I love lots of sauce. This way, you use the whole package of noodles and broth.
Paint the Kitchen Red
What a great comment, Veronica! Thank you for taking the time. I’m glad you like the recipe and thanks for sharing your modifications.
Miranda
This my first recipe in my new instant pot and it came out great! I was craving Thai and looking for something with a spicy peanut sauce and plenty of veggies. I ended up making a lot of substitutions because I did not have all of the ingredients in my home but still turned out perfect.
I ended up using crunchy peanut butter because it was all I had and i thought it added a very nice texture!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Miranda, I’m so glad you liked the recipe. I can see how crunch peanut butter would work because some Thai noodle dishes do have chopped peanuts.
Lisa
Could I make this with whole Wheat noodles?
Paint the Kitchen Red
I’ve never tried it but you’ll need to change the cooking time: divide the box cooking time by 2 and add 1 minute. Good luck and let me know how it goes!
Tina
My husband and I loved this! I threw some snow peas in as well. Good stuff! Perfect amount of spiciness, too. We ate the whole pot between the 2 of us. 🙊
Sombra
Ahhhh-mazinggg!!! Followed the recipe exactly and my family couldn’t stop raving about it! I love the step by step guide and made it in my Ninja Foodi. Thanks so much for all the time and effort in making dinner nights so much easier!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you for the kind words, Sombra! It’s my pleasure to share recipes that people enjoy making for their families!
Diane Wimmer
Made this last night….I am lucky to have a huge Asian Market about 15 minutes away….so finding ingredients is a breeze. Great recipe….very easy….definitely on my repeat list.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Awesome, Diane! I love the quickness of the recipe too!
carol
My husband and I loved it. My one concern it was a bit on the dry side. Any ideas?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Carol, sounds like you may need some more liquid next time. It could be due to various reasons, including type of ingredients, evaporation, etc. But I would try to add another 2 tablespoons of liquid when you’re cooking. I find that even if there’s extra liquid after pressure cooking, it gets absorbed by the pasta as it sits. Thanks for your question.
Larry and Els Williams
Delicious but not 4 servings but TWO. Also I added way more chicken strips than 1 cup. Next time I will double the recipe. Yum Yum
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Larry and Els – sorry about the serving size! I guess if you’re eating it as a main dish, it might not go too far. Thanks for the feedback!
Ben
Fantastic !
New “go to” !!
I find your recipes awesome, and easy to make for a cooking novice!
Hopefully I can double ingredients without an issue and make the whole box of spaghetti
Paint the Kitchen Red
Ben, I think you should be good. If you wanted to play it safe, you could add some extra liquid and it will probably get absorbed while it’s resting. Thanks for your kind comment!
John
Made this last night. Once I figured out what 1 cup of chicken equates to, more or less, it was really easy. Really delicious and the kids liked it too. (My 5-year-old protested and refused to try it at first. But once he did he like it).
Paint the Kitchen Red
Haha, sorry John! I will make a note in the recipe and add the weight 🙂 Thank you for commenting and rating the recipe – that gives others good information if they’re unsure about the recipe!
Tom Brenholts
Made this tonight, it was excellent. I used a pound of chicken, half a green pepper, half a red pepper, and a couple medium carrots. If the spaghetti doesn’t push down into the liquid, add some more broth, it will get absorbed.
There is cilantro in the photo of ingredients, but not in the list. Might want to fix that.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Tom, thank you for your comment and rating! Oh, I’ll have to change that – I have all these checklists for my recipes; how did that one get past me?! Thank you!!
Mark Weinberg
how many oz. by weight is “1 cup of skinless boneless chicken?” I’m guessing between 5-8 oz. by weight. Is that right? Thanks. This recipe looks delicious.
Mark Weinberg
[email protected]
Fort Pierce, FL
Paint the Kitchen Red
Mark, I would say about 1/2 lb. I use about 2 boneless skinless thighs or one chicken breast. Hope you like the recipe.