Chicken noodle peanut butter soup offers flavors of both Africa and Thailand.Much as we love a classic chicken noodle soup, it’s OK to mess with it a bit.
In this case, the essence of the dish stays the same — chicken and noodles swimming in chicken broth. But for flavor, let’s go overseas, drawing inspiration from two unrelated dishes — African peanut soup and spicy Thai peanut noodles. The combination is wonderful, assertive but still homey and comfortable.
While you can use any cooked noodle in this recipe, try the robust soba noodles. These thin buckwheat noodles cook quickly and have a great texture that works well in soups. You can find them in the Asian aisle of most grocers.
Chicken Noodle Peanut Butter Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup scallions
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Hot sauce, to taste
Cooked soba (or other) noodles, to serve
Toasted sesame seeds, to serve
In a large pot over medium-high, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and red pepper flakes and sauté until the onions are tender. Add the chicken and cook until browned, 6 to 8 minutes. The chicken does not need to be fully cooked at this stage. Stir in the chicken broth and peanut butter and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the scallions, then season with salt, pepper and hot sauce.
To serve, place noodles in a bowl then ladle the soup over them. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
Servings: 6.