Chicken & Pasta in Peanut Sauce

Takeout flavor, weeknight speed. This dish leans on a jar of Thai peanut sauce to do the heavy work, then builds everything else around it in about twenty minutes.

One smart shortcut keeps the dishes down: the broccoli and red pepper go into the pasta water for the last two minutes, so they blanch right alongside the spaghetti and drain together, tender-crisp and bright.

The chicken gets its own treatment. Slicing the breasts in half horizontally into thin cutlets means they sear fast, just two minutes a side, and cook through without drying out. Searing them whole and slicing after keeps the juices in.

Tossed with the peanut sauce off the heat and finished with a pass of crushed red pepper, it lands creamy, nutty and a little spicy, the kind of bowl that tastes like more effort than it took. Add the chili to taste so everyone controls their own heat.

Pro Tips

• Cook the chicken to 165°F (74°C) for juicy cutlets; thin pieces get there fast.
• Add the vegetables to the pasta pot for the last two minutes to save a pan and keep them crisp.
• Toss the peanut sauce in off the heat so it coats without scorching.
• Loosen the sauce with a splash of the starchy pasta water if it’s too thick.

Variations

• Use rice noodles or soba in place of spaghetti.
• Swap the chicken for shrimp, tofu or edamame.
• Finish with chopped peanuts, cilantro, lime and sliced scallions.