Why “kinda”? Well, you won’t see many Asian cooks using molasses, but I think it adds something special to this dish. Maybe it could be called “Deepest, Darkest Asian Peanut Chicken Noodles”.

Call it what you may, the mixture of peanut butter (don’t feed this to your allergic friends, even if you are in a very devilish mood), soy sauce, ginger, and molasses makes for a very tasty dish. Pair this up with a nice salad and dinner is served.

Note: Although we use sesame oil for this dish – to give it a little extra Asian flavour – you can just as easily substitute olive oil if there’s no sesame oil in your kitchen. As for the ginger root, no, you cannot replace that with ground ginger (not the same).

 

Ingredients (Serves 2-3)

Marinade

2 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tbsp molasses

1” (2.5cm) piece ginger root, minced

1 tbsp vinegar (rice or other)

12-13 oz (340-370g) chicken thigh

 

Noodles & Finish

½ lb (220g) spagetti

1 tbsp sesame oil

¼ cup peanut butter

 

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, molasses, ginger root, and vinegar. Note: The ginger root is roughly 1” (2.5cm) knob – peeled and then minced.

2. Cut the chicken thigh into half bite-sized pieces. Add to the marinade and toss well. Cover, place in the refrigerator, and marinate for at least a few hours (or all day).

3. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the spagetti as per the package directions.Don’t overcook. If anything, slightly undercook.

4. While the spagetti is cooking, heat the 1 tbsp sesame oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Note: If possible, use a deep frying pan or dutch oven. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken pieces to the frying pan and reserve the marinade. Stir fry the chicken for 8-10 minutes, until the extra juices have cooked off and the chicken is browned.

5. Add the reserved marinade and deglaze the bottom of the frying pan.

6. Stir in the peanut butter and cook for 1 minute.

7. Turn off the heat. Add the drained spagetti and toss to combine with the chicken and sauce. Did I mention it would be a good idea to use a dutch oven or something with high sides?

Enjoy the quasi Asian/North American taste (with a little Italian thrown in). Yes, you can eat this with your choice of fork or chopsticks.