Peanut Chicken with Peanut Noodles

The due date came and went. March 19th. I watched it arrive and then I watched it leave and Liam stayed where he was, which is his prerogative and which I understand intellectually and which I am handling with imperfect grace.

Thirty-nine weeks. My OB is unworried. "Babies come when they come," she said at Thursday's appointment with the equanimity of someone who has said this thousands of times. She's right. She's been right about everything. I'm still frustrated in a way I can't fully justify because I'm a nurse and I know the range of normal and I'm inside the range of normal. But I've been waiting for nine months and nine months is long enough to want it over.

My body is doing things. Not the things that mean anything is happening, but the things that mean something will happen eventually. I'm trying to read the signals like it's a language I know but haven't spoken out loud before.

Sean came home from work Friday and I was standing at the kitchen counter making pasta because I needed to do something with my hands and he just came and stood next to me and helped without being asked. He grated the cheese. He didn't say "any day now" or "soon" or any of the things people say. He grated the cheese and set the table and we ate carbonara—good carbonara, the real kind, no cream—at the table at six-thirty and it was just another night except that it was forty-one weeks into the thing that was going to change everything and we ate pasta and went to bed and waited.

That carbonara on Friday wasn’t remarkable — and that was the whole point. It was just dinner, and dinner was exactly what I needed. This peanut chicken noodle dish has since become another one of those give-my-hands-something-to-do recipes: there’s garlic to mince, ginger to grate, a sauce to whisk together, and the rhythm of it is its own kind of steadying. If you’re in a waiting period of any kind — for a baby, for news, for something you can’t rush — I’d recommend making this on a Tuesday, setting the table, and eating it while it’s hot.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

8 oz spaghetti or lo mein noodles
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
3–4 tablespoons warm water, to thin sauce
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
Fresh cilantro, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Cook the noodles. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook noodles according to package directions until al dente. Drain, rinse briefly with cold water, and toss with 1 teaspoon of the vegetable oil to prevent sticking. Set aside.
Make the peanut sauce. In a medium bowl, whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes until smooth. Add warm water one tablespoon at a time until the sauce is pourable but still creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Cook the chicken. Heat remaining vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, for 3–4 minutes. Flip and cook another 2–3 minutes, until cooked through and lightly golden. Remove from heat.
Combine. Add the cooked noodles to the skillet with the chicken. Pour the peanut sauce over everything and toss well over low heat for 1–2 minutes, until the noodles are evenly coated and warmed through.
Serve. Divide among bowls and top with green onions, chopped peanuts, and cilantro if using. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Peanut Chicken with Peanut Noodles — Something to Do With Your Hands While You Wait