A couple of years ago, my friend Jennifer sent this recipe to me, knowing it would be a hit with my family. She was right! It quickly became a family favorite, especially for Dave. He is obsessed with it. This soup is full of flavor, texture, color, and brightness.

I didn’t make the connection when Jennifer sent me the recipe that it was from Half Baked Harvest!

I had found her debut cookbook at Goodwill. It had a bunch of warped pages, seemingly from water damage. (I am guessing it was a cookbook in a tote bag with a leaky water bottle situation. Unfortunately, I speak from experience.)

I snagged it, came home and ironed the pages. The images in this cookbook are so beautiful and I could flag almost every page as something I want to make. Her second cookbook, Half Baked Harvest Super Simple, came out last year and it is lovely also! Tieghan Gerard, the creator of Half Baked Harvest is incredible. I am continually amazed at her work. Her recipes are so perfectly flavored, bright and fresh, and inspiring! Her photography is enviable and her approachability is winsome. I’m a fan.

We have made a couple of tweaks to this recipe, the main one being that we switched out Bok Choy for the Spinach (as it is more sturdy and less slimy- and is better for Dave’s sensitivity to calcium oxalate). If you have a Trader Joe’s nearby, I highly recommend you buy their frozen cubed minced garlic and minced ginger! They are so convenient and affordable.

I have to say, I find that this dish takes longer than the 30 minutes she indicates on her recipe to make this start to finish. I’m not sure how she is able to make recipes in the time that she notes, because of all the chopping and prepping, She’s got mad skills.

Thai Peanut Chicken Ramen by Half Baked Harvest

• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 can (14 ounce) coconut milk
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup Thai red curry paste
• 3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 8 ounces cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, sliced
• 2 red bell peppers, chopped
• 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
• 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
• 2-4 squares ramen noodles
• juice of 1 lime
• 3 or 4 cups fresh coarsely chopped Bok Choy cabbage
• 1/3 cup fresh basil &/or cilantro, roughly chopped, plus more for serving
• chopped peanuts, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

INSTANT POT

1. In the bowl of the instant pot, combine the chicken broth, coconut milk, soy sauce, fish sauce, honey, peanut butter, and curry paste. Add the chicken, mushrooms, red peppers, ginger, and garlic. Cover and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
2. Once done cooking, use the natural or quick release and release the steam. 
3. Noodles: Meanwhile, on the stovetop, boil a pot of water and cook noodles for a few minutes or until desired tenderness. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
4. Set the Instant pot to sauté. Shred the chicken, it should fall apart. Stir in the lime juice, bok choy, and cilantro. Let sit 5 minutes or until the noodles are soft.
5. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with peanuts.

STOVE TOP

1. In a large soup pot, combine the chicken broth, coconut milk, soy sauce, fish sauce, honey, peanut butter, and curry paste. Add the chicken, mushrooms, red peppers, ginger, and garlic. Set over medium heat on the stove and bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily.
2. Once done cooking, shred the chicken.
3. Noodles: Meanwhile, on the stovetop, boil a pot of water and cook noodles for a few minutes or until desired tenderness. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
4. Stir in lime juice, bok choy, and cilantro.
5. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with peanuts.

*Tieghan recommends storing the soup and noodles separately, then adding the noodles just before serving so that they don’t become mushy and soak up the soup. I agree 100%! Boiling the noodles in the broth can result in them becoming gummy. I’m not a noodle enthusiast (as some of my family members are) so this is an added benefit- to allow self-portioning the noodle/liquid ratio).

If you are looking for a little something to serve with this dish, we recommend steamed edamame or bought egg rolls. Both can be found in the frozen section of the grocery and easily heated up to round out the meal without additional prep.