CPK Thai Peanut Chicken Pasta

6 servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

CPK Thai Peanut Chicken Pasta made with white meat chicken, vegetables, and a honey-peanut sauce full of umami, this California Pizza Kitchen dish is easy to make at home.

CPK Thai Peanut Chicken Pasta made with chicken, vegetables, and a honey-peanut sauce, this California Pizza Kitchen dish is easy to make at home. CPK Thai Peanut Chicken Pasta made with white meat chicken, vegetables, and a honey-peanut sauce full of umami, this California Pizza Kitchen dish is easy to make at home. I mean it! Put the take-out menus away!  

There is no doubt about it, we’re a noodle loving house. A surefire way to make sure I am not making extra grilled cheese sandwiches for anyone who refuses to eat is to make noodles, especially peanut noodles. Even if you have leftovers (which we sometimes don’t as we have been known to overeat pasta around these parts), you can’t count on getting any of the leftovers.

The next morning I woke up having dreamt about this CPK Thai Peanut Chicken Pasta (I am a weird soul who can dream about carbs, I think it is the diets I was on as a young adult!) and when I made my way downstairs in the morning I knew I was going to take a cold bite of pasta only to find my husband had done away with the small amount left in the middle of the night. That is how good this pasta is…. it doesn’t even make it to the next morning.CPK Thai Peanut Chicken Pasta made with chicken, vegetables, and a honey-peanut sauce, this California Pizza Kitchen dish is easy to make at home.  This is where I would normally give you the play by play photos for this amazing CPK Thai Peanut Chicken Pasta. Only problem is that my SD card bit the dust and I only noticed it after I had finished making the dish. Thankfully I was going to offload the pictures before taking the glamour shots, so the delicious proof of the meal still exists!

During dinner, my husband suggested I draw a stick figure (this is about as artistic as I get) re-enactment of the cooking process for you while I was expressing frustrating with my SD card having failed me. The look I gave him in return said as much as I imagine it needed to because his next move was to take the kids upstairs for bath time and bedtime! This meant I got to watch some Real Housewives while enjoying the end of my pasta. Double win! PS, is there anyone out there who is actually Team Ramona? She makes my head hurt.  Watching her also makes me miss RHOBH and my darling Lisa.

Ok, ok I just went off on a tangent. Back to the food already! Right?

If you chop the ingredients while you boil the water and make the sauce while the veggies are cooking you will be done start to finish in 20 minutes. Just be aware this recipe does use pre-made chicken chunks. We had roasted a couple of chickens off in the oven the day before so it was easy enough to toss the pieces in.

If you don’t have any pre-cooked chicken on hand, dice up the chicken breast in ¾ inch cubes, season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet and add the chicken. Let cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes, then turn. Give it another 2 minutes and you are ready to go! If you do make the chicken fresh, I highly suggest cooking the veggies in this pan, the chicken bits left behind can only add more flavor! CPK Thai Peanut Chicken Pasta made with chicken, vegetables, and a honey-peanut sauce, this California Pizza Kitchen dish is easy to make at home.

California Pizza Kitchen Copycat Thai Chicken Pasta is full of chicken, vegetables, and a honey-peanut sauce full of umami. Easy to make at home, put the take-out menus away!

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CPK Inspired Thai Chicken Pasta

A version of a very popular California Pizza Kitchen dish, this Thai Chicken Pasta is restaurant quality, with easy to find ingredients. The mix of vegetables and chicken with the spicy-sweet and umami sauce is one your family will want over and over again.
Yield 6 servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Thai
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

  • 1 pound thin spaghetti
  • 3 tablespoons oriental sesame oil , divided use
  • 1 cup julienned carrots
  • 2 cups napa cabbage , sliced
  • 2 cups chopped , cooked chicken breast meat
  • 8 green onions , chopped
  • 5 garlic cloves , minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger , peeled and minced
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce

Instructions

  • Bring a pot of water to boil.
  • Add 1-2 tbsp of salt to season the water.
  • Cook pasta, al dente (I shoot for a minute shy of what the box says)
  • Drain pasta and toss with 2 tbsp sesame oil.
  • Pat dry the inside of the pot and add 1 tbsp of sesame oil.
  • If you would like to add some green onions as a garnish at the end, reserve ¼ cup of them before putting the rest in the pan.
  • Add the green onions, carrots, napa cabbage, chicken, garlic and ginger.
  • Saute for a minute or two until they have softened and barely start to turn color.
  • Add in the honey, peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar and Sriracha.
  • Stir all the ingredients together and add the pasta back into the pot.
  • Toss the pasta with the rest of the ingredients and serve!
  • Garnish with remaining green onions if you chose to reserve some.

Notes

Heavily adapted from Recipelink.

Nutrition

Calories: 734kcal | Carbohydrates: 81g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 823mg | Potassium: 597mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 3825IU | Vitamin C: 12.3mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 2.8mg
Keyword: California Pizza Kitchen Thai Peanut Chicken Pasta, copycat recipe, CPK Thai Peanut Chicken Pasta (Copycat)

CPK Thai Peanut Chicken Pasta made with chicken, vegetables, and a honey-peanut sauce, this California Pizza Kitchen dish is easy to make at home.

CPK Thai Peanut Chicken Pasta made with chicken, vegetables, and a honey-peanut sauce, this California Pizza Kitchen dish is easy to make at home.
CPK Thai Peanut Chicken Pasta made with chicken, vegetables, and a honey-peanut sauce, this California Pizza Kitchen dish is easy to make at home.

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. This turned out so great! I used packaged cole slaw mix instead of shredding cabbage, and I ended up subbing apple cider vinegar instead of rice vinegar and tapatio sauce instead of siracha as I forgot to get them- I also did use a bit less pasta- this is going to be a regular thing.

  2. Super yummy the things I did difference is I added garlic scapes cuz I had tons so did not add garlic and 1/4 cup of honey seem a lot so half that. And added difference colors of bell pepper as my kids love them. So kinda change a lot BUT the base of ingredients are GREAT!!

  3. We really enjoyed the flavors of this. It will definitely be a repeat at our house. I didn’t measure super precisely, but it came out tasting great. I’d say there were way too many noodles though. I’ll use less next time and maybe more cabbage. It cooked down so much more than I expected.

  4. They closed the CPK near my house and I have been craving this dish for months. This recipe does not disappoint! Now this dish is on heavy rotation in our home.

  5. This was really tasty. However, as written I felt like it was too much pasta. Next time I’ll either decrease the amount of past or increase the vegetables. Just my personal preference. But a keeper for sure!

  6. This is delicious and pretty easy. I tried to follow exactly because I hate when people review a recipe but made a lot of changes! But I didn’t have green onions so used a regular white onion. And I made a little extra sauce and sprinkled peanuts on top. The teenagers and hubby loved it and was good to take to work the next day.

  7. I have made this recipe at least 5 times for my family! Absolutely wonderful! Wondering if a white fish could be used ?

  8. This is quick and easy to whip up and so delicious! I followed the recipe without alteration and then also added peanuts and cilantro as an additional garnish as they seemed to fit perfectly with this dish. Totally hits the spot every time I make it.

  9. This was absolutely delicious! I made a few adaptations. I made it as a cold salad since it is so hot out! I doubled the cabbage and cut the noodles back for health reasons. I also added red pepper chopped finely.
    When the pasta was done cooking I ran it under cold water until it was cold and then added it. I also used agave instead of honey. Great combination of flavors!

  10. This is delicious! The pasta is a bit dry as written so I either increase the sauce or us 12 oz instead of a whole pound of the thin spaghetti. I also add some cilantro but leave out the sriracha as my husband is picky about spicy food.

  11. We thought this recipe was really yummy and made a great one bowl dish for the two of us. I was thinking of making this for a larger crowd. Any suggestions on side dishes?

    1. One of our new favorites! It’s on the repeat list at our house. A bit more sauce or fewer noodles seems to provide a better balance for us, but this recipe is a keeper!

    1. Hi Candace! You are so welcome! I’m so happy your family loved it and I appreciate you trying our recipes.

      Thank you <3

  12. Wow! I cannot believe this recipe! Thai Chicken pasta has long been one of my favorite dishes. And this recipe recreates it perfectly! I am so excited to be able to make this at home.

  13. I just made this for lunch and we really enjoyed it!! I want to serve it for leftovers for dinner or lunch tomorrow but the sauce seems really thick now?? I used all the dressing and followed recipe—but as it cooled it seemed a bit gummy? Any suggestions to loosen up pasta later??

  14. Hello Sabrina,
    I made this dish the other night, and my wife couldn’t stop raving about it! The next time I make this, I would probably increase the amount of ingredients (not the pasta) by at least 50%… otherwise this is definitely a keeper…Thank You!

  15. This is a delicious recipe. I’ve made it many times now and it’s always a hit. I change up the vegetables (red pepper, broccoli, and celery) since folks in my house aren’t wild about cabbage. I’ve also started stir-frying fresh chicken breast in some sesame oil instead of using pre-cooked. It only adds a little time and the browned chicken adds flavor to the veg. The sauce is wonderful. You could eat it on cardboard and it would be tasty. I undercook the pasta a bit and finish in the pan with the stir-fry so it absorbs that peanut-y goodness.

  16. What kind of pasta would you recommend, I feel like regular semolina pasta wouldn’t go well, did you use some other kind?

  17. Hi ….. this looks amazing
    Just a quick question
    Can I use monk fruit sweetner instead of honey …. will that work
    Please can u lemme know as want to make it for dinner tonite
    Thankyou

    1. I’ve not tired it but I don’t see why not. If you decide to try, I’d love to know how it turns out. Thanks!

  18. Aftet a few bites my husband says ‘Is this hard to make? ‘ . This means he likes it and and wants to have it regularly. I ALSO LOVE IT!

  19. My family loved this! I used Quorn meatless pieces because that’s what I had. I made half a recipe extra of the sauce because a few reviewers mentioned it could do with a bit more. I think the amount of sauce was perfect with the extra. I threw in some fresh chili and topped it with cilantro, peanuts and extra green onion. Delicious! Simple and quick to make. Thanks!

  20. This recipe is so good that I panicked when I lost it. But thank goodness I found it again. Of course everyone has different tastes. I have made it several times and with just a few minor adjustments now it is just perfect for my husband and I. I hope others find it and love it as much as we do. Thanks Sabrina

  21. Very flavorful. I made this last night and it’s all gone now and I’m left wanting more. I will have to make it again soon. Thanks for the crave worthy recipe.

    1. LOVE this recipe and have made it multiple times. I add whatever veggies I have! Keeping similar amounts, tonight was green beans, broccoli, shredded carrots, red and orange peppers. Cleaned out the holiday fridge! I continue to try to tweak it, however, because I, too, find it a bit dry and sticky once it sets a minute. I have DOUBLED the sauce, still sticky and not “saucy”. I read to add some pasta water, but that doesn’t sound too good. Other suggestions PLEASE!

      1. That’s how the original used to be, not too saucy at all. I would say possibly adding a bit of chicken broth to the sauce or tossing right before serving. The pasta will continue to soak up the liquid. You could also try to rinse the pasta to remove excess starch and coat the pasta in a bit of oil before adding it to the sauce. That should prevent some absorption.

  22. I plan on making this over the weekend. Someone mentioned chili-garlic sauce. I did not see that in the recipe. Am I missing something?

  23. Desperately craving Asian flavors so I knew Sabrina would have something quick and delicious. This recipe was glorious…I made it for my lunch without the chicken and then served it again for dinner to the hubs with shrimp. He LOVED it. The food processor did all the chopping so it was easy to prep. I used brussel sprouts instead of cabbage as it’s what I had on hand. I pretty much doubled the sauce as a personal preference. Thanks Sabrina! Your recipes are a favorite around here!

  24. Just wanted to let you know about the shortcuts I used. I used bagged shredded carrots, Bagged coleslaw mix, Ginger that comes in a tube (refrigerated section in produce) and jarred chopped garlic. It was fantastic!!! Next time I may make a little extra of the sauce to add in when its time for 2nd plateful! It was getting a little dry as it sat but ohhhh, sooo good!!!

  25. I absolutely loved this recipe! I’m not a fast chef and this took me 30 minutes and that was including cooking the chicken- thanks Sabrina!!

  26. There is no way this is a 20 minute recipe unless you have all ingredients pre-prepped. All the slicing and mincing you have to do? No way you can get it done in 20 minutes.

    If you’ve pre-prepped, the congratulations. But mere mortals like myself take note: this is closer to a 45 minute total recipe, and that’s not counting gathering all ingredients and mixing cups and measuring spoons. This is *not* a ‘so easy’ recipe.

    It did taste good but again give yourself more than 20 minutes to get it all done.

    1. Agreed. It takes a “little longer” for us mere mortals when we don’t have our own sous chef (which I am to my wife). But, with this great recipe, it sure beats the prices that places like CPK are charging now. I’d rather spend more time in my kitchen, than spend that same time at work to earn the money. Grin with me, right?

  27. What if no one in my house including me likes green onions?? Is that going to make a huge impact on flavor ? I bought everything to make this but those #FeelingWorried

    1. Hi Christy! Holding back the green onions won’t change the flavor of the dish too much, so you can just reserve some for yourself to sprinkle on top and leave the rest out of the cooking process. Hope this helps and your whole family can enjoy!

  28. I made this yesterday, and while it’s really tasty I found it wasn’t saucy at all? I even used less pasta because I didn’t have as much as the recipe called for. Any tips to make it less thick and more liquidy? Or should it be really thick?

  29. Hello! I plan on trying this recipe tomorrow night. I am wondering about the sesame oil though – 4 tablespoons seems like a HUGE amount, because a little goes a long way with sesame oil. Are you using some kind of sesame oil *blend* – or 100% sesame oil?

    Thanks!

  30. Sounds yummy. Making it now. But, “Add 1-2 tbsp of salt to season the water.” for the pasta is TOO much! I assume you mean tsp (teaspoon). Even the pasta instructions say tsp. Please correct recipe. Thank you.