INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR. The flavor of this Chicken Noodle Peanut Butter Soup draws inspiration from two unrelated dishes — African peanut soup and spicy Thai peanut noodles. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)

From The Asian Reporter, V24, #19 (October 6, 2014), page 13.

A chicken noodle soup via Africa and Thailand

By Alison Ladman

The Associated Press

A s much as we love a classic chicken noodle soup, we decided to mess with ours a bit.

The essence of the dish stayed the same — chicken and noodles swimming in chicken broth. But for flavor, we went overseas, drawing inspiration from two unrelated dishes — African peanut soup and spicy Thai peanut noodles. The combination was wonderful, assertive but still homey and comfortable.

While any cooked noodle would work in this recipe, we liked the robust flavor of soba noodles. These thin noodles made from buckwheat cook quickly and have a great texture that works well in soups. They can be found in the Asian aisle of most grocers.

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Start to finish: 30 minutes

Servings: 6

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1/2 cup scallions

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Hot sauce, to taste

Cooked soba (or other) noodles, to serve

Toasted sesame seeds, to serve

In a large pot over medium-high, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and red pepper flakes and sauté until the onions are tender. Add the chicken and cook until browned, six to eight minutes. The chicken does not need to be fully cooked at this stage. Stir in the chicken broth and peanut butter and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the scallions, then season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce.

To serve, place noodles in a bowl then ladle the soup over them. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

Nutrition information per serving: 370 calories (210 calories from fat, 57 percent of total calories); 23 g fat (5 g saturated, 0 g trans fats); 95 mg cholesterol; 10 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 33 g protein; 400 mg sodium.