Peanut Chicken

Tips to get you started:

• I use Thai Kitchen or Taste of Thai brand fish sauce.

• I use Tamari in this recipe because I prefer the flavor, but soy sauce may be used as well. You may need to reduce the amount slightly if you choose to use soy sauce.

• I use JIF brand natural peanut butter for my recipe, other brands contain different amounts of sugar and salt, and may yield a different end product.

• For an alternative version, the chicken may also be placed on skewers and grilled instead of pan frying it.

• To cut medallions of chicken- Cut a boneless, skinless chicken breast into segments about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick, using a vertical cut. Each segment should weigh about 2 oz and all segments should be cut as evenly as possible, to ensure even cooking for all pieces. The end product should resemble a “gold medal” shape and take about 2 bites to consume. This technique cuts down on total cooking time, for easy weeknight meals.

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 20-30 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Tablespoons pure sesame oil

1/3 Cup shallot, small diced

1 Teaspoon ginger powder

1/4 Teaspoon cayenne powder

1/4 Teaspoon dried tarragon leaves

1/2 Cup dark brown sugar, packed

2 Tablespoon fresh garlic minced

1 Tablespoon ground cumin

2 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 Cup Tamari (or soy sauce)

1/2 Cup warm water (chicken stock may be substituted, if you use chicken stock you’ll want to decrease the amount of soy sauce by half.)

1/2 Cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 Cup chunky peanut butter

6 Oz coconut milk

1 Tablespoon fish sauce

1 Tablespoon sweet chili sauce

4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts sliced into medallions

Pan Spray

Salt and pepper

Optional garnish: fresh cilantro

Part one: In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, place the sesame oil and heat until just shimmering in the pan. Add the shallots and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until they are translucent but not browned. Add the garlic and cook until this becomes fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Part two: Add the water, tamari and lemon juice and heat the saucepan, stir well to combine. Then add your peanut butters, heat this until the peanut butter is smoothly melted. Add the ginger, cayenne, tarragon and brown sugar and stir until this is combined.

Part three: Add the coconut milk, fish sauce and chili sauce and reduce heat to low to keep the sauce warm while you cook the chicken.

Part four: Pat the chicken breasts dry and cut into medallions, season moderately with salt and pepper. Coat a medium skillet/sauté pan lightly with pan spray or similar product and bring to medium high heat, add the chicken, and cook for about 3 minutes, then flip the medallions and cook for another 2 minutes or until the pieces reach 165 degrees on a meat thermometer.

Serving suggestions:  I recommend serving the chicken over steamed rice, gently drizzled with the peanut sauce and topped with a cilantro garnish.

Tiny chefs in the house? They can help:

• Pull cilantro leaves off the stems

• Measure ingredients

• Mix the ingredients together (using caution if they are stirring the hot peanut sauce)

Nutrition information: Total Calories: 407 // Total Fat: 24 g // Cholesterol: 39 mg // Sodium: 474 mg // Total Carbohydrates: 28 g // Sugars: 22 g // Protein: 24 g

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.