So as part of my bucket list for my year off of work, I promised myself (and my husband) that I would practice my "cooking" skills - I use this term loosely!
So as part of my first endeavor I decided to try two new found favorites:
Chicken Breasts with Cilantro and Red Thai Curry Peanut Sauce
(4 servings, with lots of extra sauce)
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thick
2 T peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 T chopped fresh garlic
1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter (without added sugar) at room temperature
1/4 cup rice vinegar (not "seasoned" vinegar which has sugar)
2 T soy sauce
2 T Splenda or sugar (use Splenda for South Beach Diet)
1 tsp. red Thai Curry Paste (I like Thai Kitchen brand)
3 T homemade chicken stock or canned chicken broth
fresh ground black pepper to taste
about 2 T peanut oil (depends on your pan)
1 cup unsweetened lite coconut milk (I use Thai Kitchen Lite Coconut Milk)
4 T finely chopped cilantro (or more), plus more for garnish if desired
Instructions:
Trim chicken breasts so they are about the same size and remove any visible fat or ragged edges. Put each chicken breast inside plastic bag or between plastic wrap and use a meat mallet to pound to even 1/2 inch thickness.
Finely mince the ginger and garlic. In food processor or immersion blender canister combine ginger, garlic, peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce, Splenda or sugar, curry paste, and chicken stock. Taste to see if you want to add more red curry paste. (I didn't.)
Heat the oil in heavy, large frying pan. Season chicken with black pepper, then add chicken to pan and saute over medium heat about until chicken breasts are nicely browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes on first side, and 2-3 minutes more on second side. (It's important not to overcook the chicken; it should feel barely firm to the touch when you take it out of the pan.)
Remove chicken to plate and cover with foil. Reduce heat to low and add 1 cup coconut milk. (You can freeze the other 3/4 cup coconut milk for another time.) Scrape off browned bits from the bottom of the pan, then stir in peanut/curry/ginger paste mixture and heat through, about 2-3 minutes.
Add any juices that have accumulated on the pate and cook another minute or two. Turn off heat and mix in chopped cilantro. Serve the sauce immediately over chicken breasts, with additional chopped cilantro for garnish if desired.
Slaw with Ginger-Peanut Dressing
Serves 6 as a side dish
Ingredients
For the Dressing
¼ cup honey
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar*
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1 tablespoon peanut butter (I like Skippy Natural No Need to Stir)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon Sriracha sauce (Thai hot sauce…optional)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 large garlic clove, minced
For the Slaw
4 cups prepared shredded coleslaw
2 cups prepared shredded carrots (or grated in food processor)
1 red pepper, thinly sliced into bite size pieces
1 cup pre-cooked, shelled edamame (available fresh or frozen)
2 medium scallions, finely chopped
½ cup chopped salted peanuts (you can also leave them whole)
½ cup loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro
Directions
- Make the dressing by combining all ingredients in medium bowl. Stir until peanut butter is dissolved. Set aside.
- Combine all of the slaw ingredients in a large bowl. Add dressing and toss well. Let sit at least 10 minutes so vegetables have a chance to soak up the dressing. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (I usually add a bit more salt but go by your own taste). Serve cold.
*Unseasoned Rice Vinegar is not the same as Seasoned Rice Vinegar, which has added salt and sugar. Be sure to use straight rice vinegar or else the dressing will be too salty and sweet. I’ve also used Brown Rice Vinegar (sold at Whole Foods) with excellent results.
So for those of you that have been "lucky" enough to taste the 5 meals I previously rotated through, I have two new items to share with you. For the rest of you, you do not know what you are in for the next time you eat at the Chen's! Don't worry if it doesn't work out there is a great pizza joint on speed dial!
