Thai Peanut Chicken

Peanut Sauce:

Combine peanut butter, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, vegetable oil, cayenne pepper and ginger in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. You may need to add more oil if it’s too thick – you’ll want it to be the consistency of cake batter. Also taste to see if it’s salty enough – you may need to add more soy sauce. Set aside.

Cut up scallions, cucumber, cilantro and lime. Place in separate bowls in serving area. These are what I call the “freshies” that garnish the top of each serving. I even chop up fresh mint to include in the freshies line-up, but that’s totally optional.

Boil jasmine rice in 4-5 cups of water for 20 minutes. Jasmine rice can get sticky, so stir it every once in awhile. You may even have to add more water. When done, set aside.

While the rice is cooking, cook the chicken breasts in a large skillet, coated with olive oil. When cooked through, remove from skillet and let them rest about 5 minutes on a cutting board. While chicken rests, re-coat the bottom of the skillet with more oil and add the carrots, onions and peanuts to the hot pan. Stir fry over medium-high heat for about 7-9 minutes, or until the carrots are slightly tender. Don’t overcook them, though! While the veggies are cooking, chop up the chicken into small, bite-sized pieces. When veggies are cooked, turn the heat down to medium-low. Add the chicken back into the skillet with the veggies and pour the peanut sauce over the top. Add the can of coconut milk and stir until combined. Let it simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until heated through.

To serve, spread some baby spinach onto a plate, top with jasmine rice, then the peanut chicken, and finally the freshies and a squeeze of lime.

A delight for the senses.