I get such a craving for Asian food sometimes. I’m not very good at cooking it myself—there’s something about the flavor combinations that aren’t intuitive to me while cooking, but are so delicious when put in front of me at a dinner table. I noticed that Tasty Kitchen member Marla Meridith had a delicious-looking recipe for Chicken in Coconut-Lime Peanut Sauce, and since Marla’s recipes are always so accessible, I thought I’d give it a whirl. Peanut sauce is always worth exploring.
There are two components to this recipe: the chicken and the sauce. To cook the chicken, you’ll need diced onions, diced garlic, asparagus, cubed chicken breast and coconut oil for sautéing. If you can’t find coconut oil, no problem—butter or oil will work well.
Now for the sauce, you’ll need lime juice, cayenne pepper, red curry paste, cinnamon, stevia (or sugar), coconut milk, fish sauce, peanut butter, toasted sesame oil, and soy sauce.
Combine all of the sauce ingredients into a bowl.
Then whisk it all together until it is well-incorporated and creamy. If it seems too thick, just add a dash of water or coconut milk to thin it out. Then set it aside.
Next you’ll cook the chicken. Scoop out some coconut oil, or butter if you prefer …
And get your diced onions nice and tender in a sauté pan.
Next add the chicken cubes and let them brown and cook on all sides.
Next you can either add the asparagus if you want to cook them slightly, or you can simply add them raw at the end.
Pour your sauce in and let it warm over very low heat. You don’t want to get the sauce too hot, otherwise the sauce will break. But it will still taste delicious either way.
Serve heaping spoonfuls of this delicious dish into bowls. It is great warm or at room temperature.
Thank you Marla for such a great recipe and a great lunch! Check out her wonderful blog Family Fresh Cooking. It’s chock full of tasty and healthy recipes.
Printable Recipe
Print Options
Description
This recipe is perfect for family meals and upcoming Super Bowl parties. It is filling, very tasty and much fewer calories than the usual peanut sauce. The blend of Thai/Asian flavors is a big hit over here! The lime brightens up the creamy sauce. It might even brighten up those cold winter days.
Ingredients
- FOR THE SAUCE:
- ½ cups Natural Peanut Butter (I Like Crunchy)
- ½ cups Light Coconut Milk
- 1 Tablespoon Thai Red Curry Paste
- 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce Or Tamari
- 2 Tablespoons Fish Sauce
- 2 teaspoons Toasted Sesame Oil
- 1 pinch Stevia Powder To Taste (or Honey)
- 1 pinch Black Pepper
- 1 pinch Cayenne Pepper
- 1 pinch Cinnamon
- _____
- FOR THE CHICKEN:
- 1 teaspoon Unrefined Coconut Oil
- ½ cups Diced Onion
- 3 cloves Garlic, Chopped
- 2 pounds Chicken Breast Cut Into 1 Inch Cubes
- 1 cup Chopped Asparagus Spears (1 Inch Pieces)
Preparation Instructions
Note: You can adjust all the peanut sauce ingredients according to taste. If you like sweet, go sweeter, spicier, etc. All is good!
Optional garnishes: cilantro, toasted peanuts, green onion, unsweetened toasted coconut flakes.
Sauce: In a medium bowl whisk together the peanut butter, coconut milk, curry paste, lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, sweetener and seasonings to form a sauce. Taste and change anything if you want to. Set aside.
Chicken: Heat coconut oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook until softened. Add chicken, cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally for even cooking. Stir sauce into the chicken. Partially cover and simmer for about 5 minutes to let the flavors combine. Add asparagus during the last few minutes of cook time.
Serve with spicy Sriracha sauce and garnishes mentioned above.
_______________________________________
There’s so much to say about Georgia, we don’t know where to start. Leaving Wall Street for the French Culinary Institute, followed by a stint at the Gramercy Tavern and La Chassagnette in France, her passion for food and food traditions are evident and inspiring. Visit her site at Georgia Pellegrini, where you’ll find more recipes, photos, learn all about her wonderful book Food Heroes, and enjoy her latest adventures.
25 Comments
Comments are closed for this recipe.
Monica Whalen on 8.19.2011
Just made this and it turned out delicious! Thank you for your write up. My husband is very pleased also and we will definitely make this again with a little bit more heat.
Dan on 8.19.2011
That looks excellent! I think I’ve got to get my hands on a bit of coconut oil and suck it up.
I haven’t made anything using coconut oil since I was in my late teens and the movie theatre was still using coconut oil. It really makes a big difference in flavour. I remember the fuss when they switched to canola. The poppers were too hot and the canola oil burned a bit – everything smelled like fried fish for a while.
Cheyanna on 8.12.2011
OMG we just finished eating this for supper, and even our fussy three-year old loved it! this is going in the regular meal-planning folder for sure!
Nupur on 8.12.2011
Hello!
Thanks for this gorgeous recipe. I just made it, my boyfriend and I loved it! I used a bit of warm water instead of coconut milk, because I’m a genius and I forgot to buy some. But it was still splendid.
Thanks again!
Claire on 8.12.2011
I am making this TONIGHT! Oh YEAH!
Sheila on 8.11.2011
Hugs Georgia! How are you lady? This is something my family would love love love, I gasped when I saw it. Thanks for sharing.
KrisSn on 8.11.2011
Yum! I’m making this for dinner tonight. My hubby comes home tonight from a work conference and he’s going to love this! Thanks!
[email protected]/blog on 8.11.2011
I need a plate of this RIGHT NOW. And I don’t care that it’s 5:42 am….Someone please deliver, there’s a big tip in it for ya!!!!
Sharon @ By The Recipe on 8.11.2011
Love the taste of coconut in my food. We’ve also switched over to cooking pretty much exclusively with coconut and olive oils. Can’t wait to give this chicken a try! Thanks.
Marla on 8.10.2011
MB, just use some extra soy sauce or tamari instead of the fish sauce. It will still be very tasty! You can taste the sauce as you make it to season & add ingredients according to your preference
Karen on 8.10.2011
I have every one of those ingredients (for once). Sounds like dinner just got a little easier.
callimakesdo on 8.10.2011
Oh my that looks amazing! This will be going on our menu in the next week for sure. Thank you for the lovely step by step. I love the unexpected addition of the asparagus.
MB on 8.10.2011
Is there anything I can substitute for the fish sauce? My husband is allergic to fish, but I would love to try this–it sounds so yummy!
Amy on 8.10.2011
Goodness. I’m about to chew off my arm looking/ready that. Aaaand…printing!
Haley @ The Girly Girl Cooks on 8.10.2011
Oh man! This sounds so good!!!!
Gidget on 8.10.2011
This sounds delightful!
Making it for dinner tonight….
Marla on 8.10.2011
Georgia, this is such an honor to be featured here at Tasty Kitchen. I am so happy you tried my recipe and had such great success. Your photos are stunning
Mrs C on 8.10.2011
Oh yum!! This reminds me of a type of Thai dish which is my FAVORITE!!! And this recipe doesn’t look too difficult! Check out this fun recipe for Meditteranean kabobs…easiest appetizer ever!
sara on 8.10.2011
This looks insanely good! I definitely need to give it a try.
Heather (Heather's Dish) on 8.10.2011
i love coconut so much these days…this is definitely going on our dinner menu!
KarinC on 8.10.2011
Sounds delicious!!! Can’t wait to try it!
Laurie - Simply Scratch on 8.10.2011
I love any recipe that calls for coconut and peanut butter! YUM!!
veggie mama on 8.10.2011
oh my, I NEED to try this sauce, immediately if not sooner!
Kelly on 8.10.2011
Sounds divine! Can’t wait to try this one.
Tabitha (From Single to Married) on 8.10.2011
wow – that looks amazing!