2013 is going to be GREAT, I can feel it!
This is the first recipe of the year and I already know that it’s going to go on next year’s “best of” list! It’s SO good and SO easy. Peanut and coconut combine to make an incredibly luxurious and creamy sauce for the chicken, which is then sassed up with just a little soy sauce, brown sugar, lime, and sriracha! If you don’t have sriracha, you can just add a pinch of red pepper flakes… or just leave it out for a mild version.
Of course this “luxurious” sauce is a little high on the fat content, so make sure to serve this up with a side of some yummy vegetables, like this Crunchy Asian Salad. And, if you can find it, serve it over brown jasmine rice for some added fiber.
Enjoy and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Chicken in Peanut Sauce
Chicken in Peanut Sauce
Servings 4Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 2 inches fresh ginger ($0.14)
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil ($0.08)
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast* ($1.99)
- 1 14oz. can coconut milk ($2.14)
- 1/2 cup natural peanut butter ($0.66)
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.10)
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp sriracha hot sauce, optional ($0.02)
- 1 lime ($0.50)
- 1/4 bunch cilantro, optional ($0.20)
- 4 cups cooked jasmine rice ($0.69)
Instructions
- If you don’t have cooked jasmine rice on hand, begin cooking your rice first so it will be ready by the time the chicken and sauce are complete. To begin the sauce, mince the garlic and then peel and grate the ginger into a large skillet or pot. Saute both in the vegetable oil over medium heat for about 2 minutes or until they are soft and fragrant.
- Cut the chicken into small pieces (about one inch across). Add them to your skillet or pot. Saute until lightly browned and cooked through (about 10 minutes).
- Turn the heat down to low and add the coconut milk and peanut butter. Stir gently to combine the two and dissolve any browned bits off of the bottom of the pan. Once the sauce is relatively smooth, add the soy sauce, brown sugar, sriracha, and juice from half of the lime. Stir to combine and heat through (about ten minutes).
- Pull the cilantro leaves from their stems and roughly chop. Scoop about one cup of jasmine rice into the bottom of each bowl and then top with the chicken and sauce (about 3/4 cup). Sprinkle the fresh cilantro over top and enjoy!
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Notes
Nutrition
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Step By Step Photos
Start by mincing the garlic and grating the ginger (peel the ginger with a vegetable peeler or scrape the skin off with the side of a spoon). Saute both in vegetable oil over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, or until soft and fragrant.
Cut the chicken into small pieces, about one inch across each.
Add the chicken to the pot/skillet and saute until cooked through (about 10 minutes). It’s okay if stuff sticks to the bottom of the pan because it will dissolve off into the sauce, just don’t let it go past “brown” to “burned.”
Next, add the coconut milk and peanut butter.
Turn the heat down to low. Gently stir (to minimize splashing) the two together until they are smooth and all of the browned bits on the bottom of the pan have also dissolved in.
Now it’s time to add a little pizazz! We’re touching all of the flavor bases here with the soy sauce, brown sugar, sriracha, and lime juice. You can start with juice from half of the lime and add more if you’d like. If you don’t have sriracha, add a pinch of red pepper flakes for a little heat.
Stir all of those flavor ingredients in and your sauce is finished! Allow the sauce to heat through and then serve. Just make sure to have the heat low enough so that the pot does NOT boil. If it reaches a boil, the coconut milk will separate.
Serve with cooked jasmine rice and a sprinkle of fresh, chopped cilantro. INCREDIBLE.
This was awesome! I used turkey instead of chicken and served it over roasted root veggies instead of rice. A-MAZ-ING!! Thanks so much for sharing.
I tried this recipe tonight, but unfortunately I didn’t see the part about using natural peanut butter until it was too late. I just used regular JIF pb, and tried to compensate for the extra sweetness by leaving out the brown sugar and adding extra lime juice and Sriracha. It still turned out pretty good.
(Although, still a tad sweet).
I’m excited to try this recipe again…correctly! I think it will be great with natural PB.
This dish is delicious, I have made it a few times over basmati rice love the heat of the sirracha
Thankyou for this recipe
So amazing. Such a simple, easy-to-follow recipe (just like all your recipes), and incredibly delicious. I am a sucker for a good satay and there’s nothing better than a homemade one, and this is just perfect. All the right flavours, perfectly balanced. The sauce to chicken ratio was also spot-on for me, there’s nothing better than a heap of extra sauce to soak into the rice you serve with. I will definitely be making this one again.
This looks FANTASTIC! I will make it tonight. I sincerely hope that using coconut oil instead of vegetable oil is okay. Seems like it would be.
Yes, that substitution would work well. :)
This turned out delcious. One of my favorites a great recipe. Thanks for sharing.
simon
I followed the recipe exactly, but I think this dish is awful. I am going to eat as much of it as I can..just so that I don’t waste all this money and work…but I I find this gross..
Love this recipe! I subbed the chicken breast for boneless skinless chicken thighs, reduced the peanut butter to 1/3 cup and also used light coconut milk. The sauce (probably as a result of my substitutions) turned out less thick than I’d hoped but the flavor was still really good. I also added some broccoli and sugar snap peas. Thank you for the delicious recipe, and next time I think I’ll go even bolder on the add ins – more spice, more lime, more soy sauce, etc.
Years later my family still cannot get enough of this. I always double the lime and sriracha, but otherwise this recipe is amazing!
I’ve made this twice now. It’s SO good and so easy. Tonight I sauteed some zucchini, yellow squash, and broccoli in towards the end of the chicken. Yum!
I just made this recipe tonight and it was fantastic! I subbed lite coconut milk for the regular. Still came out tasty. I also added a bag of California blend veggies. My super picky husband also loved this and asked me to remake it in the near future!
The best peanut chicken recipe! I subbed the coconut milk for regular and sauteed the chicken in coconut oil instead. Turned out lovely! I also added a bag of steamed broccoli to the sauce. What I really liked about this recipe was that the sauce didn’t get overly thick. So delicious!
Hi, what would you say a serving size would be, 1 cup? I want to add it into my fitness app.
By the way, I’ve made this many times and it never fails to please. Delish!!!
Yes, probably about one cup. :)
I tried this, followed the recipe to a T and found it came out pretty bland. It also really did not keep/reheat well the next day.
Thank you again Beth!
I made this and let me tell you it is delicious. I added some extra veggies. Carrots, red pepper and green onions. My husband and brother in law where WOWED. I so enjoy your website and believe me you have stepped up my game in the kitchen. Thank you so much for your straightforward and easy to follow instructions. I never dreamed I could attempt so many different types of delicious meals. THANK YOU!!!!