Spicy Thai Peanut Chicken

So the original title of this recipe was, “Thai Spicy Peanut Sauce with Poached Chicken.”

Poached chicken just sounds…weird.

Even though that’s totally what I did.

Would you believe I actually had to go buy peanut butter to make this? Since when do I not have peanut butter in the house? I must be losing my mind.

Oh wait, I’m totally losing my mind. I read a completely unnecessary chapter for class. I’m telling myself I am just quenching my thirst for knowledge. I applauded my efforts with a split scoop of honey lemon with ricotta walnut cookies and salted caramel cupcake ice cream from Salt and Straw. My love for that place knows no bounds [that’s trip number two since Sunday, and I’m slated to go there again tomorrow].

The spicy peanut sauce has similar love inducing qualities. Andrew might have poured the remaining drops from the blender straight into his mouth. I was licking my plate. I used red quinoa instead of rice because I’m on a quinoa kick. There’s nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all. I rounded it out with lots of green—snow peas and spinach. It was actually rather pretty. You can’t say that about everything I eat, trust me.

Inspiration: The Huffington Post

Ingredients

• 3/4lb chicken thighs, cut into 1″ chunks
• 1 cup broth [I used vegetable]
• 1/2″ piece of ginger, minced [I used the microplane, easy-peasy]
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced [again with the microplane]
• 1/3 cup natural peanut butter
• Juice of half a lime
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons of Sriracha [or more, I’m pretty sure I used 2-3x that]
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 1/2 cup red quinoa
• 1/2lb snow peas
• 1/2 bunch fresh spinach

Preparation

1. In a saucepan, bring 1 cup of water and the quinoa to a boil.
2. Reduce to a simmer and cover, cooking for 15-20 minutes until all of the water has been soaked up.
3. Simmer the chicken in the broth with the ginger and garlic in a large skillet, covered.
4. Cook for 8-10 minutes.
5. Transfer the chicken to a bowl.
6. Bring the broth to a boil and allow it to reduce down by 1/3.
7. Pour the broth, peanut butter, lime, sugar, hot sauce, and fish sauce into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
8. Place veggies in a large microwave safe bowl, top with a splash or two of water, cover with a plate and microwave for 1:30-2:00 minutes until veggies are cooked through and bright green [use your steaming method of choice].
9. Arrange quinoa on a plate or in a bowl. Top with veggies, chicken, and sauce. Add more hot sauce as necessary.