Peanut Butter Chicken

Peanut butter chicken is another one of those dishes that everyone and their mother seems to have a recipe for. I, however, am not one of them! Everytime I’ve made this dish, I’ve  never wrote it down. Well, with website in mind, I wrote this down while cooking it! This probably isn’t traditional, or what you’re used to. However, this version is pretty healthy for you and in my own honest opinion, really flipping tasty! =D You can veganize this very easy by using vegan peanut butter, and tofu instead of chicken. (you could also use a chicken type faux meat product) With all that being said, lets get this recipe rollin!

Ingredients:

2 ounces chicken, sliced or minced
1 1/2 tablespoons carrot, minced
1/4 cup bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon celery (optional, i just had some extra)
1 tablespoon sesame seed oil
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons onion, minced
1 red chili snapped in half (if you don’t have whole red chilies use approx heavy pinch chili flakes, or to taste)
1 – 2 teaspoons ginger grated, fiber & juice
1 tablespoon peas
2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce (if you don’t have low sodium you could use 1 teaspoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon water to lessen the salt content)
2 tablespoons – 1/4 cup peanut sauce *****
extra peanuts for garnish (**optional**)

Rice or noodles to toss with your chicken mix

Directions:

Prepare all your vegetables, this will cook really quick (less than 5 minutes) so you don’t want to be chopping while attempting to cook.

Add your oil to a nonstick skillet and let it become pretty hot on medium flame. While oil is hot, add your garlic and onion to the pot. Stir fry this for 30 seconds then add the red chili and celery. Stir fry this for another 20 seconds, add the chicken pieces. Stir fry this another 30-45 seconds or until you see the outside cooked. (this quick cooking method works for really fine cooked chicken, i minced mine) Next, add the carrot, bell pepper, ginger, and peas. I cooked it for an additional minute, however you should cook it to your desired texture. Add your soy sauce, stir for 15 more seconds. When you’re done add the peanut sauce. Cook for 20 more seconds, stirring quickly.

Serve this on-top of fresh rice or toss with Chinese noodles like I did.

Makes 1 serving, Preparation time: >5 minutes, Cook time >5 minutes

Dietary Notes: Contains meat, moderate sodium content (those with sensitives should take caution), contains peanuts (this recipe COULD be made with cashews however), contains soy and possibly wheat. (check your soy sauce to see if it contains wheat, most do)

***Peanut sauce***
I will be posting this Peanut Sauce recipe separate, as its a great calorie buster, however! I figured I should post it here too. Essentially, you take a natural peanut butter. Natural meaning just peanuts ground into a butter, no additives or salts. Mix it with 3 times its amount in water. Add honey or another sweetener to your desired taste. I also add some ground psyllium husk to thicken it back up, but this is totally optional. This cuts the calories into a third of what it normally is, naturally!