This post was sponsored by the Texas Peanut Producers Board
Today is #NationalPeanutButterDay! You probably know by now that I love celebrating food holidays, but this one is especially fun since there are so many ways you can use our favorite comfort food, the good ol’ PB (check out my fun PB&J ‘sushi’ after school snack idea here). For this year’s National Peanut Butter Day I wanted to think outside the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich and create something savory. The result is a delicious Thai-style chicken stir fry with a creamy peanut butter and coconut sauce (Jump to Recipe). This hearty main dish recipe has just the right amount of spice so the whole family can enjoy it.
My sponsor for this post, the Texas Peanut Producers Board, has lots of great peanut recipes on their website. In addition to peanuts having a number of great health benefits, I love how water-efficient and sustainable they are to grow (it takes only 4.7 gallons of water to grow an ounce of peanuts, whereas an ounce of almonds requires 80 gallons). Peanuts are smart plants that create their own micro-climates and adapt to pause growth during dry weather conditions. Their deep roots can reach water from the soil better than some other plants, too. Our Texas farmers and producers are especially conscious of this. The farmers churn the leaves back into the soil as fertilizer for the next rotation of crops, and shelling facilities use discarded peanut parts and shells for animal feed and pet litter. You can learn more about peanuts (including six mind-blowing facts that I recently learned myself) in this post about my time on the Texas Peanut Blogger Tour last year.
This recipe is definitely a keeper! I’ve got the full recipe at the bottom of this post, but first I’ll share a few tips for preparing and cooking it.
The sauce is easy to prep. You just whisk the ingredients together until the sauce is smooth. If your peanut butter is at room temperature, this won’t take much time. If it’s cold, you might find it easier to warm the peanut butter slightly first.
Once you’re done mixing the peanut butter, coconut milk, chicken broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, salt, and basil, set it aside while you prep your other ingredients.
I love that H-E-B strives to carry Texas products! It’s great knowing that their peanut butter uses Texas peanuts.
For the lime zest and grated fresh ginger, I always use my microplane grater (affiliate link). Did you know you can keep fresh whole ginger in the freezer wrapped in foil? Then just pull it out, grate or chop off what you need, re-wrap, and pop it back in the freezer. It’s a great trick I use to prolong the life of fresh ginger.
I like to prep my other spice and veggie ingredients in ramekins and bowls before starting the cooking process. This streamlines the actual cooking process, and reduces stress while cooking (seriously), as I’m not measuring or chopping ingredients, while reading the recipe, while worried that one part will burn. You know me, I like to keep things eeaasssyyy.
You start by stir frying the chicken until it is no longer pink in the center before adding the lime zest, ginger, garlic, and jalapeno to the pan.
The scent when these spices hit the pan!
After a very quick stir fry of that fragrant combo you add the sauce and big veggies. You don’t simmer it for long (only about four minutes) so the vegetables cook but stay a little crisp.
It is delicious served with either rice or noodles. Top it with chopped peanuts and cilantro and it’s ready to enjoy!
Here’s the recipe! Be sure to pin this one – trust me, it’s a keeper!
Servings |
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- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 can light coconut milk
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into strips
- Zest of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and minced
- 2 cups snow peas
- 1 red bell pepper cut into thin strips
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 1/2 cup chopped peanuts
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Ingredients
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- Mix peanut butter, coconut milk, chicken broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, salt, and basil in a mixing bowl with a whisk until smooth. Set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil in a wok or deep skillet over high heat. Stir fry chicken until no longer pink in the center, about 8 minutes.
- Add lime zest, ginger, garlic, and jalapeno to the pan and stir fry for one minute.
- Add the coconut peanut butter mixture to the pan along with the snow peas, bell pepper, and bean sprouts and stir well.
- When the sauce begins to bubble, reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for about 4 minutes (vegetables should be cooked but still a little crisp).
- Serve over rice or noodles, and top with chopped peanuts and cilantro.
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