Broccoli and Chicken Stir Fry with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Disclaimer: this recipe sounds strange. The first time I stumbled across this dish I was so confused - broccoli and peanut butter... together?? Ew. But alas, it is a delicious combination! The peanut sauce is salty, spicy, and slightly sweet and paired with the broccoli and chicken it makes a (surprisingly) delicious dish. Trust me! Oh, and you can easily make this vegetarian by leaving out the chicken and using vegetable stock, so that's always a bonus.

After making chicken satay the other night we found ourselves with some extra peanut sauce (never a bad thing) and I figured I would give it a try as a stir fry sauce and it ended up working perfectly! I think I will always meal plan to have these two dishes in the same week so I can make the sauce once and use it for two recipes... hooray for laziness. Give this recipe a try. It might sound a little weird at first, but it's truly delicious, not to mention very healthy! Enjoy :o)

Broccoli and Chicken Stir Fry with Spicy Peanut Sauce

serves 2

Ingredients

1 tsp. vegetable oil

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes

3 cups broccoli florets

1/2 red or orange bell pepper, cut into 1 inch strips

1/4 cup stock (chicken, beef, or vegetable all work fine)

1/2 cup peanut sauce

red pepper flakes to taste (about 1/4-1/2 tsp)

salt and pepper to taste 

cooked rice for serving (optional)

In a large wok or non-stick skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the chicken and season with a little salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned on all sides and cooked through. Remove to a plate. Add the broccoli, bell pepper and stock to the pan and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the broccoli is crisp-tender. Return the chicken to the pan and add the peanut sauce and red pepper flakes, stirring to coat everything evenly. Cook until everything is heated through, 2 minutes. Serve the stir fry on its own or over rice. Enjoy while hot. Yum!

Chicken with Peanut Satay Sauce

Ok ok before all you know-it-alls get antsy, I realize this isn't a "traditional" satay sauce. I didn't grind my own peanuts, I omitted the ginger, and I'm fresh out of lemongrass, but this is still a delicious peanut satay inspired dish. For those of you unfamiliar with satay, it is basically meat that has been marinated and grilled, then dipped in a sweet and salty peanut butter sauce. It's divine. This version is no exception. 

After researching a variety of satay recipes, I found some common ingredients and decided to venture off on my own to make a simplified, yet tasty version using what I had on hand (gosh that seems like a problem of mine). I am happy to report that the experimenting paid off! I wasn't planning to blog this dish, but halfway through dinner I forced Andy to stop eating so I could snap a few photos to add to the blog. He got a little grumpy, but I succeeded. The flavors of this dish are appealing to both adults and kids alike, and this could easily be served as a main dish protein along side a veggie and some rice (edamame in our case), or it could be served room temperature as an appetizer. Whatever floats your boat. Enjoy!

Chicken with Peanut Satay Sauce

Serves 2 main dish portion

Ingredients

Marinade

1/4 cup coconut milk

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. curry powder

1 tsp. brown sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch strips

Peanut sauce

1/2 cup coconut milk

2 tsp. curry powder

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (the "natural" peanut butter is better than a Jif or Skippy type of peanut butter, but use what you have on hand)

1/3 cup chicken or beef stock

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. lemon or lime juice

1 tsp. fish sauce

1 tsp. soy sauce
dash of cayenne pepper to taste (optional)

Other

wooden skewers (1 per chicken strip) soaked in water for 30 minutes

non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients for the marinade except the chicken. Add the chicken strips and toss to coat the marinade evenly over each. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, skewer the chicken strips onto the soaked wooden skewers. Discard any remaining marinade.

In the meantime, make the peanut sauce. In a small saucepan over medium low heat, whisk together all ingredients for the peanut sauce. Once it begins to simmer, cook for 5 minutes until smooth and slightly thickened. Remove from heat and transfer to a small serving bowl.

Heat a grill pan over medium high heat. Spray with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Grill the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side or until cooked through. 

Serve the chicken skewers along with the peanut sauce. Yum!

Basil Pesto

Ahhh pesto - such a humble sauce. A few simple ingredients come together to make a classic pasta dish that's hard to beat. Our herb garden really did well this year (well, not all herbs, but most did fine) and we found ourselves with a ton of extra basil... not a bad thing! I decided that it was time, once and for all, to try my hand at a yummy basil pesto. Traditionalists will tell you that pesto should only be made with a knife or mortar and pestle - no food processors or other electronics. Well, sorry traditionalists, but I don't have an extra 30 minutes to spend in my kitchen milling a pile of herbs to fine bits. (I'm sure it tastes awesome. If you have the time and patience to make it by hand, by all means go for it... and bring me some when you're done!). I chose to use my food processor for this because it is just so darn convenient.

Beautiful Basil From Our Herb Garden

Because pesto is such a simple sauce, it's vital to use the best ingredients you can manage. That means no "parmesan" out of a green-lidded can, kiddos. Use the real stuff. Trust me. Also, look for basil that is young with smaller leaves if possible. I find that when basil matures and flowers it tends to get bitter, which will impact the flavor of your sauce (ick). Finally, take the time to toast the pine nuts. Holy cow do they taste so much better when you toast them! 

If you have a pile of basil lying around, or if you just love pesto, please give this a try. It's the best version I've found, and pretty darn simple as well! Enjoy!

Basil Pesto

serves 4

Ingredients

2 cups packed basil leaves, rinsed and patted dry

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan or pecorino cheese (yes, the real stuff), plus extra for serving

1 pound dried pasta (I prefer whole grain spaghetti, but use what you like)

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water while you make the sauce. Reserve some of the cooking liquid before draining.

In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, pulse the basil, garlic and pine nuts until minced. You might have to stop and scrape down the bowl a couple of times if you have some runaways. Through the feed tube, slowly drizzle in the olive oil with the food processor running. Add the parmesan cheese and pulse a few times to incorporate. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Toss together the pesto and pasta until well combined. Add a few splashes of pasta cooking water to help the sauce stick (I know it seems counter-intuitive, but the starchy water is like glue!) and toss again. Portion into serving bowls and top with a little more parmesan cheese. Yum!

p.s. This sauce would also be great on top of chicken or steak... mmm