Delicious Chicken with Cilantro & Red Thai Curry Peanut Sauce

Chicken with Cilantro & Red Thai Curry Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts,
• pounded to 1/2 inch thick 
• 2 T peeled and minced fresh ginger
• 1 T chopped fresh garlic
• 1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter (without added sugar) at room temperature
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar (not “seasoned” vinegar which has sugar)
• 2 T soy sauce
• 2 T sweetener of your choice (Use Stevia Granulated or other sweetener for lowest carbs)
• 1 tsp. red Thai Curry Paste (I like Thai Kitchen brand)
• 3 T homemade chicken stock or canned chicken broth
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• about 2 T peanut oil (depends on your pan)
• 1 cup unsweetened regular or lite coconut milk
• 4 T finely chopped cilantro (or more), plus more for garnish if desired (Use thinly sliced green onions if you’re not a cilantro fan)

Directions:

1. Trim chicken breasts so they are about the same size and remove any visible fat or ragged edges.  Put each chicken breast inside plastic bag or between plastic wrap and use a meat mallet to pound to even 1/2 inch thickness. 
2. Finely mince the ginger and garlic.  In food processor or immersion blender canister combine ginger, garlic, peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sweetener of your choice, curry paste, and chicken stock. Taste to see if you want to add more red curry paste. (I didn’t.)
3. Heat the oil in heavy, large frying pan. Season chicken with black pepper, then add chicken to pan and saute over medium heat about until chicken breasts are nicely browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes on first side, and 2-3 minutes more on second side.  (It’s important not to overcook the chicken; it should feel barely firm to the touch when you take it out of the pan.)
4. Remove chicken to plate and cover with foil. Reduce heat to low and add 1 cup coconut milk. (You can freeze the other 3/4 cup coconut milk for another time.) Scrape off browned bits from the bottom of the pan, then stir in peanut/curry/ginger paste mixture and heat through, about 2-3 minutes.
5. Add any juices that have accumulated on the pate and cook another minute or two.  Turn off heat and mix in chopped cilantro. Serve the sauce immediately over chicken breasts, with additional chopped cilantro for garnish if desired.