Thai Chili-Lime Chicken with Peanuts

Happy Tuesday Fellow Foodies!

In an effort to eat more healthfully I am now doing a lot of Asian and Pacific rim cuisine in my kitchen. Thai Chili Chicken is one of my favorite recipes. It starts off with something called Chili-Tamarind Paste. This recipe makes a lot, so I recommend freezing it so that you have it around for whenever you need it. You can find the recipe for Chili-Tamarind pastes at the bottom of the page.

Chili-Lime Chicken with Peanuts

Sesame oil
1 large onion julienned
6 cloves of fresh garlic-crushed
dried red chilies (and small variety, I use Japanese chilies)
3 large boneless/skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1 inch pieces)

1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbs. Dark Soy sauce (regular soy sauce will work in a pinch)
2Tbs. Fish sauce
1 Tbs. Oyster sauce
1 Tbs. grated ginger (yes I use the stuff in the jar)
*2 Tbs. Chili Tamarind paste*
Juice of one lime (about 3Tbs.)

1 pound broccoli florets
Peanuts
Steamed Rice for serving
extra dried chilies, and lime wedges for garnish

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan-or a wok-over medium-high heat. Add the onions and stir-fry until they are translucent and turning a golden brown. Crush a few chilies (as per your personal heat-tolerance), in your hand and add along with the garlic to the pan. Give them a toss or two and add your chicken, cover the pan and allow to cook for 3-5 minutes, just until the chicken is done.

Meanwhile in a bowl combine the next 7 ingredients and whisk until smooth. Pour over cooked chicken mixture, add the broccoli and toss it together until everything is well coated. Turn your heat all the way up and allow the most of the liquid to evaporate.

Spoon your stir-fry over a bed of rice (or noodles if you prefer), sprinkle peanuts over the plate and garnish with a few more chilies and lime wedges. Watch it DISSAPEAR!!!!!




Chili Tamarind Paste
1/2-4/3 cup vegetable or olive oil
1 Onion-quartered
12-15 cloves of freshly peeled garlic
8-12 fresh red or green Thai Chilies
1/2 can of Tamarind concentrate
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup fish sauce
Puree everything in a food processor or blender until very, very smooth. Pour into a sauce pan and on Medium heat allow the mixture to cook down to a very thick paste that is slightly browned around the edges (try not to stir the mix too must to achieve browning). Transfer the mixture to a freezer-safe container and store in the freezer until needed. It spoons out of the container frozen with the consistency of ice cream.

This is not the original recipe. I altered it quite a bit from the "authentic" version to make it more appealing to Western Taste Buds. You can look up several versions online, if you are a true purest.

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