Ginger Peanut Chicken

 

This amazing dish has so much flavor! It has become a super regular part of our dinner rotation, and every time I make it (no exaggeration) everyone in the family is exclaiming about "this good chicken!" It is a little unusual for a stir fry like this to not have a sauce, but don't worry! You won't miss it.

The saltiness of the peanuts, the savory garlic and ginger, the squeeze of lime at the end and (most importantly!) the coconut rice, all sing together so beautifully. I could wax on and on. It is so good.

The first step is to cut the chicken and get it marinating for about 20 minutes or longer if you can.  Then get the coconut rice going in your instant pot - it is amazing what a can of coconut milk can do for rice. It is life changing.  

Then cook your chicken, being careful to not stir it too soon - you want to let it get all carmelized on each side. Add in the peanuts and garlic, and get them all toasty, then finally the green onions, cilantro, lime juice and chopped spinach, or bok choy, or some other fun vegetable. I almost always use spinach because it cooks down so nicely and is a great way to amp up vegetable content in any dish!

Serve over the coconut rice and with your favorite sides - we love roasted broccoli or sauteed green beans especially! And get ready to stock up on chicken thighs and limes... then you'll be ready to make this amazing dish at a moment's notice. 

Ginger Peanut Chicken

Chicken:
1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces
1-inch piece of ginger, grated
4-5 green onions, sliced, white and green parts separated
zest and juice of 2 -3 limes (you'll use these separately)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 cups chopped fresh spinach 

Rice:
2  cups jasmine rice
1 can coconut milk
1 1/2 cups water
pinch salt

In a medium bowl, combine the ginger, white parts of green onion, lime zest, brown sugar, salt, and olive oil. Add in the bite sized chicken pieces and stir to combine. Let the chicken marinate for at least 20 minutes. 

For the rice, add the rice, water, coconut milk and salt to the Instant Pot bowl. Set on manual high pressure for 3 minutes. When it's complete, let it naturally release for 10-15 minutes. (I just leave it til I'm ready to serve the chicken. The timing works out pretty well!)

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and marinade, and let it cook on this side for at least 3 minutes to carmelize. Then flip or stir and let cook another few minutes until it's done. 

Reduce heat to medium and add the garlic and peanuts. Continue to cook and stir until peanuts are golden and roasty, about 2 minutes. Add the cilantro, green onion pieces, and spinach, and stir until the spinach is wilted, then squeeze in the lime juice.

Serve over rice with or without additional vegetables! 

Recipe Source: Pinch of Yum