THAI PEANUT CHICKEN CURRY

THAI PEANUT CHICKEN CURRY
2 1/2 pounds boneless chicken tenders, cut into thin strips *
1 bunch broccoli, about 1 pound
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons red Thai curry paste **
1 teaspoon chili paste ***
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
3 tablespoons natural peanut butter
13.5 ounce can coconut milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce or soy sauce
2 tablespoons granular Splenda, or equivalent liquid Splenda
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum, if needed
1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice
4 green onions, slice on the bias

Cut the broccoli into florets. Discard the stalks or use in another recipe. Place the florets in a microwaveable casserole and add 1 tablespoon water. Cover and microwave 2-3 minutes on high until crisp-tender and bright green; drain and set aside.

Put the oil, curry paste and sambal in a large wok. In a medium bowl, gradually whisk the coconut milk into the peanut butter until well blended. Whisk in the fish sauce and Splenda; set aside. Have all the other ingredients prepped and handy near the stove.

Turn the stove on medium heat; cook and stir the curry paste about a minute until fragrant. Add the garlic, ginger and chicken. Cook and stir until the chicken is no longer translucent but not completely cooked. Add the peanut butter mixture and bring to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes stirring occasionally. If you'd like a thicker sauce, add the xanthan gum at this point. Cook about a minute then stir in the lime juice and broccoli. Cook until the broccoli is heated. Season with a little salt, if needed. Top with green onions to serve.

Makes 6 servings
Do not freeze

* I used a 3 pound bag of chicken tenders and ended up with about 2 1/2 pounds after draining off the ice crystals and trimming the chicken pieces.

** Use 1 tablespoon if you don't like really spicy food. Use 3 tablespoons if you like it nice and hot.

*** Also called sambal oelek.

Per Serving: 424 Calories; 21g Fat; 49g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 6g Net Carbs

I wanted to recreate a delicious Thai dish that I had in a restaurant so I searched the internet for similar recipes and combined the best ingredients of three or four of them. I don't know if this tastes exactly the same as what I'd eaten, but it's pretty close and just as tasty. I was going to add chopped peanuts as a garnish but decided that I didn't like the little crunchy bits. Feel free to add some, if you like. I think this might also be good with some blanched fresh green beans as well as or instead of the broccoli. By the way, the photo shows a little less than half of the whole batch. Click the photo for a close-up.

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