Healthy Thai Peanut Chicken Stir Fry

Thai Peanut Chicken Stir Fry - Eat Spin Run Repeat

Hello there!

Those of you who have been reading for a long time will know that I often share a new healthy recipe and a new-to-me find on Wednesdays. This week I’ve used that new-to-me thing in a dish that is definitely worthy of the Recipe of the Week spotlight, so consider it a very tasty 2-in-1 kind of deal.

Ingredients for Thai Peanut Chicken Stir Fry - Eat Spin Run Repeat

Let’s have a chat about dinners. Specifically, dinners you could eat every night of the week. When I was a kid, I would have eaten Kraft Dinner smothered in ketchup every single night if my parents had given me the choice. The thought of it now makes me cringe because the prime constituents of this dinner of champions include cheese and gluten (in the form of pasta), both of which I have sensitivities to. Luckily a love for vegetables emerged in my late teens and my staple I-could-eat-this-every-night-forever dinners have changed.

sugar snap peas, ginger and mushrooms

As a reader of this blog, you might assume that I eat something new and pretty every night of the week. I wish it were true, but the creature of habit inside of me tends to opt for an entree-sized salad or some sort of stir fry about 99% of the time. As far as I’m concerned, stir fries are the jam because they’re the ultimate no-excuses dinner.

Here’s what I mean:

No fresh veggies in the fridge? Use the frozen kind.

Don’t like chopping vegetables? Use the frozen kind.

Favourite vegetables aren’t in season? Use the frozen kind, or better yet, try a new-to-you kind that is in season.

Think you don’t have a wide enough variety of veggies? Use whatever you’ve got. I’ve been known to make magic with just 2 heads of purple and green cabbage!

Don’t have any protein sources in the fridge/freezer? Use canned tuna, beans or lentils, or serve your vegetables on quinoa – it’s a complete source of protein too!

Don’t have much time to cook? Stir frying is for you – it only takes a few minutes over high heat.

In addition to their versatility, there are SO many different sauce combinations that you can create on the fly. The ingredients in mine typically include some combination of the following:

  • garlic (cloves, paste, or granulated)
  • fresh ginger
  • miso paste
  • low-sodium tamari (or low sodium soy sauce, if you’re not sensitive to gluten)
  • rice vinegar
  • sriracha sauce
  • chili flakes
  • honey or stevia
  • Thai curry paste
  • Chinese 5-spice powder
  • oyster sauce
  • sweet chili sauce
  • peanut butter

Note: For those of you who also have gluten sensitivities, Asian ingredients like the ones mentioned above often contain gluten. Be sure to read your labels!)

peanut butter and thai curry paste

My favourite item on that list of sauce ingredients at the moment? Peanut butter. I’m obsessed.

While there are lots of bloggers out there who love PB in their sweet treats, oatmeal, smoothies, toast etc, I’m personally more of a fan when it’s used in savoury dishes. And because November just happens to be National Peanut Butter Lovers Month, I’m using that as my excuse to enjoy more.

As I’m sure you’ve seen, there’s about a bazillion and six peanut butters available at grocery stores and health food shops these days, some of which cost a small fortune for a very small jar which could be demolished in an even smaller amount of time. Regardless of how I’m using it, there can’t be anything funky in the jar like hydrogenated oils, sugar, corn syrup, soy protein isolate or anything else like that in the jar. Short labels are where it’s at and I like my PB to contain just peanuts!

Adams peanut butter and raw veggies

I recently learned about Adams 100% Natural Peanut Butter, a brand that is newly available in Ontario. Their Crunchy and Creamy varieties are now on shelves in our grocery stores (with unsalted options on the West coast), and each jar is made with only peanuts and a dash of salt – no preservatives, hydrogenated fats, stabilizers, sugar, or anything else. Because of this, there’s a layer of oil at the top that needs to be stirred in, but if you flip it over and store it upside down, the problem is solved!

Adam's Peanut Butter

What’s the first thing that pops into the head of a stir fry junkie when these jars of peanut butter land on her doorstep? “Make a giant container of peanut sauce and make a Thai Peanut Chicken Stir Fry!

And that’s what I did.

red curry peanut sauce

It’s taken me a few tries to perfect my recipe for Thai peanut sauce, and although it’s not the same as the conventional kind, it’s one of my favourite stir fry mix-ins to date. For those of you that don’t like chopping, don’t you worry – you can toss all the ingredients for the sauce into a blender, whirl away, and it’s done just like that. I’ve made big batches to store it in the fridge for as long as one week in the past, but it rarely lasts that long!

Thai Peanut Chicken Stir Fry - Eat Spin Run Repeat 4

Of course, you could use any vegetables you have on hand here. I used fresh, but if time is scarce or you feel like you need to eat ASAP, save yourself some time, defrost some frozen ones, and toss them around in a wok for a few minutes in this dreamy, velvety, totally addictive sauce.

Thai Peanut Chicken Stir Fry - Eat Spin Run Repeat

Thai Peanut Chicken Stir Fry

by Angela Simpson

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients (2 servings)

    For the sauce:

    • 1 clove minced garlic
    • 2 tbsp Adams Natural Creamy Peanut Butter
    • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
    • 2 tbsp water
    • 1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce (low sodium)
    • 1 tbsp red curry paste
    • 2 tsp minced fresh ginger
    • a few pinches chili flakes

    For the rest:

    • 1 tsp coconut oil
    • 225g raw boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped
    • 1 large carrot, peeled and julienned
    • 1 red bell pepper
    • 1 green bell pepper
    • 1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets
    • 1 cup sliced mushrooms
    • ½ cup snap peas
    • 2 small green onions, thinly sliced
    • 2 tbsp raw unsalted peanuts
    • cilantro, to garnish (optional)

    Instructions

    • Whirl all the ingredients for the sauce in a blender or food processor. Pour them into a bowl and set aside.
    • Melt the coconut oil in a large frying pan or wok. Add the chopped chicken breast pieces and stir fry for 2-3 minutes or until slightly golden on the outsides.
    • Add the carrots, bell peppers and broccoli to the wok along with 3 tbsp water. Stir fry until they start to become tender and the broccoli turns bright green, about 3 minutes.
    • Add the mushrooms, snap peas, and pour the peanut sauce on top. Continue stir frying for 3 more minutes, coating all the chicken and vegetables in sauce.
    • Divide the mixture between 2 bowls. Top with green onion slices, chopped peanuts and cilantro, then serve.

    Click here to print the recipe.

    Thai Peanut Chicken Stir Fry - Eat Spin Run Repeat

    Lastly, a pro tip: If possible, serve this stir fry in a shallow bowl. In comparison to a deep one, they’re easier to lick clean (and you just might feel the need to do that.) 😉

    Other sweet and savoury peanut butter recipes for National Peanut Butter Lovers Month:

    So tell me…

    • Sweet, savoury, or straight off the spoon: How do you prefer to get your PB fix?
    • What dinner could you eat every night without getting bored of it?

     

    New Balance Giveaway Update: My New Balance Chameleon Jacket giveaway has closed, and the winner was Shirley. Thank you so much to all who entered, and I’ll be compiling all of your workout songs into a great big playlist for Friday’s post!

    Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Adams Peanut Butter but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

    19 thoughts on “Healthy Thai Peanut Chicken Stir Fry

      1. It’s so true!! You can’t get much easier than that and as an added bonus, the frozen ones are often better than fresh because they’re frozen closer to the time they’re picked, so their nutrient profiles are stronger. Win-win! 🙂

    1. Well, you have seen me cook before so you KNOW my abilities when it comes to this. A stirfry this simple is TOTALLY my style and the fact that it has peanut butter? Well…I don’t think it needs explaining…

    2. I have a love affair with peanut butter too! I’ll take it sweet, savory, or on a spoon 😉 I can guarantee I’ll love this sauce, red curry paste is on the grocery list.

    3. I’m eating a pb&j sandwich on my lunch break right now as I’m reading this! 😉 It’s my go-to lunch 3-4 days a week. I also like pb in sauces in savory dishes. It’s hard to go wrong w/ pb.

      I used to eat a big salad for din almost every night, but I finally got sick of them (this was after 2-3 yrs!). I still have 1 every now & then.

      1. Oh my gosh, PB&J brings back so many memories! I actually was more of a PB and honey fan as a kid (weird, right?) but I’d never turn down the PB&J combo. As for the big salads for dinner, I’m on one of those kicks right now (as in, if I’m not having a stir fry, that’s the plan B.) It seems that topping a bunch of greens with lots of roasted veggies makes them so much more satisfying in the winter!

    Leave a Reply to Links I Love 11.16.14 | A Couple of Dashes Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.