CHICKEN WITH PEANUT CURRY SAUCE

SANDRA'S CHICKEN WITH PEANUT CURRY SAUCE
2 tablespoons oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breast, cubed *
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 ounces frozen cut green beans, thawed
8 ounces frozen bell pepper strips, thawed

Sauce:
13.5 ounces coconut milk (1 can)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon red Thai curry paste
1/3 cup natural peanut butter **
2 tablespoon granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda
1 tablespoon lime juice
Cilantro for garnish, optional

In a 4-cup measuring cup, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients except the cilantro; set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saut?the chicken just until the outside is opaque. Add the green beans and peppers; cook another 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the sauce to the skillet with the chicken and vegetables. Bring to a boil then turn down the heat and simmer 6-8 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. Sprinkle with cilantro to serve.

Makes 4-6 servings
Freezing not recommended

* If you want to get 6 servings I suggest using 2 pounds of chicken.

** Sandra used crunchy peanut butter. I used creamy in mine.

Per 1/4 Recipe: 608 Calories; 38g Fat; 48g Protein; 16g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 12g Net Carbs
Per 1/6 Recipe: 405 Calories; 26g Fat; 32g Protein; 11g Carbohydrate; 2.5g Dietary Fiber; 8.5g Net Carbs

I got this recipe from Sandra Lee's "Semi-Homemade" TV show on Food Network. It's so delicious that it's hard to stop eating it. My only complaint is that the chicken ended up a little over cooked even though I cut it into large chunks in hope of preventing that problem. The sauce is wonderful and there is so much of it that I suggest eating this in bowls almost like a soup. I did use the xanthan gum in mine so I'm not sure how thick the sauce would get without it. Even with the xanthan gum, it was only slightly thick. One thing I might do differently next time is use fresh bell peppers instead of frozen ones. They got a little bit too soft, in my opinion. The green beans came out perfect. My first impression was that this was quite hot but I quickly got used to the heat. If you don't like things quite so hot, cut back the Thai curry paste to a teaspoon or two. I will definitely make this again and maybe just throw in some leftover cooked meat when the sauce goes in so that it doesn't get over cooked. Click the photo to see a close-up.

UPDATE: I've removed the xanthan gum from the recipe. The sauce is thick enough without it. I've also been using boneless chicken thighs instead of breasts because breast meat gets over cooked too quickly. The cooking time remains the same but you can let it simmer a bit longer without worrying about the meat coming out tough.

1. Prev:CHICKEN WITH OYSTER SAUCE
2. Next:GENERAL TSOS CHICKEN