Peanut Butter Chicken

Peanut butter, plus chicken, sort of equal, what in the HECK are you talking about.  No I am not a satay fan.  Or should I say I never THOUGHT I was. 

My husband eats this peanut butter chicken at our favorite Chinese place pretty often.  I have never tried it because, hey, the thought almost makes me erp.  True story.  But last week I decided since I tried octopus a few days prior, I could handle peanut butter chicken.  SO good.  SO subtle.  I mean do I love LOVE it?  No.  Could I eat it, if I had to, oh absolutely.  Ok wait, maybe I would eat it, even if I didn't have to.  Whatever, the point is, it wasn't at all what I assumed or expected it would be.  I wanted to go home and try to recreate it.  It isn't exactly the same, trust me, my husband was pretty up front about that, but we loved it anyway. 

So while I may not be cooking this at the Honger anytime soon, it was a hit in my kitchen, and I am stickin' to it, like peanut butter on jelly!

For the chicken in this recipe you can use boneless skinless thighs, I actually would have preferred it.  However, last time chicken breasts were on sale, I had some out of body experience and bought so many packages, there is room for nothing else in the freezer, so I went with it.  I cut mine in half thickness wise.  So they are thin.  It avoided me having to pound them out and end up with huge piece of chicken to deal with.  So go with your gut folks, just go with your gut! 

6 pieces of boneless chicken (your choice as discussed above)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup ground peanuts
2 cups flour
2 eggs
splash of water
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Prepare your 3 dishes for dredging.  In one dish place breadcrumbs and ground peanuts and mix them up.  In the second dish, you will put your flour, and in the 3rd dish you will whisk your eggs with a splash of water.

Take your chicken, coat completely in flour, shake it off.  Then in egg, and then cover in the bread/peanut crumb mixture.  Set on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet and finish the rest of the chicken.

Heat your frying pan with vegetable oil or whatever oil you choose.  Fry chicken approx. 4-5 minutes on each side.  Cook in MEDIUM or you will burn the outside.  Mine were a bit thicker so I had to cook lower and slower to avoid said scenario.   You can drizzle them with some peanut butter sauce, or just use the sauce for dipping! (recipe below)

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup water
1 tbsp. honey

Mix until combined, and microwave for 30 seconds to warm through.  Done!

Your "peanuuuut, peaanuuuut butter....and CHICKEN" Chefwannabe