Lemongrass Chicken with Peanut Sauce

   Peanut sauce may be one of the best things ever.  I have literally eaten an entire bowl of it by myself.  There is probably some chemical reaction that when the ingredients are mixed in proper proportions, it becomes highly addictive.  For our Thai night dinner (after carving some amazing pumpkins!) we were having Thai Coconut soup.  While that is enough food, something else would make it feel more like a mini-feast.  So we decided on this dish.  I had brought lemongrass puree (available in the refrigerated produce section near the packaged herbs) for the soup, and the chicken evolved out of that.  The chicken is really good and only has a a few ingredients.  The peanut sauce has more ingredients, but the only cooking involved is stirring.

Heather Clemons Photography

Lemongrass Chicken
1-1 1/2 lb chicken breast
1 Tbsp lemongrass puree
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

   Slice the chicken into bite sized chunks or strips.  Liberally salt and pepper
   Mix lemongrass, vinegar, and oil together.  In an oven-proof baking dish, coat chicken with marinade.  Allow to marinate for 1 hr to overnight.
   Bake at 400 deg F for 10-15 minutes, until chicken is cooked all the way through.
   Serves 4.

Peanut Dipping Sauce
1/2 C smooth peanut butter
1/3 C soy sauce (low sodium or regular, whichever you like)
1/4 C rice vinegar
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp sriracha (more or less depending on how much heat you want)
1 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp  ground coriander
1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional)

   In a bowl, add peanut butter and soy sauce.  Using a fork or whisk, gently mix together until smooth.  Mix in the rest of the ingredients.  (If the peanut butter is really stiff, before any other ingredients are added, microwave for about 10 sec.  Until it has softened.)
   Sauce will keep in the refrigerator for 5 days.
   About 4 servings.