Thai-style Garlic Peanut Chicken

On Pinterest I found a recipe titled, P.F. Chang's Lettuce Wraps, Adapted from CD Kitchen Recipe. It looked good, so I tried it for dinner last week. The lettuce-wrapping didn't work for me at all. It tasted good with the lettuce, but my lettuce just fell apart. So we ended up eating the chicken mixture with rice and pieces of torn lettuce. Not as elegant, but much easier to eat. We also ate leftovers wrapped in a flour tortilla - also very good! In fact, the flavor seemed to be even better after a day or two in the fridge. 

Not being a Thai connoisseur, I wasn't sure what product to buy for the ingredient, "Chili Garlic Sauce." We also no longer live in a mecca of ethnic foods. In looking over the row of chili sauces at the local Fred Meyer store, I decided to avoid the ones that said "sweet," and I picked the one pictured above - A Taste of Thai's Garlic Chili Pepper Sauce. It was delicious! I don't like food that is very hot, gives me heartburn, or leaves my throat burning, so this was perfect for me. My husband loves hot food, so he added some Sriracha HOT Chili Sauce to his own plate. And we were both happy! Even the children loved it (Note: They are not picky eaters). 

The other preparation problem I ran into was that I couldn't find Ground Chicken Breast at the grocery store. I settled for Ground Turkey - 1 lb Ground Turkey Breast, and 1 lb Ground Turkey. After tasting this dish, I don't think the type of meat matters too much. I think you could make it with chicken, turkey, or even ground pork (not sausage). 

Thai-style Garlic Peanut Chicken

Yield: 4-6 servings
2 lb Ground Chicken breast (or turkey or pork)
1  Medium onion, minced
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
4  Large garlic cloves, minced
1 rounded TB Fresh-grated ginger
2 TB Sesame oil
5 TB Soy sauce
1 TB Water
2 TB Peanut butter
1 TB Honey
2 TB + 2 tsp Rice vinegar, unseasoned
3 TB Chili garlic sauce (or more to taste) - I use A Taste of Thai Garlic Chili Pepper Sauce
Dash Fresh-ground pepper
6  Green onions, chopped
1 can (8 oz) Sliced water chestnuts, drained & chopped
1/2 C Roasted peanuts, chopped (salted or unsalted)
10 large Lettuce leaves, torn (opt.)
Steamed rice

Heat a large, non-stick skillet on high. Add chicken, onion, salt & pepper, then cook until chicken is nearly done, stirring often to break up the meat. Add garlic and ginger. Continue cooking until chicken is no longer pink.

Heat together in small saucepan or in microwave - soy sauce, vinegar, oil, peanut butter, water, honey, chili sauce and pepper, until warm and smooth. Add to the skillet and stir to combine.

Add green onions and water chestnuts to skillet, then cook for 1-2 minutes until the onions are soft and water chestnuts are heated through. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Serve with rice, torn lettuce, and additional Garlic Chili Sauce, if desired. 

Alternately, serve over linguine-type pasta or wrapped in warmed flour tortillas. Enjoy! Leftovers taste great too!