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Wednesday, April 14, 2010

The Betty Crocker Project : Thai- Style Coconut Chicken

With a basil jungle in our kitchen, a few leftover limes from the fruit salad in our fruit basket, and new shipment of May Wah  Fake Chickn in our freezer... our fates seemed sealed. This week we were destined to make from scratch one of our favorite dishes to order in a restaurant. We didn't expect that Betty's recipe would have that subtle hot bite that you get from really good Thai food—like we said before, her recipes are perfect for making a base for a large family full of diverse palettes. They aren't a passport to Bangkok.

In the end, we passed on the brown sugar in the original recipe to keep the natural sweetness of the coconut milk intact, and added a few dashes of this hot sauce we picked up on our Agavemoon (har-har, vegan humor). But, it still lacked that signature kick that makes your eyes water a little in a good way.

We may revisit this one, but that's not to say this recipe isn't worth making. It’s a fast and very easy way to make really good food for half the price of going out.

  • Olive Oil for cooking
  • 2 Cups of Fake Chicken (we used more of the May Wah fake chicken - but Morningstar Chickn Strips or Gardein would also work)
  • 1 1/2 Teaspoons Lime Peel (grated)
  • 2 Teaspoons Ginger (grated)
  • 1 Tablespoon Garlic (minced)
  • 1 Can Jalapenos (chopped)
  • 1/4 Cup Cilantro (fresh and chopped) 
  • 1 Can Coconut Milk 
  • 2 Tablespoons of Braggs
  • 1 Cup Snap Peas Pods
  • 1 Medium Red Pepper (cut into slices) 
  • A Tablespoon of Fresh Basil per serving (as a topping) 
  • 2 cups of cooked Jasmine Rice 
  • Hot Sauce to taste 
  • Lime wedges

In a cast iron skillet, heat Olive Oil over medium heat. Stir-fry the Fake Chicken till you get a crispy crust. This is key to keep the Chickn from getting spongy in the sauce. Add Lime Peel, Ginger, Garlic and Jalapenos. Continue to stir-fry for another 1-2 minutes.

Pour in the Coconut Milk. Stir in the Braggs, Pea Pods, Cilantro and Red Pepper. Let simmer for 3 to 5 minutes - stirring occasionally to keep the Coconut Milk from sticking to the pan. (We added a few dashes of Hot sauce to give it a bit more warmth.)

Serve over Rice and top with Fresh Basil and some Lime Wedges to add a bit more of an acidy kick.

4 comments:

  1. Hi Shannons - love your site! I think you will find that a lot of the recipes in Betty Crocker are bland, as that was the 1970's preferred taste (or whenever this book was originally printed).

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  2. Hi! I just want to say that this was really wonderful. I substituted a serrano chili pepper for the jalepenos and used Mock Dock (seitan) instead of the Morning star chick'n strips. We also served it over millet, which has lately become my fave grain. The dish was so easy to put together.

    Thank you, dear Shannons, for adding to our household menu. I can't wait to try out future recipes.

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  3. I was looking for a Thai coconut chicken recipe and came to your blog first- so glad I did! I made this for dinner last night and I can't stop thinking about it ALL DAY today! It was amazingly fabulous! Thanks for publishing such a great recipe to your site!!!

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  4. This is so delicious! I've made a few thai-style recipes, but none came close to authentic tasting. This one blew my mind. It was so easy that I was not prepared for how good it was! Next time I'll use half the can of jalapenos, though. I loooove hot, but I was picking around the peppers to get the delicious sauce. Served it over quinoa & kale. Thank you!

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