Peanut Chicken Recipe and Menu Plan

Originally, I had been looking for a copy-cat recipe of Cheesecake Factory's Bang Bang Chicken and Shrimp (minus the shrimp for me) to make at home when I came across this recipe.  It was actually a recipe someone on the Menus 4 Moms boards shared.  I have tweaked it to our family's liking. 

I have since found copy-cat recipes for the Bang Bang Chicken, and I am anxious to give that a try.  But we will likely keep this favorite on our menu rotation for now. 

Oh, something else about my cooking... I don't measure most of the time.  I also don't remember from one time to the next how I have tweaked a recipe and whether we liked it better or not.  It drives my family mad.  But it is all part of the creative process for me!  I am trying to make notes here and there because I do want to pass the recipes on to my kids as well. 

Someday, I hope to even add pictures!  Ooohhh!

Peanut Chicken
1 can coconut milk
1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy seems to be best
1/2 cup vinegar, we typically use Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce, tamari, or Bragg's Liquid Amino's
1/4 cup brown sugar or Sucanat
1/2 - 1 tsp ginger, ground
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, more if you like more heat
2-4 garlic cloves, minced
2.5 cups chicken, cooked and diced
1.5 cups rice, quinoa, etc. or a blend (you may want to use additional coconut milk and/or broth in place of the water to cook the rice for flavor)
2 T coconut oil
Carrots, julienned
Zucchini (or Cucumber), julienned
Shredded coconut
Chopped peanuts
Green onions, sliced


Put rice on to cook.



Heat first eight ingredients in heavy saucepan until mixed and bubbly; stirring frequently.  Then add chicken.


While sauce heats, slice green onions, carrots and zucchini or cucumber. These are best ice cold.


To serve, scoop rice onto each plate and top with chicken and sauce. Top liberally with onions, cucumbers, carrots, coconut and peanuts. 


Notes: for presentation, it works nicely to scoop rice into a small bowl, packed tightly.  Place the plate on top of the bowl upside down.  Flip bowl and plate together, then lift the bowl, leaving the rice in a nice rounded mound.  Then spoon chicken and sauce over and around rice.  Then top with the carrots, coconut, peanuts, etc. 

Also, we double the sauce for our family. 

We often serve this with a stir-fry veggie medley (broccoli, carrots, sugar snap peas, maybe squash or peppers, and onions, chopped and 'wokked' in a little butter and lemon juice, please!).  When we have dessert on Peanut Chicken night, I like the Mandarin Napoleons from Robin Miller.  Yum!  (We double this recipe as well.  The sugared, baked won tons are so yummy all by themselves as well!)

Menu Planning and Grocery Lists... on a Budget

Today is menu planning day and grocery list day. This is quite a process for me. I love it and hate it at the same time. I plan for two weeks at a time. We have a reasonable budget for groceries, and I am very thankful for that. My goal is to have a cooking day after grocery day and pack away most of our meals in the freezer for the two week period. I have only been successful or semi-successful in this venture a handful of times.

Many times I plan the menu, buy what I need and then don't follow the menu as I would like. I usually plan 14 main meals or less but plan to double for leftovers. Last time was a little better. The last two weeks' menu was supposed to be as follows...

Home Made Pizza - success
Peppy Pizza Pasta - success
Kathy's Kitchen Spaghetti Pizza - success
Tex-Mex Tomato Hamburger Stew - success
Taco Crescent Bake - success
Hanky Panky's - success (but will probably change recipe next time)
Fruity Curry Chicken - success
Easy Cheesy Chicken Fajita Skillet - haven't made yet
Chicken Marsala - haven't made yet (this will be my first attempt, and purely for my dh)
Swedish Meatballs - haven't made yet (I have looked at 3 grocery stores for the seasoning packet to no avail... did they stop making it? So, I guess I'll learn how to make it from scratch. Probably healthier that way, anyway.)
Tacos - didn't happen either

We did realize this week, once again, how much we don't care for Velveeta type cheese. I planned two recipes using this ingredient this meal period in order to use up what I bought, but I've only made one and may not make the other. I guess I forget after a time that we don't like it.

Anyway, I don't like to make the same foods over and over. I like to find new recipes or old ones that we haven't had in awhile (hence the Velveeta issue). This takes time during menu planning. Not to mention that my menu planning sessions are never in one chunk of time.

But I really do enjoy cooking and learning to create new foods and flavors in the kitchen, especially if I can make it more nutritious as well as more delicious. I rarely make the same thing the same way twice. And there are many nights I take some of this and a little of that and create something yummy but can never completely recreate because I didn't write down what I did.

So, this menu planning period, I think I will go with these meals...

1. Home Made Pizza - this can be made different every time
2. Chicken Tortilla Soup
3. (Turkey) Ham & Pineapple
4. Sweet & Sour Chicken
5. Crock pot Sloppy Joe's
6. Chicken Marsala
7. Pasta with Tuna and Tomatoes
8. Chicken & Cheese Enchiladas
9. Cheeseburger Casserole
10. Our Favorite Meatloaf
11. BBQ Chicken Pasta
12. Calzones of some sort
13. Chicken Tetrazzini
14. Shredded BBQ Beef Sandwiches
15. Lasagna

Now, to plan side dishes, the occasional dessert, lunches, snacks & breakfasts, and I'll be done! Maybe I'll post recipes and updates as to whether I accomplish a Cooking Day and follow my menu plan.