Thai Peanut Chicken Stir-fry

This VERY simple and flavorful dish is one of my family's favorites! The way this recipe came to be a staple in our meal rotation is kind of funny. Do you remember when Walmart used to have recipe cards around the produce section that you could take home? I haven't seen those in a long time, but I used to enjoy checking them all out and picking up the ones that looked like a possibility for us (this was definitely pre-babies when I had lots of time to meander haha). One day I found a recipe for Thai Peanut Chicken Pizza. We love peanut butter in my family (like I haven't said that a million times already), so I was really excited to try this out! Once I got home I thought about it and realized I really shouldn't make pizza. Every time I eat pizza I get a huge blood sugar crash. I wanted stir-fry! Thus, the Thai Peanut Chicken Stir-fry was born! I added more vegetables and swapped rice (noodles or salad greens also work!) for the crust. Of course I also had to completely change up the way it was cooked. It was such a great idea, and I'm glad I ventured out and tried something new!

You probably already have all of these ingredients on hand. Nothing in this recipe is unusual or special. It's a whole food, healthy, quick, and delicious meal. Even though my 2.5 year old is not a huge meat fan, I can easily pour the peanut butter sauce on top of his rice or noodles and know he's getting his necessary carbs, protein, and fat. No need to cook anything special or separate. Everyone in your family will love this dish! If the men or growing teenagers in your family eat everything in sight, encourage them to add a salad on the side of this meal with tons of juicy colorful vegetables and some extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette on top. That sound fill them up. ;)

Thai Peanut Chicken Stir-fry
(Can be gluten free, dairy free, egg free, refined sugar free, low carb if made into a salad)
Serves 3 people

Ingredients

Meat:

• 3 boneless chicken breast, cubed (3 ozs each)
• 1 tsp olive oil*
• 3 tbs soy sauce
• 2 cups chopped bell peppers
• 1 cup chopped onions

Sauce:

• 2 tbs stevia, sugar, or choice of sweetener
• 2 tbs creamy natural peanut butter
• 3 tbs soy sauce
• 1 tbs garlic
• 2 tbs corn starch

Optional additions:

• Brown rice (do not use more than 1/2 cup cooked)**
• Noodles (whole wheat, somen, udon, rice) (do not use more than 1/2 cup cooked)**
• Salad greens (use as much as you want!)

Directions

1. In saucepan combine all the sauce ingredients. Cook on medium-high until thickened.
2. Remove sauce from stove and cover with lid to keep warm. 
3. Put the olive oil and chicken in another pan. Cook on medium-high until chicken is no longer pink. Stir occasionally until done. 
4. At the same time you begin the chicken, start the process to cook the rice or noodles. Let this cook while you wait on the chicken and vegetables to finish cooking. 
5. Add peppers, onions, and soy sauce into the pan with the chicken and cook until vegetable are tender. Stir occasionally until done. 
6. Combine the chicken, vegetables, and peanut sauce and stir together. 
7. Serve on top of salad greens, rice, or noodles. 

Notes:

*If chicken starts to stick to the pan, add a little bit of chicken broth or cooking spray to the pan and stir. Continue to add and stir it in until the chicken is done. This will keep the calories and fat total to a healthy amount. 

**To keep this meal balanced and healthy do not use more than 1/2 cup of cooked carbs. Any more than that and your carbohydrates will be way too high and will cause a sugar spike and crash. 

Nutrition Facts: (per serving without rice or noodles)

Cals-294, Fat-11g, Carbs-25g, Fiber-3g, Sugar-8g, Pro-24.5g

(per serving with 1/2 cup cooked brown rice)

Cals-403, Fat-12g, Carbs-48g, Fiber-4.5g, Sugar-8g, Pro-27g