Description
A delicious recipe for Peanut Butter Chicken (made in your Instant Pot or on your stove top)- a delicious Baleniese-style meal the whole family will love!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast, or thighs, cut into 1 inch cubes, sprinkled with pinch of salt
- 3 fat cloves garlic, rough chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped ( or use ginger paste)
- 1 teaspoon peanut oil, coconut oil or olive oil
- 13-ounce can full fat coconut milk (liquid and solids- stirred) do not use light- too watery!
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce (or use GF liquid amino acids)
- 3 tablespoons honey (or coconut sugar or brown sugar)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, more to taste
- 1 tablespoon chili garlic paste (or sriracha, or sambal olek)
- —–
- 1/2 cup peanut butter (or sub almond butter)
- optional additions: 1 tablespoon lemongrass, 4-5 kefir lime leaves
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes, sprinkle with salt and set aside.
- Instant Pot Instructions: set Instant Pot to the sauté function, and sauté the ginger and garlic in a teaspoon of oil for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Add lemongrass if using. Stir the can of coconut milk with a fork so liquids and solids are combined- then add 1 cup of the coconut milk, (you’ll add the rest after). Stir in the soy sauce, honey, lime juice, chili paste and the chicken (optional kafir lime leaves) everything except the peanut butter in the pot, and stir. Set to HIGH Pressure. ( Set to 7 mins for chicken breast, 10 mins for thighs). Naturally release. Once the chicken is done cooking, stir in the peanut butter, and taste a spoonful of the sauce. Adjust salt, lime, sweetness and spice level according to your taste. Stir in the remaining coconut milk if you like. Some of you may want it sweeter- so add more honey to taste. I usually add more chili paste and lime. The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.
- Stovetop Instructions, In a medium dutch oven or large skillet heat olive over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned chicken and brown each side until golden ( no need to cook through- just brown the meat). Toss in the garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant, 1-2 minutes, then add the remaining ingredients, all except the peanut butter – stirring to combine. Cover and let simmer gently on low heat, 8-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked, then stir in the peanut butter. Adjust sweetness, lime, salt and heat to taste!
- If the sauce seems too thin, reduce a bit using the sauté function ( or simmer gently uncovered on the stove) while constantly stirring, to prevent burning the bottom. See notes.
- Serve over a bed of jasmine rice or baby spinach, or this Asian Cucumber Salad. Top with optional Peanut Chili Crunch.
Notes
The sauce will start off a bit watery but will thicken as it cools.
This will become more and more delicious over the next couple days. When cooking chicken breast in a pressure cooker, the meat will “contract”. If you allow the pressure-cooked chicken time to “rest” (keeping in on the “warm” setting for a while) it will expand and absorb some of the sauce -the sauce will thicken and the chicken will relax a bit and become more tender and flavorful. That’s why dishes like this usually taste better the next day. A great one to make ahead!
If making or prepping ahead, I would just cook it ahead and refrigerate, allowing the flavors to meld.
To prep this ahead, and cook it later- blend all sauce ingredients (except peanut butter) in a blender. Pour over the raw chicken (in a ziplock bag) and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Then pour it in the Instant Pot. Drop peanut butter on the top of the chicken or stir it in after it is cooked. Follow the rest of the directions above.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ½ cup
- Calories: 381
- Sugar: 10.6 g
- Sodium: 330 mg
- Fat: 22.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 8.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 15.8 g
- Fiber: 2.3 g
- Protein: 31.4 g
- Cholesterol: 82.7 mg
Keywords: peanut chicken, peanut butter chicken, peanut chicken recipe, instant pot peanut chicken, peanut chicken instant pot,
