{Thai Peanut Chicken}

So, tonight I think I cooked the best meal I have ever cooked, hands down.  EVER.  That's a bold statement.  I stand by it.  I came across this recipe for peanut sauce on Pinterest a while ago and pinned it because I love all things Thai and peanut sauce is a particular favorite.  A couple weeks later I actually clicked the link and discovered that this recipe was handed down from a Thai mother to her daughter and had been adapted, simplified and perfected over many years.  How could a recipe like that be anything BUT delicious?!  I thawed out the chicken earlier in the week, eagerly anticipating what promised to be a delightful meal.  However, this is the last week before school starts and we have been crazy with school shopping, eleven year old shots, {getting the car battery replaced}, meet the teacher nights, school nurse visits and all else that accompany our return to public education.   Every evening my peanut chicken got bumped back in favor of a simpler sounding dish.  Tonight was just as busy as any other -- Brent took Ri to meet-the-teacher at 4:45 and then went directly to scouts.  Sis and I were heading to meet-the-teacher at 6:00.  D was sleeping on the couch after staying up much too late at a sleep-over last night.  But I (and my thawed out chicken} could wait no longer.  I cooked the meal and served it unceremoniously to myself and Sis as we prepared to run out the door and it did not disappoint.  It's a shame really, because a meal this delicious deserves to be served beautifully to a family seated at a table and savored.  Each and every bite appreciated and enjoyed thoroughly, not wolfed down standing over the kitchen sink.  Or reheated and wolfed down at 8:30 by guys so hungry they could have eaten the kitchen sink itself.  This recipe is going into our regular rotation, for sure.  Here's the kicker -- it was SO EASY!  Twenty minutes, no special skills required.  That's a keeper in my book.

Here's what I discovered in my hasty preparation this evening:  The original peanut sauce recipe says not to use regular peanut butter.  You're supposed to use that fancy schmancy natural peanut butter.   I didn't remember that when I went grocery shopping so I used the ghetto stuff I usually buy and it was absolutely perfect.  The best peanut sauce I've ever had the pleasure of ingesting.  No joke. Also, it makes a lot.  Like 3 1/2 cups.  I read that it keeps well in the fridge or you can freeze it.  Or you can cook more chicken tomorrow and eat it again, which I plan to do.  I used this recipe for the chicken {broiled it in my oven instead of grilling} and then SMOTHERED it in peanut sauce.  If you try it, I promise you won't regret it!