- 8. 2020
SHREDDED CHICKEN WITH SPAGHETTI AND PEANUT SAUCE
Gluten and Lactose-Free
Serves – 2
OOOOPS!. Did I make a big oops!
Peter does not like stuff to be too salty or too spicy, so I am always careful when I cook to check seasonings. When I use spices that are hot, I usually begin with a quarter to a third of what I think any recipe needs. This recipe does not have anything ‘spicy’ as such so I was not paying too much attention and I made the oops, but Peter loved this dish so much he went on to have two servings. Of course, I had to get him a big glass of Lactaid milk to help with the heat.
What I did unthinkingly is not remove most of the peppercorns from the poaching liquid! I should have left 1 perhaps 2 not all 6! You can decide how many you want to keep in.
Yes, did you realize that milk, yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese will all help your tongue if what you are eating is too spicy? I am not sure if this will work with habanero chilies or some other super spicy chilies. I think I ought to write that into my tips, which I have not taken care of at all. In my defense, I have been trying to perfect my gluten free bread stuff. I was so excited by those buns that I posted, but Peter isn’t, so I have been trying to make them ‘Peter Friendly’/’Peter Happy’. After all, 99% of the time I make things to make my sweetheart happy.
This is a dish I have made many times over the years, but today I did something that I have never done before, and it was fabulous, except for the oops, so I decided to post this recipe. Also, I can't think why I haven't been doing what I did tonight, all these years.
If you are looking to make this recipe for a crowd, just go ahead and double or triple it as I have done many times.
You can either make your own peanut sauce, it lasts about 3 weeks in the refrigerator or more in the freezer or purchase ‘San-J brand gluten-free peanut sauce’.
Let's get started:
Measure out everything and set aside.
Poached chicken:
Chicken breast - ¾ lb. If you bought the chicken with skin and bone, don’t worry, they can be added to the poaching liquid
Carrot – 1 sliced in ¼” thick diagonally (1 c)
Onion – ½ a medium size one sliced (½ c)
Celery – 1 rib sliced diagonally (¾ c)
Whole black peppercorns – 4 to 6
Kosher salt – 1 t or to taste
Garlic – 2 cloves, peeled cut in 2
Ginger – 1” piece cut in 4
Chicken broth or water – 1 – 1 ½ c
Sauce:
Peanut sauce, gluten free* – ½ c store bought or homemade, recipe at bottom.
Pasta:
Spaghetti – 6 oz
Garnish:
Holy basil or regular basil – 1T sliced thinly to sprinkle on the dish. (no basil? use parsley or scallions to add that green punch. If you can use holy basil it does add that Thai restaurant authentic flavor. I have it on hand because I grow it.
Let's get cooking:
Cut the chicken breast lengthwise and then into 2 to 3” sections and place into a deep 10” skillet along with all the ‘chicken’ ingredients. If your chicken has skin and bone remove before cutting up the breast but add to the poaching liquid as that will make the poaching liquid richer. Please remember to remove and discard skin and bones when you are done poaching.
Bring the broth/water to a quick boil, lower the heat to lowest cover and let cook for about 10 minutes, you may need more time to poaching time.
Remove the chicken from the broth into a bowl and let cool.
Remove all the vegetables and garlic, ginger and peppercorns into another bowl. (this is where my OOOPs happened! I forgot to discard all but 1 or 2 peppercorns from this mixture!)
I placed the spaghetti in the skillet covered it and cooked for about 11 minutes. After 9 I removed the cover so the poaching liquid could be absorbed or evaporated. Yes, I cooked the spaghetti in liquid that covered it about ½“. This keeps all that starch in the spaghetti and helps to thicken the sauce and add extra chicken flavor. If you prefer, please save the poaching liquid for some other use and cook the pasta as you usually do.
While the spaghetti is cooking, whir the peanut sauce and all the vegetables, garlic and ginger and the peppercorns you removed, watch out for the peppercorns, from the poaching liquid into a sauce.
Shred the now cooled chicken with your fingers, a fork or even cut thinly lengthwise with a knife.
Once the spaghetti is done, most of the liquid absorbed if you used the poaching liquid, using tongs toss about ¾ of the sauce with the spaghetti. Toss the rest of the sauce with the chicken. At this point you can decide if you want to add the chicken with the spaghetti or serve it on the side. I tossed the spaghetti and chicken together.
*A QUICK HOMEMADE PEANUT SAUCE
Thai red curry paste – ½ to 1 T, depending on how hot you want your sauce
Coconut milk – 3/4 c, you can use milk (cow or plant) or broth, but the flavor will be different
Peanut butter – 3 T smooth or chunky doesn’t matter
Fish sauce – 1 t
Brown sugar – 1 T
Tamarind paste – 1 ½ t or lemon juice
In a small saucepan, over medium low heat, reduce ¼ c of the milk in about half, whisk in the curry paste and cook over low heat whisking till fragrant and thick, add the rest of the milk and continue to whisk. Remove the pot from heat, add peanut butter, fish sauce, sugar and tamarind or lemon juice and whisk till well mixed and set aside.
This amount of sauce is enough for the recipe for 2.
To serve you can steam some string beans, julienned carrots, or spinach and some fresh cucumbers tossed with a bit of white vinegar, sugar, and salt.
I made some picked red onions (thinly sliced red onion, salt, pepper and lemon juice, mixed well, by hand) and cucumbers but forgot to take a picture. If you decide to do this, make it once the chicken is poaching and refrigerate, giving time for the vegetables to marinade. You can mix the onions and the cucumber together, but I like the different tastes of cucumber with vinegar and onion with lemon juice.
This was a delicious meal. We finished all I made! and had vanilla ice cream in honour of Peter’s tongue. ;)
Enjoy!