Finger Lickin’ Peanut Sauce

Many, many years ago, I stumbled across a recipe for Fettuccine and Tofu In Finger-Licking Peanut Sauce.   I loved thinking about the idea of a peanut sauce for a stir fry, but at the time, I was a non-tofu person and completely discarded the recipe as something I could use.  As time ticked by though, I would see that very recipe brought up in different places and by different people.  I would think about  how it’s a shame the recipe called for tofu, since so many people obviously enjoyed it.  And then one day it clicked.

I didn’ t need to use the tofu.  I didn’t even need to use the fettuccine.  I looked more closely at the recipe and found that the sauce is a recipe all by itself, and so I decided to try it.  I instantly became smitten with the peanut sauce.  This time when I made it, I had planned a chicken stir-fry for dinner, but after a rummage through the pantry found that I was out of cornstarch, out of black bean sauce, and dangerously low on soy sauce.  I had not shopped correctly for a stir-fry.  A quick look at the recipe for peanut sauce confirmed for me, that I could definitely make this as a substitute for the black bean sauce I’d been hankering.

I will say, that I find that peanut sauce goes much better with noodles and stir fry than rice.  Just something about it that to me screams noodles- so this time I used some Spaghetti Rigate- a spaghetti noodle with ridges that holds even more sauce.  For the stir fry itself, I used two chicken breasts, thinly sliced, some broccoli, red peppers, onions, mushrooms, and carrots.  Let me say for the record too, that if you have your game together, this is a fast meal to throw together.  The peanut sauce ingredients get combined and brought to a simmer in about five minutes.  The stir fried chicken and veggies take about 15 minutes total, and then the noodles take about ten minutes.  This can all be done simultaneously, resulting in a quick, delicious dinner.  Both my kids like peanut sauce, in fact, Abigail cleaned her plate- which is unheard of with a stir fry night.   I also happened to have some salted peanuts on hand, so I coarsely chopped them and sprinkled them on top- this made Zander extremely happy, and I thought it added the perfect amount of crunch and flavor to make this a great dinner instead of just a good one.

So here is the recipe for the Finger-Licking Peanut Sauce.  Do what you want with it, really.  It’s delicious and very versatile.

Finger-Licking Peanut Sauce

1/2  cup  chicken broth

1/4  cup  chunky peanut butter

1/4  cup  low-sodium soy sauce

3  tablespoons  brown sugar

2  tablespoons  rice vinegar

2  teaspoons  grated peeled fresh ginger

2  teaspoons  chile paste with garlic

4  garlic cloves, minced

Combine the ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until smooth, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.