Peanut Chicken & Lemon Rice

My daughter, Kim, spent about six years living and teaching English in China. She loved trying  new and different foods China living had to offer.  Kim would try scary and unidentifiable foods at least once! I remember seeing a photo of a chicken foot floating in the soup pot.  Brian and Victoria Rice taught at the same university with Kim and several other Americans.  This became a little family away from home and  Victoria would make sure they celebrated American holidays together and had their favorite American foods.  This Peanut Chicken recipe came from Victoria. Kim kept telling me how delicious it was so she made it for us when she came back home.  I don't think it's a genuine Chinese dish but I'll always associate it with Kim, the Rices and China.

Peanut Chicken 

1 cup peanut oil*

1/2 cup white wine vinegar*        *see note

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup lemon juice

12 cilantro sprigs

8 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp. crushed red pepper

1 cup chunky peanut butter

6 whole chicken breasts

Mix ingredients together in large bowl. Add chicken to sauce and marinate in refrigerator 2-3 hours or overnight. Remove chicken and broil 10 minutes on each side. Check for doneness.

*This is how the original recipe was given to me. I cut the amount of oil to 1/2 cup and the vinegar to less than a 1/4 cup.

Notes:

Set aside some of the sauce before adding raw chicken.  It's good on white rice.

Chunky peanut butter works the best.

Finely chopped cilantro would taste good on the finished chicken.

I didn't marinate chicken. I put everything in a crock pot and cooked on High for about 3 hours.

Notes from Victoria:

• Add the following ingredients to above recipe: 1 tbsp. Hoisin sauce, 4 tsp. fresh & finely chopped ginger, & 1 tbsp. (not tsp.) crushed red pepper.
• There's also a Lemon Rice that goes along with the Peanut Chicken.

Lemon Rice (serves 6)

Combine:

3 1/2 c. water                                                                                                                                             2 c. long grain white rice

1/2 c. lemon juice

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. butter

Bring all ingredients to a boil, simmer 20 min. Add 2 tsp. fresh lemon rind and 1/2 c. angel flake coconut.