Bang Bang Chicken

Wow.  This dinner is packed with flavor.  Yum, yum, yum!

My dinner presentation is usually lacking, but this bowl looked awesome.

And it tasted as great as it looked.

I'm not sure how to even describe these flavors.  Asian-fusion?  Maybe.  It's a knock-off of Cheesecake Factory's Bang-Bang Chicken & Shrimp.  I think it's actually a pretty good copycat, but regardless, it's amazing.

Julienne the carrots and zucchini - this is the only part of the recipe that takes a bit of time.  It's worth it though.  The veggies will cook quickly and more evenly this way.  You could definitely substitute some pre-packaged shredded carrots for the julienned carrots to save some time.

As with everything in my life, it's all about the sauce.  The sauce, people.  Mmmm.... It's fabulous.  It's worth making this dish just for the sauce.

For the coconut milk, I used lite from Trader Joe's.  It's the cheapest price I've found anywhere and I don't think the flavor is compromised by lite...probably because there's still plenty of fat even in the lite coconut milk.

To serve, ladle the chicken/sauce/veggie mixture into a wide-bottom bowl and then scoop the rice on top.

Garnish it and dig in.

Bang Bang Chicken
Adapted from Lauren's Latest

2 T olive oil
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 medium zucchini, julienned
1 1/2 cups julienned carrots
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T grated fresh ginger
3 T flour
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 can coconut milk (I used lite)
2 T creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 T curry powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup cream
3/4 cup frozen petite peas
shredded coconut, peanuts, green onions, red pepper flakes and black sesame seeds, for garnish
hot cooked rice, for serving

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken chunks and saute on one side for about 2 minutes, until they easily release from the pan when you turn them.

Add the zucchini, carrots, onion, garlic and ginger.  Saute for about 5 minutes, until the veggies begin to soften.  Sprinkle in the flour and stir well.

Add the chicken stock, salt, pepper, coconut milk, peanut butter, sugar, curry and turmeric.  Stir to combine and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Cook for about 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the veggies are soft.

Remove from the heat, stir in the cream and peas, and serve over hot cooked rice.  Garnish with coconut, peanuts, green onions, red pepper flakes and black sesame seeds.