Thai Peanut Stirfry

Have you ever eaten something at a restaurant and wished you could make a copycat version at home, or at least something fairly similar?  This is exactly how my Thai Peanut Stirfry recipe came about. 

A good friend of mine and I used to go out to lunch to the same restaurant almost once a week, and I would always order the Thai Peanut Stirfry.  Their version had rice, not noodles, and was so good.  I would usually add broccoli to it, but even without the broccoli it was an awesome dish.

I really wanted to recreate this dish at home for a few reasons:  a)  It is so yummy and b)  It is a whole lot more cost effective to make it at home than to purchase it from the restaurant

Although this isn't exactly like the original dish it was modeled after, it still is a delicious meal.

Thai Peanut Stir-fry

1 lb. chicken breast, diced

1 can (13.5oz) coconut milk (I usually use lite, but regular works too)

1 box A Taste of Thai Peanut Sauce Mix

1 lb. cooked spaghetti noodles

1 small can water chestnuts

5.5 oz. Bangkok Padang Peanut Sauce (Any brand of bottled peanut sauce would work.  Usually this can be found in the chinese aisle of the grocery store.  I prefer this brand because it has a little spice to it.)

Vegetables of your choice (I usually use either carrots and celery, or a pre-mixed stir fry type frozen vegetable)

1/2 cup peanuts (optional)

Heat the coconut milk in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the diced chicken and simmer, stirring until the chicken is almost cooked through.  Add the Peanut Sauce Mix packets to the sauce mix and bring to a boil.  Stirring, simmer 3-4 minutes until the chicken is cooked all the way through and the sauce has begun to thicken.  Add vegetables, combine and heat through.  Add the cooked spaghetti noodles, water chestnuts, and bottled peanut sauce.  Stir until the peanut sauce is evenly distributed in the noodles.  Add peanuts, if desired.

Dish out and enjoy!

**Normally, I add a bit of red pepper flakes once I've dished this out onto my own plate, since I like a little kick to my food, but my kiddos eat it without.  The beauty of this recipe is it can be changed so easily just by adding different vegetables or by substituting rice for the noodles.