Thai Peanut Red Pepper Lime Coconut Chicken Thighs

[Lucy]

If you have a Whole Foods handy, pick up the smallest amount of their homemade Thai Peanut Seasoning for this dish if you'd like to try it. They package it in those little clear tubs, and it seems to always be near the fresh seafood section here. Reason I say smallest amount is that the price is figured by wt. If you get the smallest amount each time, it won't last as long, and thus is less likely to lose quite so much of it's flavor. I keep our little tubs of seasonings in the frig to retain their flavor, by the way.

What I do is take some of the SAFE chicken thighs that are skinless (I buy Saunderson Farms chicken for this in this vacinity), and then cook them in a pan on the stovetop on both sides until they're just about done. To insure I don't get them too spicy with this seasoning, I just sprinkle a conservative amount on the last side after flipping the thighs in the pan. I add a little salt early on to mine.

Near the end of the cooking in the pan, I pour bottled lime juice on top of each piece, and then add some unsweetened coconut flakes to the top of the thighs, and once they're done, I switch them to a piece of foil over the little pan that fits in my broiler oven, and toast the thighs until the coconut has browned on top and is crispy, and then I'm done.

This is pretty Thai tasting, but you'll notice it doesn't have lemon grass or some of the other things that are common in Thai foods. After I tried this combination, I just didn't want to change anything for fear of not liking it as well, so if you alter this recipe in any way, please let me know if you liked it, and maybe I'll venture out of my comfort zone!

Ingredients listed in the Thai Curry with Peanuts and Red Pepper Seasoning are as follows: peanuts, sea salt, cayenne pepper, coriander, cumin, cardamon, and onion. I suppose if you made some yourself, you could decrease the amount of cayenne if you wanted to. You'll note that in this product, cayenne was the third highest amount ingredient behind peanuts and salt, and that's why it's sooo H O T if you overdo. The other flavors don't stand out individually, if you know what I'm trying to say -- just right, I guess.

Another hint: Get the glass bottle of lime juice so it retains it's flavor, and store it in the frig as well. The better stores and Whole Foods will be more likely to have the glass bottles I'm sure.

Note: Whole Foods carries unsweetened coconut flakes in the same kind of little clear tubs, so pick some that's very fresh when you get your seasoning.

Enjoy! Yours, Luce