Chicken with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Our friend, Celine, sent us her recipe for chicken with spicy peanut sauce over 20 years ago and I still use it.  You can make the sauce as spicy as you like by increasing or omitting the amount of cayenne pepper. This peanut sauce is easy to make and good over cooked chicken or tofu.  Serve with rice and a side of edamame for a tasty weeknight dinner.

Chicken with Spicy Peanut Sauce
Recipe from Celine Koropchak
Serves 6

For the chicken:
1.5 lb chicken pieces
1 green onion, cut in two pieces
1 quarter-sized slice of ginger
1 Tblsp dry sherry
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
2 cups water

Place chicken in a pot with the onion, ginger, sherry, salt, sugar and water.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and let stand until the chicken is cool enough to handle. Remove and discard the skin, pull meat from the bones and shred.  If made ahead, cover and chill.

For the peanut sauce:
4 Tblsp natural creamy peanut butter
5 Tblsp peanut oil
4 Tblsp soy sauce (or gluten-free tamari)
4 Tblsp sugar
4 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 Tblsp minced green onion
2 Tblsp minced cilantro

Stir together the peanut butter and peanut oil until well-blended.  Add soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, cayenne pepper, ginger, green onion and cilantro.  Stir until combined and smooth.  This sauce can be prepared ahead of time, but it gets spicier the longer it is stored.

Mix most of the sauce with the chicken and let the flavors mingle.  Reserve some sauce to add just before serving.  You can top the dish with chopped peanuts for more crunch.