Spicy Peanut Noodles with Chicken

Happy New Years Everyone!! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas full of love and laughter, and have a wonderful 2012 ahead of you.


Right now the internets are bursting with New Years resolutions, dieting plans, exercise plans, motivational pictures and phrases, etc, etc, etc. It is enough to make one feel a little on the chubby side! 



From trial and error over the years, I think we have figured out what works best for us. We make an effort to try and eat healthy balanced meals on a regular basis, new year or not, and not feel guilty when we decide to enjoy ourselves and indulge a little here or there.  To be honest, the word 'diet' scares me!  To me it is like a set up to a painful struggle, so I try to stay away from it and just live a healthier 'lifestyle'.  Doesn't 'lifestyle' sound a lot less scary? I agree, let's stick with 'lifestyle' :)


One site that has taught me a lot about eating healthy balanced meals that taste delicious (so you can still enjoy that piece of cheesecake in front of a cheesy chick flick! Speaking of which, anyone else religiously watch Love Actually every year at the holidays? It's one of my favourites to watch at Christmas. Wait, sorry, distracted...) is Skinnytaste.com. Gina has done an AMAZING job lightening up everyone's favourite recipes, and she is always adding new recipes with the most delicious pictures.  Just take a look, you won't believe that all of that insanely delicious food is good for you too! Whenever I am stuck for an idea for dinner, her site is one of the first ones I pull up and start scrolling through.

My husband and I both love all different types of Asian food, whether it is Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, we love it all!  When I whipped this up the other day neither of us could believe just how good it was.  The leftovers were gone in no time, and I know it will be requested again (and again!) in the near future.


The original recipe uses 'better'n peanut butter', but I couldn't find it in our grocery store.  If you can find some that will lighten this delicious dish up even more.  This makes about 6 servings. If you want more specific nutritional information or even WW points, they are all available on the original post.

Original recipe from skinnytaste.com and can be found here.


Spicy Peanut Noodles with Chicken

• Peanut Sauce:
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 5 tbsp light peanut butter (or better'n peanut butter if you can find it)
• 1 tbsp sriracha chili sauce
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp ginger (or 1 tbsp fresh ginger grated)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• For the chicken:
• 16 oz chicken (3 chicken breasts), cut into strips
• salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp sriracha chili sauce
• juice from 1/2 lime
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tbsp ginger (or 1 tbsp fresh ginger grated)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 3 green onions, diced
• 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
• 1 1/2 cups coleslaw mix
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• chopped peanuts for garnish
• sliced lime for garnish
• 1 package rice noodles

1. Cook the noodles according the the package and then set aside in a large bowl
2. To prepare the peanut sauce: add the chicken broth, peanut butter, sriracha, honey, soy sauce, ginger, and the first two cloves of garlic in a small pot on the stove
3. Bring the sauce to a boil, and then reduce heat and let it simmer for 10 - 15 minutes while stirring occasionally
4. While the sauce is simmering, prepare the chicken
5. Place the chicken in a bowl with some salt and pepper, sriracha, lime juice, 1 minced clove of garlic, ginger, and soy sauce and mix well. 
6. In a large frying pan (or wok if you have one) heat up a little bit of olive oil on high, and then add the chicken
7. Stir fry for 2 - 3 minutes, until the chicken is no longer pink
8. Once chicken is cooked, remove from the pan and set aside
9. Add the remaining 2 cloves of garlic, green onions, shredded carrots, coleslaw,  and bean sprouts to the hot pan
10. Saute for about 2 minutes, and then remove from heat
11. When ready to serve, add the peanut sauce to the bowl of cooked noodles and toss well
12. Separate the noodles amongst 6 plates and then top the noodles with the chicken, sauteed vegetables, chopped peanuts, and a slice of lime
13. Enjoy!