Easy and delicious...

Ginger Chicken with Peanut Sauce

 One  of my first cookbooks was Simply Chinese by Margaret Leung.  Many cookbooks have come and gone in the ensuing years, but this one remains, and I have made this noodle dish many times over the years, using both chicken and pork.  When I was first learning to cook, I followed recipes exactly, for fear of producing something inedible (although that still seemed to happen sometimes).  Once I knew my way around the kitchen, I was comfortable to start adapting and improvising to meet my needs, or ingredients on hand.  The recipe that follows is my adaptation of the one I started making so long ago...

Ginger Chicken with Peanut Sauce

1 lb. boneless chicken (or pork)

3 cloves garlic, minced (1 tbs.)

1 tsp. dry ginger, or 1 tbs. fresh, minced ginger

1 tbs. canola oil

3 pkgs. ramen noodles, chicken or pork flavored

5 oz. pkg. baby spinach

1/2 cup peanut butter, your choice of variety

4 tbs. soy sauce

1 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (more for serving)

4 scallions, thinly sliced

Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and toss to coat in a bowl with the garlic and ginger; set aside to marinate on the counter while prepping the other ingredients.  Julienne the spinach and set aside in the bottom of a large serving bowl.  Mix the peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, and pepper flakes in a bowl and set aside.  Cook the ramen according to package directions, being very careful to to overcook.  Before draining, ladle some of the cooking liquid into the peanut butter mixture, stir and add more as necessary to make a nice sauce consistency.  Drain the noodles and layer on top of the spinach; cover with a plate to keep warm.  Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over med-high heat.  Once the oil is hot, saute the chicken chunks until cooked through; place the chicken in the serving bowl.  Pour the peanut sauce into the pan and heat until bubbly.  Pour the hot sauce over the food in the serving bowl and toss to combine all the ingredients (the spinach will wilt with the heat of the other ingredients).  Serve sprinkled with scallions (i was, unfortunately, out of them this day) and additional pepper flakes if you like things spicy.

 Ben's plate all done.

"That was good," he says.

And this is why husbands should not be 

allowed to play with cameras 

at the dinner table ;-)