Coconut Thai Curry Chicken

This was from one of the first contestants, Susannah Locketti, of Food Networks Next Food Network Star show. I would like to thank everyone who has posted such nice comments, but really Susannah deserves credit for this recipe. The green curry paste is quite hot, so you may want to adjust the curry paste for heat. I've updated the recipe to just reflect a few things noted in the comments as well as my own preparation methods that I've noticed in three years since I published this recipe. Enjoy! April 2009

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• Sauce Ingredients

• 14  ounces light coconut milk (1 can)
• 1  tablespoon green curry paste (use red if preferred)
• 1  teaspoon curry powder
• 1  teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
• 1 -2  teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
• 1⁄4 teaspoon  ground red pepper (optional)
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1  teaspoon black pepper

• Chicken Ingredients

• 1  lb boneless skinless chicken breast half, fat removed, cut into small pieces
• 1  tablespoon creamy peanut butter
• 1  red bell pepper, roasted and sliced
• 4  ounces sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 1⁄2 cup onion, chopped
• 1⁄2 cup  chopped green onion (white part only)
•  cilantro, washed and chopped
• 1⁄2 lb fettuccine, look for high-fiber
•  cooking spray
• 1  lime

Directions

1. Slice lime into wedges, juice half the wedges. Set aside lime juice. Set aside rest of wedges for garnish.
2. Combine all sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside or refrigerate until ready to prepare the rest of the dish.
3. To roast the red bell pepper:
4. -Cut pepper in half and remove seeds and white part. Place on broiler pan skin side up. Broil until skin just starts to char, about 5-7 minutes. Slice when cool. You could use a torch to char it if you like, or substitute jarred roasted red pepper slices.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk the sauce ingredients until thoroughly combined (milk through black pepper) and set aside.
6. Boil the pasta al dente according to box directions.
7. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and sauté chicken until browned and cooked through, above 5-7 minutes.
8. Add the peanut butter and move around until it melts and coats the chicken.
9. Add the roasted red peppers, water chestnuts, onions and scallions and season with salt and pepper as you like. Sauté for about five minutes, until cooked through.
10. Pour the coconut milk mixture over the chicken and vegetables and stir gently. Leave on heat for another 3-5 minutes just to warm it all through and thicken a bit. Season with salt and pepper as needed. At the last minute, toss in cilantro & lime juice and stir through.
11. Put linguine in a large deep platter or decorative bowl and pour mixture over the top. Toss gently with tongs. Garnish with limes and cilantro as desired.