Saturday 9 February 2008

I could sing and dance....


It's amazing what a little sun can do. I had intended to make Tana Ramsay's Bang Bang Chicken on Thursday evening. Best laid plans and all that, we ended up having pizzas delivered. Will it blow the budget out of the water? I haven't added up this week so who knows.

Earlier today outside in the glorious sunshine, just two days late, we had Tana's Bang Bang Chicken. Although by the time I'd finished it didn't much resemble Tana's recipe... It's t.shirt weather in the Surrey Hills today, jumpers and jackets left inside. Truly beautiful clear blue skies and skin warming sunshine... The sort of warm that makes you crave a nice chilled glass of white. I love days like this, warm enough to eat outside, and cold enough in the evening to light a log fire. Perfect, perfect, perfect...

Bang Bang Chicken


I roasted a whole free range chicken for this, Tana's recipe suggests 3 skinless and boneless chicken breasts. (There's plenty of chicken left over and some of the sauce, I might make a big Asian inspired soup with both.)

1 x 340g jar of smooth peanut butter (minus a heaped tablespoonful, used previously)
Half the jar filled with water
4 tablespoons of sweet chilli sauce
1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
1 tablespoons of sweet mirin
2 tablespoons of sesame oil
1 teaspoon of sunflower oil

Put all of the above ingredients in a bowl suitable for heating over a pan of boiling water (see below). Set the bowl over a pan of boiling water and stir every minute or so. It will take about 10 minutes, by which time it should have come together and will be of a pouring consistency. If it's too thick, add a little more water and stir well.



Shred the chicken and pour over the sauce. I served this with thin slices of cucumber, carrots and fried rice, using the leftover rice from dinner last night. Small really loved this, Little said he didn't like it at first because I made the mistake of telling him it was made with peanut butter, something he doesn't like. Eventually he agreed that it was really good. Lesson I should have learned by now. Never admit something is made with an ingredient children say they don't like.


Can't have been that bad because this is all that was left.

22 comments:

Jules said...

I've never eaten bang bang chicken before, but your recipe sounds so lovely I have to try it!

glamah16 said...

I envy your warm days. That chicken looks really great, and I'm not a peanut fan.

Anonymous said...

Hi Amanda, Glad you got round to making your Bang Bang Chicken. You are not the only one's to have had glorious sun today. Even the North East was glorious.
Love you Mxxx

test it comm said...

What a great flavour combination! I like a nice peanut butter sauce.

Karen Baking Soda said...

the name captured me, then I got to read and I thought, well hey, that's peanutbutter sauce (sate sauce) in my kitchen!
I add some shredded coconut and soy sauce as well as some sambal, but other than that...
Mmm I wish my last name was Ramsay, than I could write a book!
(*grins*). And yes, my kids adore it, just like yours!

Amanda at Little Foodies said...

Hi Jules, It was good, I think I'd have preferred the sauce to be more like a real satay.

Hi Glamah16, Don't be too envious it was the first warm day in about 4 or 5 months and that was following a really bad Summer. It's left many people seriously craving warm sun.

Hi Mum, makes such a difference and the North East is always glorious even on rainy days. At least most grey days there are usually spectacular.

Hi Kevin, It's odd because I love peanut sauces of all kinds but only every so often. I don't want to eat them all the time.

Hi Karin, Satay sauce indeed! I know! If she wasn't so pretty and nice it would be real easy to dislike her.

Thank you for your comments.
Amanda x

Nora B. said...

Hi Amanda,
The weather does sound perfect!

This satay-inspired recipe will be a good addition to my usual roast chicken. And I have all the ingredients (except that my peanut butter is "chunky" and not "smooth").

x nora

Amanda at Little Foodies said...

Hi Nora, she said to use smooth or crunchy, we only had smooth.

Amanda x

Aimée said...

Sounds gooood, Amanda. I have to admit, chicken dinner is not what comes to mind when I see a jar of peanut butter, but I'd be willing to give it a try!

Pat said...

Sounds yummy Amanda. Love peanut butter and sauces with it.

Cottage Smallholder said...

I love chicken and peanuts. This looks like a must for me!

FH said...

We have a very beautiful Spring like weather here too, it does make you feel good!:)
I love the "Bang Bang" name!! Looks great too. Enjoy the sun and food too.

David Hall said...

Bang bang chicken, marvellous, I'm going to try this with Cerys soon as she loves peanut butter. Glad to see that small and little approved.

Cheers
David

Sylvie said...

That looks like such a great meal. It's been beautiful her in Yorkshire too, but not quite outdoor eating temperatures yet.

Amanda at Little Foodies said...

Hi Aimee, I'd tend to agree with you but it was really good. We're not big peanut butter eaters but we love proper satay so thought we'd like this.

Hi Pat, then I think you'd really like it.

Hi Fiona, let me know if you do.

Hi Asha, I like the bang bang name too. Apparently the name is from the way they used to bang the chicken flat before cooking it.

Hi David, If she loves peanut butter I think she'd love it.

Hi Sylvie, The weather being this warm is a bit worrying. I remember last April the boys were in the paddling pool, it was followed by a really poor summer. Hope we're not in for the same this year.

Thank you for your comments.
Amanda x

Annemarie said...

My only regret about this weekend is that I didn't spend more time out in the sunshine. Of course, it really should have been sunshine with about 10 degrees shaved off the thermometer - I'm happy to wait until the right season for those kinds of temps...

Maggie said...

How would you rate Tana's recipe out of say 10 Amanda and what scores would the Little Foodies give it? Mx

KJ said...

I love days like that too.

Caffienated Cowgirl said...

Amanda, I am jealous of your warm days!

I've not tried Tana's recipe, but I love Bang Bang Chicken. It's a favorite in this house.

Marie Rayner said...

Looking delicious Amanda! I make a bang bang chicken salad that's really good so I can well imagine I would love this as well! Wonderful pictures and dialogue! Well done!

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

The name alone would seem like it would capture the kids. Heck, it captures me and then the ingredient list cements it! Looks excellent Amanda.

Deborah said...

I have been thinking about this recipe since you mentioned it earlier. It sounds wonderful!

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