Becky: Iron Chef Blogger Challenge Peanut Butter

First of all, I'd like to apologize that I don't have a pic of this recipe. I totally spazzed and forgot to take one :( However, both me and my husband can confirm that this recipe was amazing and definitely worth trying :)

Indonesian Peanut Chicken

3 to 3 1/2 lb. cut-up broiler-fryer chicken
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup chili sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 cut water
1/4 cup chopped salted peanuts
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet or 4-quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook chicken in oil about 15 minutes, turning occasionally, until brown on all sides. Cover and cook over low heat about 20 minutes or until juice is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut. Remove chicken from skillet with tongs.
3. Drain all but 1 tablespoon dripping from skillet; heat over medium heat. Cook onion in drippings, stirring occasionally, until tender; reduce heat. Stir in peanut butter, chili sauce and red pepper. Gradually stir in water, stirring constantly, until peanut butter is melted.
4. Add chicken. Spoon sauce over chicken. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered about 5 minutes, spooning sauce frequently over chicken, until sauce is slightly thickened. Serve sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with peanuts and bell pepper.

I got this recipe from Betty Crocker's Big Red Cookbook, and I have to say that it turned out to be a delicious dinner. I've noticed that with Indonesian cooking, the flavors are usually both spicy and sweet at the same time, and the same held true for this recipe. The peanut butter made the chicken sweet, but the chili sauce and red pepper gave it a certain kick. I did screw up a little while preparing this recipe though. When the time came to add the ground red pepper, I actually added the chopped red bell pepper. I didn't realize this until after I had sprinkled the peanuts into the skillet. I added the ground red pepper and stirred it in the best I could, and I really don't think the outcome of the recipe made much of a difference. The red peppers cooked in the sauce tasted just as well as if they had just been added for garnish. I also cooked a cup of white rice on the back-burner and served the chicken on top of the rice, another suggestion that was made in this cookbook. Anyways, one way I could tell that my husband really enjoyed this recipe was the fact that he didn't add tabasco sauce to the chicken, and he ALWAYS adds tabasco sauce because chicken is never spicy enough for him. But this time he said that the peanut sauce was so good that the Tabasco sauce was unnecessary. I only wish my daughter could've tried this but babies can't have peanut butter until they're 2 years old because by that time they're less likely to develop an allergy to it. I think she was pretty happy with the mac n' cheese she got though :) Anyways, definite thumbs up! :)