Thai Chicken with Peanut Sauce Pizza
Ingredients
1/2 lb. chicken, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces1 Tbsp. curry powder
1 14-oz. can plus 1/2 cup coconut milk*, divided
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar, divided
32 oz. creamy peanut butter
1 or 2 Tbsp. red curry paste**
1 tsp. salt
1 cup ground peanuts
1 10-inch prepared pizza crust, thick or thin
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 or 2 Thai hot peppers, sliced in very thin shreds***
1/2 bell pepper sliced in thin strips (optional)
Preparation
• Toss the chicken pieces, curry powder, 1/2 cup coconut milk and 2 tablespoons sugar in a bowl.
• Heat a bit of oil in a wok or skillet on high heat and stir-fry the chicken until it’s no longer pink but still tender. Set it aside.
• In a 3-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan, stir together the can of coconut milk, peanut butter, red curry paste, 1 cup sugar and salt. Cook over low heat, stir frequently to blend the ingredients, for about 10 minutes. Do not boil.
• Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the ground peanuts.
• Adjust the seasonings as needed. The sweet taste should predominate (be the top flavor) with undertones of saltiness.
• Mix 1 cup of the stir-fried chicken pieces with 1 cup peanut sauce. Refrigerate the remainder for
another use.
• Spread the mixture to within 1/2 inch of the
pizza shell.
• Cover the pizza with shredded mozzarella.
• The pizza may be placed under a broiler about 6 inches from the heat source for 5 to 7 minutes until the cheese melts or heated in 375-degree oven for
7 minutes.
• Garnish the pizza with a pattern of shredded hot peppers or sliced sweet peppers in a pinwheel pattern.
* Coconut milk is available at Indian and Asian groceries.
** Red curry paste is a blend of red chiles, ghee, vinegar and seasonings.
*** Thai hot peppers are fiery hot – 60,000 Scoville heat units. Handle them carefully, wearing gloves. To tame the heat, scrape out the seeds and membrane. When you shred a hot pepper, cut fine strips lengthwise.