Malaysian-Style Spiced Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

• 12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken thighs or breast halves
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 2/3 cup water
• ¼ cup cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 medium onions, cut into thin wedges
• 1 medium red or green bell pepper, cut into strips
• ½ of a stalk lemongrass, cut into 2-inch pieces, or ½ teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
• Hot cooked couscous or rice
• 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped roasted peanuts

How to make Malaysian-Style Spiced Chicken

1. Rinse chicken; pat dry with paper towels.
2. Cut into 1-inch pieces.
3. In a medium bowl, combine coriander, cumin, turmeric, nutmeg, cinnamon, ground red pepper, and cloves.
4. Add chicken; stir to coat; set aside.
5. For sauce, in a small bowl stir together water, vinegar, sugar, cornstarch and salt.
6. Set aside.
7. Add oil to a wok or large skillet.
8. Preheat over medium-high heat (add more oil if necessary during cooking).
9. Stir-fry ginger and garlic in hot oil for 15 seconds.
10. Add onions, bell pepper and lemongrass or lemon peel.
11. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.
12. Remove vegetables from wok.
13. If used, discard lemongrass.
14. Add chicken mixture to wok.
15. Stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink, scraping bottom of wok constantly to prevent spices from sticking.
16. Push chicken from center of wok.
17. Stir sauce; add to center of wok.
18. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.
19. Return cooked vegetables to wok.
20. Stir all ingredients together to coat.
21. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes more or until heated through.
22. Serve immediately with hot cooked couscous or rice.
23. Sprinkle individual servings with chopped roasted peanuts.

Notes