West African Peanut Chicken

Wash and dry the fresh produce. Peel and mince the garlic. Remove and discard the kale stems; thinly slice the leaves. Peel and mince the ginger. Cut off and discard the root ends of the scallions; thinly slice on an angle, separating the white bottoms and green tops. In a bowl, whisk together the peanut butter and ¼ cup of water. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut milk powder and 1½ cups of water.

In a small pot, combine the rice, a big pinch of salt and 1 cup of water. Heat to boiling on high. Once boiling, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook 12 to 14 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Turn off the heat and fluff the cooked rice with a fork. Stir in half the vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

While the rice cooks, pat the chicken dry with paper towels; season with salt and pepper on both sides. In a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the seasoned chicken, skin sides down, and cook 6 to 8 minutes on the first side, or until golden brown. Flip; cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until lightly browned and cooked through. Leaving any browned bits (or fond) in the pan, transfer to a plate.

Add the garlic and kale to the pan of reserved fond; season with salt and pepper. (If the pan seems dry, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil.) Cook on medium-high, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes, or until softened and fragrant. Add ½ cup of water; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up any fond from the bottom of the pan, 3 to 5 minutes, or until the kale has wilted and the water has cooked off. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a plate and set aside in a warm place. Wipe out the pan.

In the same pan, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the ginger, white bottoms of the scallions and as much of the spice blend as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes, or until fragrant. Stir in the peanut butter mixture and coconut milk powder mixture (whisking just before adding); season with salt and pepper. Add the cooked chicken; heat to a simmer. Cook, spooning the sauce over the chicken, 7 to 8 minutes, or until the sauce is slightly reduced in volume. Turn off the heat. Stir in the remaining vinegar; season with salt and pepper to taste.

Divide the cooked rice, cooked kale and finished chicken between 2 dishes. Top the chicken with the sauce. Garnish with the green tops of the scallions. Enjoy!