I’m always looking to do something a little different with plain Chicken and love adding a little spice to things, so I decided to try making a Spicy Peanut Crusted Chicken with a Coconut Peanut Dipping Sauce. I used chicken thighs for this recipe, but it would work great for chicken breasts too.

The Fresh Roasted Almond Company sent me a great sample box with a variety of their nuts and flavors. I ate some, shared some and still had a lot left so I got the idea to try using their buffalo flavored peanuts instead of the usual plain peanuts I use when I make this dish. They have a sweet and spicy taste (not an overtly a “buffalo wings” kind of flavor) that I thought would go well with the sauce I usually make with Thai peanut chicken.

I started with 1/2 cup of flavored peanuts. I usually just crush them with a mortar and pestle but I found these a little harder than the plain nuts due to their flavored coating. After a few rounds I gave in and brought out the food processor so I could grind them up better. You still want them to be a little crumbly though, so don’t grind them to dust!

I combined the peanuts with 1/2 cup of panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) that I gave a few extra crushes to so they were a little smoother than usual. You can use regular breadcrumbs, but all I had was the panko or seasoned breadcrumbs and I didn’t want to throw the flavor off with the extra seasoning.

Next beat two eggs in a separate bowl and mix together your peanut and breadcrumbs in their own bowl. First dip the chicken in the eggs, then the crumb mix. Press the chicken into the crumb mix really well on both sides so you get a good coating.

I baked them on a Copper Crisper, but you can also just use a baking sheet or pan. Put them in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 min. I always check after 30 minutes and see if they need more time. While the chicken is cooking, it’s time to make the sauce!

Really Easy Coconut Peanut Sauce:

1/2 can of coconut milk (Give or take depending on how thick you want it. I usually pour a little in, mix, then pour more in. You will probably have to stir the coconut milk in the can first because it usually separates)

1/3 cup of peanut butter (At can be creamy or chunky. And again, you can add more or less depending on taste)

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. lime juice

1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

Dash of red pepper flakes if you like it a little hot.

Stir it up until it’s bubbling, then lower the heat and keep warm until ready to serve.

Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro.

All done and ready to serve!

This meal goes great with plain white rice and green beans. You can also pour some of the sauce on the rice or drizzle it on the chicken. I like to put it in a little bowl for dipping but my husband takes the bowl and just dumps it on everything.

You can make this with any kind of nuts too! The Fresh Roasted Almond Co. even makes nut crumbles so you can skip the food processor part and just go straight to the dipping.

You can check them out on Facebook and Instagram, as well as their website Fresh Roasted Almond Co.

*There’s a Buy 2 Get 2 Free special on their website right now, where if you buy two of any item, you get another two products free – details on the site.