Thai Chicken Satay Pasta

All of my favorite Thai flavors combined into one tasty, easy to make delish- dish.  Really, need a say more.  The peanut satay sauce has accents of ginger and lime and the abundance of fresh cilantro makes my taste buds very happy.  You should be able to get this meal on the table in 30 minutes or less. 

While I am rambling, I must mention my love for for rotisserie chicken. I tell you, those are the most versatile little buggers and you can use them for just about anything.  They are a flavorful, a time saver and I always use them for 2 meals, so I think they are a pretty good deal.  If you don't use them, I am talking about the hot and fresh whole rotisserie chicken that your local grocery store(s) cook daily.  You can put them in pasta, salads, burritos, enchiladas, the list goes on.   Being a busy mommy of 3 who loves to cook but doesn't always have the time that I would like to dedicate in the kitchen, they are weekly lifesavers for me.

Enjoy Thai this week and let me know how you like it!  PS- if you have young kiddos (or anyone) who is afraid of foreign flavors, serve this buffet style and let people add what they want to their pasta and drizzle the sauce on as desired (that is what I did for my little guys and they ate well). 

Thai Chicken Satay Pasta
Serves 2 to 4 (recipe can easily be doubled)

Peanut Sauce
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
4 tablespoons brown sugar
Juice and zest of 1 lime
3 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

Pasta
1/2 pound thick spaghetti pasta (look for it it will say "thick")
2 cups rotisserie chicken breast
1 red bell pepper
1 large or 2 small carrots
1 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 cup green onions
1/2 cup roasted, salted peanuts

Directions
1. Start the water for you pasta and cook the pasta slightly al dente.   Meanwhile, do the following-
2. Pull the chicken breast off of your rotisserie chicken (2 cups worth- save the rest)
3. Julienne the bell peppers very thinly and then cut them into thirds.
3.  Using a box grater, grate your carrots.
4. Chop cilantro and green onions.
5. Make the sauce- place all ingredients, except for the water, in a medium saucepan on medium low heat.  Whisk together until peanut butter starts to thin and ingredients are well combined.  Slowly begin whisking in the water to desired thickness.  Depending on the type of peanut butter you use, you may use as little as 3/4 cup water and 1 1/4 cups water.  The sauce should be thin enough to easily mix into the cooked pasta.
6. In a saute pan, saute bell peppers in olive oil over medium heat until slightly tender, add carrots and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes,  stirring frequently.
7.  Once pasta, sauce, vegetables and chicken are ready.  Toss all ingredients together, adding the sauce about 1/3 at a time.  You may or may not want to use all of the sauce.  I made it so that there would be extra to serve on the side.
8. If you have time, toss your peanuts in a non stick pan over medium high heat for a minute or two, watch them close, they will burn quick.  
8.  Garnish with roasted peanuts and serve extra peanut sauce on the side.