The sauce for this Spicy Almond Chicken Pasta is basically almond satay sauce i.e. satay sauce made with almonds instead of peanuts. Actually I wanted to make real satay sauce but realised I ran out of peanuts so I used almonds which are always available in my pantry for breakfast oats or cereals.
Turned out that almonds tasted just as good as peanuts if not better. The nutty flavour, crunchy texture and light sweetness added body to the sauce which was immediately lifted by the different spices and aromatics used.
I would say this is a pretty healthy pasta dish because almonds contain heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. Also, unsweetened soy milk (no saturated fats) is used instead of coconut milk. Overall, this dish isn’t even oily at all unlike most satay sauces you get from outside that have a layer of oil floating on top. Give it a try! 😉
Spicy Almond Chicken Pasta Recipe
Ingredients (serves 2)
180g small shells pasta, cooked according to packet instructions
2 pcs boneless chicken leg meat
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp olive oil + extra for drizzling the chicken
200ml unsweetened soy milk
50g almonds, coarsely ground
2 tbsp reduced fat creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp ground coriander
120g shallots, peeled
4 cloves garlic, peeled
10g ginger, peeled
1 tsp ground chilli
2 bird’s eye chillies
sugar snap peas, blanched (optional)
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 200 deg C with fan. Line a baking tray with aluminium foil and place the chicken on it.
2. Drizzle olive oil over the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes till skin is golden brown and crispy.
3. In a food chopper, combine shallots, garlic, ginger, ground chilli and bird’s eye chillies. Process till you get a fine paste.
4. Heat oil in pan and stir fry the paste for 1 minute. Turn heat to low and add in the soy milk. Keep stirring to warm up the milk but do not allow it to boil (or it might split).
5. Stir in the ground coriander, peanut butter and ground almond. Season with salt to taste.
6. Divide the cooked pasta into 2 serving plates. Ladle the almond sauce over and place the roasted chicken on top. Serve with sugar snap peas or your choice of greens.