Bang Bang Chicken and Shrimp with Coconut Curry Rice

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Crispy cornstarch-crusted chicken thighs and shrimp piled over jasmine rice and flooded with one glossy red curry–coconut–peanut sauce. The steakhouse-chain original plates two separate sauces in a fussy ring; here everything lives under a single spicy-sweet curry so you get the same big tropical flavor in one pan, finished with toasted peanuts, cilantro and lime.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups jasmine rice, rinsed until water runs clear
• 2 1/4 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
• 1 can (13.5 oz) full-fat coconut milk
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon lime juice, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, for more heat)

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 12 ounces large shrimp (26/30), peeled and deveined, tails removed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup cornstarch
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 cups vegetable oil, for frying

• 1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 cup shredded carrot or thinly sliced cucumber
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Cook the rice: combine rinsed jasmine rice, water and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, reduce to the lowest heat and cook 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand covered at least 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
2. Make the sauce: heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook 2 minutes until softened, then add garlic and ginger and cook 45 seconds until fragrant.
3. Add the red curry paste and fry it in the oil, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes until darkened and very aromatic — this step is what keeps the sauce from tasting raw.
4. Whisk in the coconut milk, peanut butter, fish sauce, brown sugar and soy sauce. Simmer gently over medium-low, whisking often, for 8 to 10 minutes until the sauce coats a spoon and small pools of orange oil rise to the surface. Stir in the lime juice and cayenne if using. Taste and adjust with more lime, sugar or fish sauce; keep warm over the lowest heat, thinning with a splash of water if it tightens.
5. Pat the chicken and shrimp completely dry with paper towels and season all over with 1 teaspoon salt and the black pepper. Toss the chicken and shrimp with the beaten eggs in a bowl until evenly coated.
6. In a second bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, flour and garlic powder. Working in batches, lift the pieces from the egg, letting excess drip off, and toss firmly in the dry mix, pressing so the coating grips. Set on a wire rack; the coating should look shaggy and dry.
7. Pour 1 1/2 inches of oil into a deep, heavy pot (about 4 cups in a 4-quart Dutch oven) and heat over medium-high to 350°F on a thermometer.
8. Fry the chicken first, in 2 batches so the pieces are not crowded, for 5 to 6 minutes per batch, turning once, until deep golden and an instant-read thermometer reads 175°F. Transfer to a rack set over a sheet pan and salt lightly. Let the oil return to 350°F between batches.
9. Fry the shrimp in 2 batches for 2 to 3 minutes, until the crust is golden and the shrimp are opaque and curled. Drain on the rack. Do not overcook — shrimp go rubbery fast.
10. Spoon rice into 4 wide bowls, ladle a generous pool of hot coconut curry over and around it, then pile the crispy chicken and shrimp on top so the crust stays partly above the sauce.
11. Shower with chopped peanuts, cilantro, scallions and shredded carrot or cucumber. Serve immediately with lime wedges and extra sauce on the side.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

More from Sprig Originals

One-Skillet Blackened Cajun Chicken Pasta

One-Pot Chicken Creole

Dark Roux Seafood Gumbo with Quick Shrimp Stock

Are you this recipe's original author or publisher? Report a problem