Happy Peanut Butter Lover’s Day, Canada!

Today, fans of all ages celebrate their love affair with this beloved treat. To commemorate this occasion, Loacker, the Italian heritage brand known for its delicious wafer biscuits, has released a new line of Peanut Butter treats.

To dig into Canadians’ PB palate, Loacker polled* lovers of this storied spread on why it makes them so nutty; nearly all (90%) of us! 

Spreading the Love for Peanut Butter 

Canadians agree that peanut butter is happiness in a jar: most of us (71%) feel satisfied when eating peanut butter and for more than a quarter of us (28%), peanut butter makes us feel happy. Some of us are sentimental about the taste, with 15% of us stating it makes us feel nostalgic. 

“Canada is a diverse country of different cultures, but one thing is for certain; Peanut Butter has become a quintessential Canadian food staple thanks to its versatility and flavour,” says Yvonne Profanter, Head of Communication, Loacker. “Loacker has transformed what many consider ‘happiness in a jar’ into ‘wonder in a wafer’. Canadians are passionate about peanut butter and Loacker loves it too. We’re calling on the nation to celebrate National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day – or any day – with our delicious range of peanut butter wafers!” 

Peanut Butter Versatility 

One of the most convenient and versatile spreads around, peanut butter is enjoyed anywhere, anytime, anyway, the research shows. While nearly half (46%) of Canadians enjoy the taste anytime of day, 37% prefer to eat PB in the morning.  

Canadians think peanut butter is the best thing since sliced bread but prefer combining the two! Many Canadians (86%) like to have PB spread on toast and exactly half of us love the classic taste of a PB sandwich. With Loacker’s new Peanut Butter range, Canadians no longer have to wait for the toaster to ping before enjoying some tasty, crunchy goodness.  

Such is our love for peanut butter, a growing number of Canadians have also embraced PB as an ingredient in smoothies (19%), meat marinades (11%) or even in salad dressings (10%). 

One of our favourite meals is this Instant Pot Peanut Chicken. What’s one of your favourite ways to eat Peanut Butter?

Instant Pot Peanut Chicken

★★★★★4.9 FROM 101 REVIEWS

• AUTHOR: SYLVIA FOUNTAINE
•  PREP TIME: 15
•  COOK TIME: 15
•  TOTAL TIME: 30 MINUTES
•  YIELD: 4-6 1X

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Instant Pot Peanut Chicken that can also be made on the Stove Top – a simple, delicious one pot meal that can be made in 30 minutes! Paleo and GF adaptable, this delicious meal can be prepped ahead, or cooked ahead for the busy workweek! 

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INGREDIENTS

UNITS USMSCALE1X2X3X

• 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes, sprinkled with pinch of salt
• 3 fat cloves garlic, rough chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped ( or use ginger paste)
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 13-ounce can coconut milk (liquid and solids- stirred) do not use light- too watery!
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce (or use GF liquid amino acids)
• 3 tablespoons honey (or coconut sugar or brown sugar)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, more to taste
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic paste (or sriracha, or sambal olek)
• —–
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (or sub almond butter)
• optional additions : 1 tablespoon lemongrass, 4-5 kefir lime leaves

Chili Cucumber Salad

• 3 Turkish cucumbers, cut into 1/2 inch thick, diagonal half-moons
• 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic paste
• pinch salt and sugar (optional)
• optional – basil ribbons, scallions, or cilantro

Serve over rice or a bed of spinach (either raw or wilted) or both, with the optional Chili Cucumber Salad Sprinkle with the optional Peanut Chili Crunch, or even just roasted peanuts.

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INSTRUCTIONS

Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes, sprinkle with salt and set aside.

If using an Instant Pot, set it to the sauté function, and sauté the ginger and garlic in a teaspoon of oil for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Add lemongrass if using. Stir the can of coconut milk with a fork so liquids and solids are combined- then and add 1 cup of the coconut milk, (you’ll add the rest after). Stir in the soy sauce, honey, lime juice, chili paste and the chicken (optional kafir lime leaves) everything except the peanut butter in the pot, and stir.

Set to HIGH Pressure, for 8 minutes. Naturally release. See notes. (If using thigh meat pressure cook for 12 minutes.)

Once the chicken is done cooking, stir in the peanut butter, and taste a spoonful of the sauce. Adjust salt, lime, sweetness and spice level according to your taste. Stir in the remaining coconut milk if you like. Some of you may want it sweeter. I usually add more chili paste and lime.  The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.

(Alternately, if cooking on the stovetop, cook the lightly salted chicken cubes in a dutch oven or large skillet in a little oil, until golden. Toss in the garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant, 1-2 minutes, then add the remaining ingredients, all except peanut butter, stirring to combine. Cover and let simmer very gently on low heat, 8-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, then stir in the peanut butter. )

If the sauce seems too thin, reduce a bit using the sauté function while constantly stirring, to prevent burning the bottom. See notes.

Serve over a bed of rice or baby spinach  – or both and the Chili Cucumber Salad. Top with optional Peanut Chili Crunch

To make the refreshing Chili Cucumber Salad, just place everything in a medium bowl and toss. It only takes a few minutes and you can do this while the Peanut Chicken is cooking.

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NOTES

The sauce will start off a bit watery, but will thicken as it cools.

This will become more and more delicious over the next couple days. When cooking chicken breast in a pressure cooker, the meat seems to “contract”. If you allow the pressure-cooked chicken time to “rest”  (keeping in on the “warm” setting for a while) it will expand and absorb some of the sauce -the sauce will thicken and the chicken will relax a bit and become more tender and flavorful. That’s why dishes like this usually taste better the next day. A great one to make ahead!

If making or prepping ahead, I would just cook it ahead and refrigerate, allowing the flavors to meld.

To prep this ahead, and cook it later- blend all sauce ingredients (except peanut butter) in a blender. Pour over the raw chicken (in a ziplock bag) and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Then pour it in the Instant Pot. Drop peanut butter on the top of the chicken or stir it in after it is cooked. Follow the rest of the directions above.

Chicken Breast cooking Times: 

• 6-ounce chicken breasts- 6 minutes on high pressure for fresh ( 10 minutes on high pressure for frozen)
• 8 ounce chicken breasts -7 minutes on high pressure for fresh (11 minutes on high pressure for frozen)
• 10 ounce chicken breasts- 8 minutes on high pressure for fresh (12 minutes on high pressure for frozen)

NUTRITION

• Serving Size:
• Calories: 381
• Sugar: 10.6 g
• Sodium: 330 mg
• Fat: 22.6 g
• Saturated Fat: 8.6 g
• Carbohydrates: 15.8 g
• Fiber: 2.3 g
• Protein: 31.4 g
• Cholesterol: 82.7 mg