By Week 300. A milestone within the milestone. Three hundred weeks of writing. Three hundred Tuesdays and Saturdays and every-other-Fridays of standing at the stove and sitting at the page and saying: this is what happened. This is what I cooked. This is who I am. Three hundred weeks. Five years and forty-eight weeks. Almost six years. The pot is still on the stove. I am still here. We are still here.
Made a simple pot of chicken and sausage gumbo for week 300. The same dish I made for week 1 and week 52 and week 104 and every milestone in between. The gumbo is the thread. The gumbo is the pulse. The gumbo says: three hundred weeks and counting, and the roux hasn't burned, and the family hasn't left, and the bayou hasn't stopped, and the man at the stove is still stirring. Still stirring. Still here.
Three hundred weeks asks for something that has layers to it — something that rewards patience and doesn’t rush. The gumbo is the soul of this journal, but when I sat down to choose what to actually put on the table for the write-up, Thai Chicken Linguine came forward: bright with peanut and ginger, grounded with tender chicken, the kind of bowl that says celebration without shouting it. Three hundred weeks of showing up deserves a meal that shows up too.
Thai Chicken Linguine
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 12 oz linguine
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup reserved pasta water
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
- Lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook linguine according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water before draining. Drain and set aside.
- Make the peanut sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey, and red pepper flakes until smooth. Set aside.
- Cook the chicken. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add chicken in a single layer and cook 5—6 minutes, turning once, until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
- Sauté the aromatics and vegetables. Add remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry 30 seconds until fragrant. Add red bell pepper and cook 2—3 minutes until just tender.
- Combine everything. Return chicken to the skillet. Add drained linguine and peanut sauce. Toss to coat, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time to loosen the sauce to your desired consistency.
- Finish and serve. Remove from heat. Fold in green onions and cilantro. Divide into bowls and top with chopped peanuts. Serve with lime wedges on the side.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 580 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 65g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 820mg