Panang Curry

For father's day Stan asked that I make this for him. We both love Thai and this is an easy recipe that turns out just as well as what you'd order in a Thai restaurant. I ended up not making it until last night (4 days after father's day), but he still got his meal in the end. (We had gone over to his parents' house on father's day for a cookout, so this meal got postponed.) Here is the recipe, but I am going to share some notes at the end on how I make it, bc I couldn't find the exact recipe that is in my head. These are the ingredients I use, but the way I cook it is different....and easier.

Ingredients
1 cup long-grain white rice
8 small chicken cutlets (1 1/2 pounds total)
kosher salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 bell peppers, sliced
1 15-ounce can coconut milk
2 tablespoons red curry paste
1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves
1 lime, cut into wedges
Directions
Cook the rice according to the package directions.
Meanwhile, season the chicken with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
Cook the chicken in batches until golden brown and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Remove from skillet and cut into strips.
Add the bell peppers and ¼ cup water to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the coconut milk and curry paste and simmer for 4 minutes. Stir in the chicken.
Spoon the chicken curry over the rice and sprinkle with the basil. Serve with the lime.

Laura's way:
I throw the curry and oil into a pot and cook it over medium until it is nice and aromatic. I add the coconut milk and bring it up to a simmer. Then I throw my chicken in RAW. I love the way it cooks in the coconut milk and curry and it makes the chicken so tender. (I also use about 1/2 teaspoon of fish sauce.) Once the chicken is cooked through I add the peppers and cook them until tender. Wait until the very very last minute to put in the basil. You don't want it to wilt to nothing. Then serve over rice. I sometimes throw in extra veggies like squash or zucchini, but I think that is a little less traditional, yet very good.