"easy there, Emeril."

For my aspiring gourmet dinner group tomorrow.

Peanut-curry chicken salad in wonton cups. I discovered Trader Joe's and found a really good mango, ginger chutney. Then it was off to the Asian Market for the green curry paste. I tell you - a shopping list for this gourmet cooking thing isn't one-stop shoppable. I guess that's half the fun! These are -so- freaking good! A perfect explosive mouthful of layered flavors and textures. Title of the post courtesy of Erin. :)

Wonton Wonders.

Ingredients:

12 wonton wrappers (3 by 3 1/2 inches), cut into quarters

Vegetable oil to brush on wontons, about 2 tablespoons

6 cups water

2 tsp kosher salt, divided

1 lb (3 medium) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, washed, patted dry

1/4 cup mango chutney

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons plain yogurt

3 tbl crunchy peanut butter

1 tbl fresh lime juice

1 1/2 tsp green curry paste

1/4 cup chopped green onions for garnish

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Method:

Place the wonton wrappers on a work surface and brush lightly with the oil. Mold the wontons, oiled side up, into the bottoms of miniature (1 inch) muffin tins. Bake until light brown, about five minutes. Remove from oven, let cool slightly and remove from the muffin tins. Cool on a wire rack. Place on a baking sheet and cover tightly with plastic wrap until ready to assemble.

In a medium saucepan, heat the water and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt over medium heat. Just before the water comes to a boil, add the chicken and simmer until cooked through, about 12 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a paper towel-lined plate and pat dry. Cool the chicken slightly, then finely chop and season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.

In a medium bowl mix together the chutney, yogurt, peanut butter, lime juice and curry paste. Add the chicken and mix well. Refrigerate until slightly chilled.

To assemble, place 1 heaping teaspoon of the chicken mixture in each wonton cup and garnish with green onions. Serve at room temperature.

Cook's note: the wonton cups can be baked up to three days in advance and stored in an airtight container. The chicken mixture can be made up to a day in advance. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. The wonton cups can be filled up to an hour in advance.