Thai Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

This was very first time that I have prepared this Thai classic and after tasting it I felt really sorry for people with nut allergies, they are deprived of such an incredible dish.

Few days ago I bought a bunch of lemon grass knowing that I will use it with a chicken. Then, I was asked to get some peanut butter for breakfast and suddenly I remember reading a recipe that used chicken, lemon grass and peanut butter: the famous Peanut Butter Chicken Satay. The marinade is quite easy to prepare if you have a mini chopper (one of the most useful tools in kitchen). The marinade can be made day or two ahead and stored in fridge.

I served this with cellophane noodles tossed with mixture of fish sauce, honey, lime juice and sesame oil.

Ingredients:

8-12 skinless and boneless chicken thighs

Bamboo skewers 8” long

Marinade:

1/4 cup minced lemongrass

2 shallots OR 1 small onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic

1-2 fresh red chilies, sliced, or 1 tsp. Sriracha sauce

1 thumb-size piece ginger, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp. dried turmeric

2 Tbsp. ground coriander

2 tsp. cumin

3 Tbsp. dark soy sauce

4 Tbsp. fish sauce

5-6 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Directions:

Soak bamboo skewers in water

Cut chicken into thin strips and place in a bowl.

Place all marinade ingredients in a food processor or chopper. Process well.

Taste-test the marinade - you will taste sweet, spicy, and salty. The strongest tastes should be sweet and salty in order for the finished satay to taste its best. Add more sugar or more fish sauce (in place of salt) to adjust the taste. You can also add more chili if you want it spicier.

Pour the marinade over the meat and stir well to combine. Allow at least 1 hour for marinating, or longer (up to 24 hours).

When ready to cook, thread meat onto the skewers, stopping about 3” from end.

Grill the satay on your BBQ, or on an indoor grill, basting the chicken each time you turn the skewers. Depending on how thin your meat is, the satay should cook in 5 to 10 minutes.  Do not over cook!

Serve with rice, rice noodles or cellophane noodles and a bowl of Satay Peanut Sauce for dipping.

Satay Peanut Sauce

This sauce is great with skewered grilled chicken, beef or pork and is also great as Asian salad dressing or cold noodle dressing. Most Western recipes are using peanut butter in satay but try this recipe using fresh roasted peanuts and you will taste the difference. And yes, it is OK to substitute peanut butter if you don’t have fresh peanuts or are short on time but if you do, omit the water, just use 3/4 cup of peanut butter.

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh dry roasted peanuts, unsalted (make sure they are not stale)

1/3 cup water

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. dark soy sauce

2 tsp. sesame oil

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 to 2.5 Tbsp. fish

1/2 Tbsp. lime juice

1 tsp. Sriracha sauce (or to taste)

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend or process until sauce is smooth. If you prefer a runnier peanut sauce, add a little more water or coconut milk.

Do a taste test, adding more fish sauce (or soy sauce) if not salty enough, or more Sriracha if not spicy enough. If too salty, add a squeeze of fresh lime juice. If you'd prefer it sweeter, add a little more sugar or honey.