Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Today is the last day of shower food, and it’s a two for Friday.  Below are the recipes for the chicken satay (maybe the favorite at the shower) and a Thai green salad.

Food on skewers is always great for parties, and the chicken satay is something that can be prepped a day or 2 head of time, then cooked right before serving.  I combined two recipes to make this: the chicken marinade comes from a Williams-Sonoma cookbook, and the peanut sauce comes from Martha Stewart.  This would also be good with pork or shrimp, but marinade the shrimp for only about 30 minutes. Serves 10 (I doubled the recipe for the shower)

Ingredients:

Chicken Satay marinade:

1 1/2 T palm sugar or brown sugar

1 T ground coriander

1 T ground cumin

1 t minced garlic

2 t grated ginger

1 t ground turmeric

1 t salt

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast or tenderloins

Peanut Sauce:

1 cup smooth peanut butter

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon Sriracha

1 tablespoon sugar

Freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 14 oz can coconut milk, or water, to thin

Directions:

Place chicken breats in freezer for 30 minutes before cutting.  Thinly slice chicken breasts (about 1/4 inch thickness), cutting lengthwise against the grain.  Combine marinade ingredients in a Ziploc bag or sealable container and toss with chicken to coat (can be made a day or 2 ahead).  Let marinade for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

In a blender or food processor, combine peanut butter, oil, soy sauce, garlic, sambal, and sugar until smooth. Add lemon juice to taste. With machine running, add coconut milk or water until sauce reaches desired consistency (like cake batter).

Soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes.  Then, thread chicken pieces onto skewers, making sure the chicken is the same thickness to ensure even cooking.

Cook chicken on a grill until cooked through.  Or, heat 1 T vegetable or canola oil over medium-high heat in a large, non-stick skillet.  Place as many skewers in the pan as you can and cook, turning once, until done (about 5 minutes total).  Spoon some peanut sauce over skewers, and serve remaining peanut sauce on the side for dipping.