Saturday, July 7, 2018

Thai Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Many recipes for Thai chicken satay that I've come across use chicken breasts, but I prefer to use chicken thighs, which are more juicy, succulent and uber tender. The satay marinade and peanut sauce are my versions derived from a number of recipes that I found online and in my cookbooks. And since I don't regularly stock canned coconut milk, I use reconstituted coconut milk powder (1 tablespoon per 1/4 cup of warm water), which tastes just as good! Feel free to use either (coconut milk powder is available from Amazon). 


Marinade:
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-3" strips

3 stalks lemongrass (white part only), roughly chopped
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. fish sauce
2 tbsp. palm sugar or light brown sugar
2 tbsp. soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. fresh minced ginger
1/2 tsp. ground galangal (optional)
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. Sriracha or other chili sauce
2 shallots, chopped
1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup coconut milk

Peanut Sauce:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp. red Thai curry paste
1 tbsp. palm sugar or light brown sugar
1 tbsp. lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 scallions, chopped

Thai Cucumber Pickles (Achat)  http://thegrubfiles.blogspot.com/2016/10/thai-cucumber-pickles-achat.html 

1. Place all the marinade ingredients into a blender or food processor. Blend 15-20 seconds or until the mixture is totally smooth. 

2. Cut the chicken thighs into 2-3" strips and place into a large Ziplock-type bag. Pour in the marinade, squeeze out the air, and close the bag. Massage the bag gently to distribute the marinade throughout. 

3. Place the bag flat in the refrigerator and marinate at least 6 hours or preferably overnight, turning over once or twice. 

4. In the meantime, combine all the ingredients for the peanut sauce together in a medium bowl and stir well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use (keeps up to a week). 

5. Place 8 wide bamboo skewers in a shallow rectangular pan of water and let soak at least 30 minutes. 

6. Skewer 4-5 pieces of the marinated chicken onto each skewer. Grill the chicken about 10-12 minutes, turning over once, until just cooked through. 

7. Serve with the peanut sauce, Thai cucumber pickles, and steamed jasmine rice on the side if desired.


Lime, ginger, cilantro, lemon grass, shallots and garlic.

Coconut milk powder (ratio: 1 tbsp. per 1/4 cup warm water), Sriracha sauce, fish sauce, 
soy sauce, vegetable oil, ground cumin, ground galangal, ground turmeric, 
ground coriander, and palm sugar.

Blend all the marinade ingredients together until smooth.


Cut the chicken thigh meat into 2-3" strips.

Combine the marinade and chicken in a large Ziplock-type bag. Squeeze all the air
out and refrigerate at least 6 hour or preferably overnight, turning over once or twice.


Peanut sauce.




Soak the bamboo skewers in water at least 30 minutes before using to
prevent them from burning during grilling.


Skewer 4-5 chicken pieces onto each skewer.


Grill 10-12 minutes, turning over once or until the chicken is just cooked through. 






Serve with the peanut sauce and Thai cucumber pickles on the side. 
Jasmine rice would also be good.

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