Chicken Satay with peanut sauce

CHICKEN SATAY WITH PEANUT SAUCE

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 20 mins

Marinate: 6 hrs

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• 10 bamboo skewers

Chicken Marinade:

• 1/2 cup canned coconut milk (Note 1)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne

Peanut Sauce:

• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (Note 2)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Marinate Chicken: Stir all marinade ingredients in large bowl until well-mixed, turning light orange or tan. Cut chicken into 1-inch or smaller chunks, and stir them into marinade until well-coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours.
2. Assemble Skewers: Preheat oven to 450 F, and prepare baking with parchment paper. Thread about 4 chicken chunks per skewer, leaving half of each skewer empty for handling. Place chicken skewers in single layer on lined baking sheet.
3. Cook Chicken: Bake at 450 F for 10 minutes, flip skewers, and bake for another 10 minutes or until chicken looks dry, browning in some spots, and its released liquid pooled on baking sheet has evaporated. Or, you can grill them.
4. Make Sauce: While waiting for chicken to cook, whisk together all peanut sauce ingredients in small saucepan over medium-low heat until very smooth, a few minutes. Reduce to low heat to keep warm, stirring occasionally.
5. Serve: Transfer chicken skewers onto serving plate. Brush peanut sauce over chicken. Top with sliced scallions, and serve while warm.

NOTES & TIPS
(1) Coconut Milk. Use an unsweetened full-fat version, not light or reduced fat. Before measuring out the amount to use, stir or shake well because there will be separation in the can. Properly stirred coconut milk should appear thick and creamy, not watery.
(2) Peanut Butter. I recommend creamy, not crunchy, so that the sauce spreads more easily over the chicken. Sauce made with crunchy peanut butter doesn’t adhere as well to the chicken, but will still taste great. I use the “natural” kind that has only peanuts and salt in the ingredients, no added sugar. There is typically some separation, so stir up the jar of peanut butter before measuring out the amount to use.