Thai chicken satay is skewers of spiced grilled chicken served with a thick and rich peanut sauce. Amazingly simple to make, you’ll be blown away by the authentic flavour.
lime wedges, coriander (cilantro), cucumber and steamed rice
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
Flat grill or crepe pan
Bamboo skewers
Instructions
FOR THE SATAY SKEWERS: Soak 8 wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes.
Place the shallot, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, sugar, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground turmeric, chilli paste, lime juice and oil into an electric blender and blend until smooth. Taste test. You should taste sweet and salty most prominently. Add a touch more fish sauce if you’d like it saltier or sugar for sweetness. Set aside.
Trim the chicken thighs of excess fat. Sit one thigh on a chopping board with the shortest end facing you. About 1 ½cm (½ inch) from one side, thread a skewer through from the end closest to you to the end furthest, winding it up and down a little as you go. Repeat on the other side. Use a sharp knife to cut down the centre so you have two chicken skewers.
In a mixing bowl, combine the chicken and marinade, mixing to coat well trying to keep the marinade clear of the skewer ends. Chill for ½ to 1 hour.
On a flat grill or crepe pan (something without tall edges), grill the chicken skewers, over medium heat, turning regularly. Make sure to get a little char on the outside. Take care to make sure the ends closest to the holding end of the skewer get cooked through as they may be slightly lifted from the pan, depending on how high the edge of it is.
FOR THE PEANUT SAUCE: Combine the sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until it thickens. Taste test - adjust with lime juice for tang, sugar for more sweetness or fish sauce for more salt. Also you can loosen the consistency with more coconut milk or water.
Serve immediately with lime wedges, cucumber, coriander leaves (cilantro) and steamed rice.
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Notes
Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (= to 4 teaspoons worldwide). Many countries use a 15ml tablespoon so check what yours is before measuring.
Chicken: I use chicken thighs for extra flavour but you can use chicken tenderloins or chicken breast cut into tenderloin sized pieces.
Lime juice: Traditionally you'd use lemongrass and tamarind to get the tang but limes are more convenient and still gives an authentic flavour. If you use tamarind paste, use the same quantity in place of the lime juice. Roughly 1 stalk of lemongrass, roughly chopped works too.
Peanut butter: Make sure to use natural peanut butter and if the oil is settled on top, mix it through first.
Kecap manis: Kecap manis is available from most grocery stores. It is also known as sweet soy sauce. If you can't find either, combine 2 tablespoons of brown sugar to 1 tablespoon of soy sauce per note number 1 above.
Yield: The yield for this recipe is 3-4 serves (2 sticks each) though it will depend on the size of your chicken thighs. There is plenty of marinade so feel free to add an extra thigh if you want to give everyone more than 2 sticks.
Have you tried this recipe?Don't forget to leave a rating and comment below and let me know how it was! I love hearing from you. Nutrition information is approximate and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use may cause variations.