Whatever happened to the lazy days of summer? As the weather warms up it seems like we get busier than ever. So having a few quick and easy meals on the menu becomes even more of a necessity. This easy chicken satay is a great summer “go-to” meal. It’s light and healthy, and so simple to pull together. And another great reason to love it – it’s perfect for entertaining friends. You can make a little or a lot with very little time or effort.
The prep work is minimal; just mix together a few ingredients for a marinade and let the chicken soak up the flavor for a few hours in the fridge. Since we had targeted quite a few projects to finish in the yard this weekend I had a feeling that I wasn’t going to be in the mood to work hard for dinner too. So I threw the chicken in the marinade when we took our lunch break. At dinner time the grill did most of the work, and pretty quickly I might add. All I had to do was flip the chicken over once. Making the sauce only requires a few good stirs to achieve optimal dipping consistency. So what do you get in return for your avoidance of putting forth any effort at all? One very impressive meal. The chicken is tender, juicy, and flavorful all on its own. You might even think you don’t need the sauce. Until you actually taste it, that is. I could eat that stuff with a spoon I love it so much. It’s deeply savory and complex with a flash of tartness from the fresh lime juice. It’s what takes this meal from just good grilled chicken to something special. I put my “make a little or a lot” theory to the test this weekend and threw in some extra chicken so I could use it in a salad or two for lunch during the week. But next time I’ll have to remember to make extra extra chicken, since we couldn’t stop ourselves from having “just one more”.
Chicken Satay
serves 4
For Chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts sliced into thick strips
1 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
wooden skewers
fresh cilantro for garnish
For Sauce:
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce, preferably low sodium
2 teaspoons red chili paste
2 tablespoons brown sugar
juice of 2 limes
1/4 cup water
To prepare chicken:
In a shallow bowl or baking dish mix together the yogurt through chili powder. Place chicken strips into marinade and stir to coat well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
At the same time place wooden skewers into water to soak to help prevent burning.
Spray grill rack with cooking spray or brush with vegetable oil. Preheat grill. Thread each chicken strip onto skewer. Place onto grill and cover. Cook 2-3 minutes on first side, turn over, and cook 2-3 minutes on second side, or until chicken is cooked through.
Place onto a serving platter. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.
To prepare sauce:
In a medium sized microwave safe bowl, stir together peanut butter and remaining ingredients. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, then stir. Microwave another 30 seconds and stir. If the sauce still seems too thick you can microwave it one more time. It took mine a total of 60 seconds to combine perfectly.
Serve chicken skewers with dipping sauce.
adapted from Tyler Florence
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We had this tonight and really enjoyed it. It has a great Asian flavor and I served it with a big salad. I used chicken tenderloin so the chicken was already in strips and one package was enough for my husband and I. I knew my 3 year old, who is extremely picky, was not going to be joining us on this one. Because I was only serving 2, in hindsight I should have halved the sauce recipe. Thanks for a great dinner!!
I made this last night, our family didn't care for it. The texture of the chicken was strange and the peanut sauce didn't go well with it.