Chicken Satay, You Say?

Chicken Satay, You Say?  with Peanut Dipping Sauce and Pineapple Rice

 

I love chicken.  I also love peanut butter.  These two loves meet in a perfect union called chicken satay with peanut sauce.   Usually this is a dish I only have when visiting a Thai joint; however, that just doesn’t happen enough to suit me.  It requires getting the SOB to leave the house, and now that I’ve taught that man to cook, well, let’s just say I’ve kinda screwed myself in that regard.  Therefore, I took it upon myself to figure out how to make my own tasty chicken satay, and lucky you, am willing to share it with my fellow freaks.  I feel this recipe is exceptionally easy, as the marinade is also included in the dipping sauce.  However, there is no shame in using all of the marinade strictly for marinating the chicken and purchasing a premade peanut satay sauce.  Some people just aren’t into coconut flavor.  I didn’t feel the coconut was strong in this sauce, though.  In fact, the SOB despises coconut, and he did not even detect it in this sauce.   As always, tweak as you must.   

 

As a bonus, I have included my recipe for Pineapple Rice.  I absolutely LOVE fresh pineapple, and I buy at least one a week.  We go through them especially fast during the summer, as pineapple is very amenable to grilling.  Don’t be afraid of burning it, either.  Much like a marshmallow, the blacker it gets, the sweeter it becomes.  Grilling the pineapple before adding it to the rice gives it an extra special flavor, and if you are grilling the chicken anyway, why not throw the pineapple on the grill at the end of things?  It’s not like it takes extra effort or anything, you lazy ass!  Sigh…okay… if you have zero desire to buy a fresh pineapple, go ahead and get yourself some canned.  I haven’t tried it on the grill, but it may work.  Go for it.  If it works, it works.  If it doesn’t, then you know…  If it does, let us know.  We always welcome freak feedback! 

Chicken Skewers

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast

Wooden skewers, soaked in water for 20+ minutes.  If you already own metal skewers for your grill, go ahead and use them.  No point in buying special skewers.  It’s  not like you’re going to eat them or anything.

Marinade/Dipping Sauce Seasoning

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (approximately 2 limes)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon gingerroot, grated or minced

¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Dipping Sauce

¾ cup canned unsweetened coconut milk

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

¼ cup reserved marinade

Cut chicken into ½ inch wide strips.  Place into a plastic zip top bag. 

In a bowl, combine all marinade ingredients and stir well to combine.  Reserve ¼ cup of marinade mixture and set aside in a separate bowl. 

Pour marinade over the chicken in plastic bag and massage to coat the chicken with the marinade.  Place in refrigerator and let marinate for 30 minutes up to 2 hours, turning occasionally to redistribute the marinade onto the chicken. 

While the chicken is marinating, combine the coconut milk, peanut butter, and reserved marinade in a bowl and mix well with a whisk.  Add more peanut butter if you want a thicker consistency.  Seriously, how easy was that! 

After chicken is done marinating, thread the chicken strips onto the wooden skewers and grill according to your preferred method; gas grill, charcoal grill, grill pan on the stove, whatever you wish, until cooked through.   Note:  If you are serving the pineapple rice dish as a side, (see recipe below), this is when you would grill the pineapple, immediately when the chicken is done.  I usually cook the chicken until there are nice sear marks, and then throw on the top rack and finish it off (in case the insides are not all the way done). 

Serve the chicken skewers with the dipping sauce and enjoy.  If you have any leftover lime juice, drizzle if over the top of the chicken skewers for a little added flavor.  This is so freaking yummy!!   With or without the dipping sauce,  the SOB and I found this chicken absolutely delicious and it will most definitely be on our summer grilling rotation! 

What I learned:

The next time I make this, I am going to cut the chicken into kabob style cubes so they get more flavor from the marinade.  It was really delicious, and our only comment was that we wished the marinade had soaked into the chicken more.  Hence, next time, kabob it!

Pineapple Rice, Oh My Beloved Pineapple Rice*

Rice  (I prefer Basamati rice, it never seems to get sticky or clumpy, but it costs more than regular white rice, so don’t get your panties in a bunch over it)

Pineapple, fresh, 2 cups, diced.  For maximum flavor, grill the pineapple before dicing.  If you don’t have fresh pineapple, use canned.  I just always have fresh pineapple on hand because we eat a lot of it in our house, especially during grilling season.

Green Onion, 3-4, chopped

Ginger, 1 tablespoon minced or chopped

Garlic, 1 clove, minced or pressed

Sesame Oil, 3 tablespoons

Rice Vinegar, 1/3 cup

In rice cooker, add 2 servings worth of rice and water (according to cooker instructions).  Add ½ of sesame oil, ginger and garlic.  Turn cooker on and let it go until rice is cooked.  When finished, turn rice cooker off and add green onion, rice vinegar and rest of sesame oil.  Stir gently to combine.  Add pineapple and again stir gently to combine.  Serve immediately while rice is hot. 

*Note* This recipe involves using a rice cooker.  If you do not own a rice cooker, the instructions will need to be adapted for cooking in your preferred method (such as a pan on the stove).  If you do not own a rice cooker, and eat a somewhat decent amount of rice, I highly suggest purchasing one.  You can get one for well under $20, and they can be used for far more than making rice.  I use mine for steaming asparagus and green beans, along with other vegetables, and occasionally fish.