Chicken Satay (Sa-Te Kai)
Happy almost Friday! I made you Thai…again!
Wouldn’t it be nice if today was Friday instead of Thursday? I’ve been wishing for the weekend since Tuesday. For some reason, this week has felt unnaturally long to me. I’ve felt…cloudy all week. I think it’s allergies. Or a distinct lack of sleep. In any event, it’s Friday eve and that’s the next best thing.
You know what you should do on Friday? Invite some friends over and make these chicken skewers. You’ll totally blow them away and they’ll think you picked them up at a super authentic Thai restaurant. I’m so serious—these are as good or better than any chicken satay I’ve had anywhere. Serve it with some Peanut Sauce and Cucumber Relish, and you’ll be in heaven.
The marinade is pretty unreal. I sort of can’t believe how good it is. The list of ingredients is slightly long, but it’s pretty easy to just throw it all together with the chicken and stick it in the fridge for the day, or overnight. You may or may now dye your entire kitchen and yourself yellow from the turmeric, though. …Or maybe that’s just me. It’s hard to tell since I’m so much messier than the average person.
These would be a perfect thing to throw on the grill for a nice Spring night. That is, if you don’t live in Seattle. The weather here can’t make up its mind. One minute the sun is shining, the next it’s hailing. Not even kidding, it hailed so freakin’ hard today that I had to video it and send it to Mikey who was at work, where it apparently wasn’t even raining. Whatever, I have a grill pan, and that’s good enough!
Ingredients
- 1 large shallot
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
- 1/3 cup cilantro stems (with a few leaves)
- 1/2 tbsp coriander seed
- 1/2 tbsp cumin seed
- 1/2 tbsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp Thai Curry Powder
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 cup coconut milk
- 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 and 1/2 to 1 and 3/4 lbs)
- bamboo skewers, soaked in water for at least an hour before threading chicken
- Peanut Sauce and Cucumber Relish, to serve
Instructions
- In a food processor, process together the shallot, garlic, ginger, and cilantro stems until a paste forms.
- Slice the chicken breasts into 1 and 1/2-inch strips.
- In a large bowl, combine the paste with the remainder of the ingredients, and the chicken strips. Mix around with your hands to coat the chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
- When ready to cook (be sure your skewers have soaked!), remove the chicken from the marinade and thread each piece onto a skewer. Save the marinade.
- Heat a grill or grill pan over high heat. Grill the skewers for 5 to 10 minutes, turning frequently, until cooked through, basting with the extra marinade as it cooks.
- Serve with Peanut Sauce and Cucumber Relish.
Notes
recipe slightly adapted from The Food of Thailand
These were delicious – tasted just like my favorite thai restaurant! I boiled the extra marinade to make a sauce for rice.
Rachael replied: — April 2nd, 2014 @ 8:09 pm
So glad you enjoyed them, Veronica! I totally agree, this recipe tastes just like the satay I get at the best Thai restaurants!
Boiling the sauce is a brilliant idea! I bet it was phenomenal over rice!