Thai Chicken Satay With Peanut Sauce

Thai Chicken Satay With Peanut Sauce can be eaten plain, but we would never skip Thai Peanut Sauce as a dip! Natural peanut butter without added oil or sugar is the key ingredient to a great peanut sauce, so normal peanut butter also works well.

Preparation: 15 minutes

Cook 15 Minutes

Marinating for 20 minutes

Total: 30 Minutes

Servings: 15

Ingredients

• 400 g/14oz coconut milk (1 can), full-fat
• 13-16 bamboo skewers, 16cm / 6.5” long (Note 1)

Marinade:

• Cut into 2cm/4/5″ pieces 600g/1.2lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (Note 2)
• 1 tbsp Curry Powder (Note 3)
• 1 tbsp. white sugar
• 2 tsp of red curry paste
• 1 tsp kosher salt or cooking salt (substitute 1/2 tsp of table salt)

Thai Peanut Sauce

• 2 tbsp of red curry paste
• 1/4 cup smooth, natural peanut butter (Note 5)
• 1/4 cup of white sugar
• 2 tsp dark soy sauce (Note 6)
• 1 tsp kosher salt or cooking salt (substitute 1/2 tsp of table salt)
• 2 tbsp cider vinegar (Note 7)
• 3/4 cup of water

Serving:

• 2 tbsp finely chopped peanuts
• Lime wedges
• Optional: Coriander/cilantro leaves and red chilli slices

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Instructions

1. If you are cooking over charcoal or a BBQ, soak the skewers in water for two hours.

Thai Chicken Satay Skewers:

1. Set aside the chicken marinade and 1/4 cup of coconut milk for 20 minutes or overnight.
2. Thread on skewers. I usually do four to five pieces per skewer.
3. Heat 1.5 tbsp of oil in a large, non-stick pan on medium heat.
4. Cook the skewers in batches, 3 minutes on each side.

Thai Peanut Sauce

1. Pour the remaining ingredients for Peanut Sauce and coconut milk into a medium saucepan.
2. Stir well to combine, then simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. It should be thick but pourable.
4. Cover the lid to keep the skewers warm.

Serving:

1. Pour some sauce into a bowl. Sprinkle some peanuts on top – you can also stir in some if desired.
2. Pile the satay sticks onto a plate and sprinkle with any remaining peanuts, chilli, coriander, etc.
3. Serve with sauce to dip. Complete the meal with a side dish of Thai Fried Rice or Jasmine Rice.

Recipe Notes

1. The skewers for Asian chicken satays are usually shorter than Western skewers. They fit perfectly in my skillets. Make them bigger with longer skewers.

2. The thigh of chicken is the best option for the juiciest meat, so you can also substitute with beef or a pork cut – make sure to use a well-marbled, quick-cooking cut.

3. Curry powder is okay. Cliffs or Keens is what I use.

4. Maesri is the best Thai red paste, in my opinion, then it comes in small cans, and it’s also the cheapest. Supermarkets (Coles, Woolies, Harris) and Asian stores sell it, so it doesn’t matter which brand you use, as it is more of an enhancer than a key flavouring.

If you are using homemade Thai Red Curry paste, double it, and add 1 tsp of fish sauce and 1 tsp of sugar to the chicken marinade., then add 2 tsp of fish sauce and 2 tsp sugar to the Peanut Sauce. (Homemade paste doesn’t contain the seasonings that jar paste has).

5. Natural peanut butter contains only peanuts, so it has a stronger flavour and is made from 100% peanuts. Commercial peanut butter, which includes sugar and other additives, has a milder taste, so the consistency is thinner, so you need less water to get the right consistency, so it is available in supermarkets’ health food sections.

You can use a regular peanut butter spread, but the flavour will not be as good. The sauce will also be thicker, so don’t dilute too much with water. It will dilute the flavour.

Substitute 1 cup of raw, unsalted peanuts with 1/2 cup of coconut milk (or more) called for in the peanut butter sauce, so this will make it super smooth.

6. Dark soy sauce is a seasoning that adds depth to the sauce. You can substitute with all-purpose or light soy sauce, but the sauce will have a lighter colour.

7. You can substitute plain white vinegar for cider vinegar, so you can substitute lime juice, rice vinegar, or any other clear kind of vinegar, so however, they are not as authentic.

8. So this recipe makes way more than you need, so you will probably only use about 1/3. This recipe is hard to reduce and also uses an entire can of coconut cream. This recipe will last for a week in the refrigerator – or you can freeze it.

Use leftover for:

• Sauce for rice, noodles and vegetables (raw or steamed).
• Simple Gado Gado made with rice, eggs, hard-boiled and steamed vegetables
• Dip for vegetables and prawns
• Use this dressing to dress Chinese Chicken Salads, Satay Noodle Salads, Peanut Noodle Salads or Sesame Noodle Salads

9. The importance of nutrition is overstated, so the assumption is that the entire peanut sauce will be consumed, but realistically, only about 1/3 of it is likely.

Nutrition Information:

Calories:235cal (12%)Carbohydrates:7g (2%)Protein:10g (20%)Fat:19g (29%)Saturated Fat:8g (50%)Cholesterol:39mg (13%)Sodium:448mg (19%)Potassium:230mg (7%)Fiber:1g (4%)Sugar:5g (6%)Vitamin A:455IU (9%)Vitamin C:0.5mg (1%)Calcium:19mg (2%)Iron:1.6mg (9%)