Felt like having chicken satay. Went to get the 2 small chicken breast skin off, small satay skewers and the ingredients I remember from when I was working part-time skewing satays, some borrowed from the handful recipes I had browsed, some of the ingredients I made it up to suit my taste bud. I forgot to get the ingredients for peanut sauce.

Chicken satay is a popular Southeast Asian dish made of marinated, skewered, and grilled chicken served with a peanut sauce. It offers benefits from lean chicken and nutritious peanuts: can be high in fat, sodium, and sugar, so moderation is key. The marinade contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory ingredients like turmeric and cumin, while coconut milk keeps the chicken tender.

This my trial and error from memory, something borrowed, something cheating and something forgotten to add: peanut sauce. Well, I am glad to tryout and it’s perfectly done: flavourful, fragrant cheat spices, and scrumptious. Let’s cook!!!

Ingredients

Chicken and marinade

2 chicken breast, skin off
1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled
6 pickling onions, bought
2 Tsp white sugar
1 Tsp turmeric powder
1 Tsp chili powder
1/2 lime juice
1/4 Tsp cumin powder
1/8 Tsp galangal powder
1/8 c coconut milk, plus more if needed
a pinch of fennel powder
a pinch of coriander
salt
pepper

Equipment and oil

14 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for at least 2 hours
foils to wrap the skewers, prevent burning
oil, for brushing the satay meat
1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, use as a brush

Method

Cut the chicken breast into small pieces. Place chicken in double large resealable plastic bags or a metal bowl. Set aside. Blend all the chicken satay marinade ingredients in a food processor about 30-35 seconds. Blitz until a smooth paste forms. if too dry add more coconut milk.

Pour the chicken satay marinade into the chicken pieces in the prepared double large resealable plastic bag; massage the outer layer of the resealable bag, ensuring each piece is coated well. For the metal bowl, wear gloves and toss to combine and coat the chicken pieces well.

Marinate chicken pieces for 6 hours in the fridge, or overnight. I place them in the fridge overnight; double resealable bags are placed on top of a tray; if possible, every two hours bring them out and give them a couple of massages, then place them back into the fridge. For a metal bowl, cover with cling wrap, and after removing the cling wrap, wear gloves and toss the chicken pieces to coat them well.

The next day, wear gloves, thread/pierce 2-3 chicken pieces onto the bamboo skewers. Continue until the chicken or the bamboo skewers are all used up. Before cooking, prepare a bowl of 1 Tbs oil with 1/4 c coconut milk; stir to mix them well and a brush on the side.

Using oven/ grill

Preheat grill. Line a baking tray with foil and lightly brush with oil. I wrap the end of my bamboo skewers. You don’t have to. Make sure the grill is hot before putting chicken satays tray in. Grill the chicken satay on skewers for 2-3 minutes on one side first. Baste and using lemongrass pounded as a brush (See Note) with some oil and coconut while grilling. Bring out test if chicken pieces are cooked. If not add another 1-2 minutes more; baste and brush with some oil and coconut while grilling, until chicken satay turns golden brown with some char marks.

Bring out tray, brush a bit more oil on the other side of tray and then flip over the other side of the chicken satays into the freshly brush more oil; baste and brush with some oil and coconut while grilling. Then place back into the oven/ grill cook until chicken satay turns golden brown with some char marks. Switch off the oven/grill. Bring out the tray from oven/grill, plate up chicken satay on plate. Enjoy!!!

Note: From one of the recipes; I had browsed: “You can use a large nonstick pan; Heat some oil over medium high heat. Cook skewers in batches for 3 minutes on each side until golden. Serve with sauce on the side for dipping. From another recipes: Serve the skewers with the cucumber relish, warm peanut sauce, and toast.”

From another recipes: “Alternatively, set all the burners of a gas grill to high heat. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Grill chicken until browned on both sides and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter, let rest for 5 minutes, then serve immediately with spicy peanut sauce.”

From another recipes: “Bake or roast the satays in the oven at 180°C/350°F for 30 to 35 minutes. Halfway through, flip the satays to the other side for even cooking. Brush on more oil before putting the tray back in. OPTIONAL: At the last 10 minutes, turn the oven setting on to ‘Broil’. Place satay racks to the top rack layer. This will give the satays a nice charred surface, as if you’ve grilled them! Serve the chicken satay hot, accompanied by peanut sauce, cucumber slices, raw onions, and rice cakes!”

From another recipes: “Use a mix of chicken breasts, thighs, and legs for satay. Cutting them into uniform pieces ensures they cook evenly—no undercooked or overdone bites! When threading the skewers, I like to add a piece of chicken skin between the meat chunks. The fat bastes the meat while it grills, keeping it moist and juicy. Plus, once it melts away, it leaves behind beautifully charred and crispy edges.

“For basting, I cut off the white end of the lemongrass stalk (about 6 inches) and discard the rest. After pounding the white end with a pestle or the flat side of a cleaver, I add it to the oil. It gives the chicken a more pronounced lemongrass flavour that’s absolutely delicious. Once cooked, I use a pair of scissors to snip off any over-charred or burnt bits—just a little finishing touch that makes the satay look and taste just right!”

https://helenscchin.com/2021/09/13/chicken-satay/

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