Grilled Chicken Sates with Peanut Sauce
I’ve been making different takes on this for years. I found the original recipe on epicurious.com but have modified it to my liking. If I don’t have time to marinate it, I will just season the chicken with salt and pepper or a chili lime seasoning. If I don’t feel like slicing and skewering, I just grill the chicken breasts whole and serve the sauce on the side. I serve this with rice or quinoa (cauliflower rice would also be yummy). It is delicious and an easy weeknight dinner! It would also make a great appetizer!
Ingredients:
2 lb. chicken breasts (preferably organic)
skewers (metal or bamboo, if bamboo, soak for 30 min. before using)
For the marinade:
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
2 tsp. curry powder
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/2 cup hot water
For the peanut sauce:
1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter (preferably just peanuts and salt)
2 garlic cloves
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp. Coconut Aminos
1 tsp. (or more) sambal oelek
1/3 cup water
Directions:
In a blender, blend the coconut, ginger, curry, lime juice and hot water until the mixture is smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl (press down on the solids with a spoon), discard the solids. Let the marinade cool while slicing the chicken.
Cut the chicken lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices. Place chicken into marinade, cover and chill for 1-3 hours.
Prepare peanut sauce by blending together the peanut butter, ginger, garlic, lime juice, coconut aminos, sambal and water until smooth. Taste and add whatever is needed to suit your taste buds (some like it hotter, some like it saltier, some like it more acidic, etc.) If too thick after adjusting, add more water 1 Tbsp. at a time until it is the desired consistency.
Thread the slices of chicken onto the skewers and season with kosher salt and pepper.
Grill the chicken with the marinade still clinging to it over oiled grates for 2-3 minutes on each side or until it is cooked through to 165 degrees.
Serve chicken with dipping sauce on the side. Garnish with chopped peanuts or chopped cilantro.
*Both the marinade and peanut sauce can be make 1-2 days in advance for quicker prep.