Chicken with Peanut Satay Sauce

Ok ok before all you know-it-alls get antsy, I realize this isn't a "traditional" satay sauce. I didn't grind my own peanuts, I omitted the ginger, and I'm fresh out of lemongrass, but this is still a delicious peanut satay inspired dish. For those of you unfamiliar with satay, it is basically meat that has been marinated and grilled, then dipped in a sweet and salty peanut butter sauce. It's divine. This version is no exception. 

After researching a variety of satay recipes, I found some common ingredients and decided to venture off on my own to make a simplified, yet tasty version using what I had on hand (gosh that seems like a problem of mine). I am happy to report that the experimenting paid off! I wasn't planning to blog this dish, but halfway through dinner I forced Andy to stop eating so I could snap a few photos to add to the blog. He got a little grumpy, but I succeeded. The flavors of this dish are appealing to both adults and kids alike, and this could easily be served as a main dish protein along side a veggie and some rice (edamame in our case), or it could be served room temperature as an appetizer. Whatever floats your boat. Enjoy!

Chicken with Peanut Satay Sauce

Serves 2 main dish portion

Ingredients

Marinade

1/4 cup coconut milk

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. curry powder

1 tsp. brown sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch strips

Peanut sauce

1/2 cup coconut milk

2 tsp. curry powder

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (the "natural" peanut butter is better than a Jif or Skippy type of peanut butter, but use what you have on hand)

1/3 cup chicken or beef stock

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. lemon or lime juice

1 tsp. fish sauce

1 tsp. soy sauce
dash of cayenne pepper to taste (optional)

Other

wooden skewers (1 per chicken strip) soaked in water for 30 minutes

non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients for the marinade except the chicken. Add the chicken strips and toss to coat the marinade evenly over each. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, skewer the chicken strips onto the soaked wooden skewers. Discard any remaining marinade.

In the meantime, make the peanut sauce. In a small saucepan over medium low heat, whisk together all ingredients for the peanut sauce. Once it begins to simmer, cook for 5 minutes until smooth and slightly thickened. Remove from heat and transfer to a small serving bowl.

Heat a grill pan over medium high heat. Spray with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Grill the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side or until cooked through. 

Serve the chicken skewers along with the peanut sauce. Yum!