Sashay....Satay...

A coworker has been after me to try and make Chicken Satay.  It's an indian style chicken with a peanut sauce.  I've been wanting to make it for quite some time now, and I had the perfect opportunity yesterday.,,Memorial Day family get together.  First off, the recipe says to use bamboo skewers.  I say screw that and just grill the suckers as is!  Reason being, even though I soaked them prior to use, the lil bastards still burned, and it made uneven cooking of the chicken.  The "peaks" of the chicken were cooking faster than the "valleys".  Ultimately, I ended up just pulling off the skewers during cooking and just finished them regularly.  Another noteworthy mention, I used "chicken tenderloins".  They are chicken breasts cut into "chicken fingers". I bought 2 packs for the party, which was about 18 pieces and there was plenty of marinade with some to spare.  So, keep that in mind when you are making this dish for yourself...there will be LOTS of marinade.  I suppose you could reserve some and use it to baste while you grill.  I however, was short on time so I did not baste.  Chicken was a HUGE success...the rave of the party...and it was soooo easy to make.  All I had to do was turn all the ingredients into a paste with my food processor, marinade, then grill.  How easy is that?  Anyway, here it is in all it's glory....

~CHICKEN SATAY~

Ingredients: 

8-12 skinless chicken tenderloins
1 package wooden skewers

SATAY MARINADE:
1/4 cup minced lemongrass , fresh
2 shallots OR 1 small onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic
1-2 fresh red chilies, sliced, OR 1/2 tsp. to 1 tsp. cayenne pepper, to taste
1 thumb-size piece galangal OR ginger, thinly sliced
1 tsp. minced fresh turmeric OR 1/2 tsp. dried turmeric
2 Tbsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. cumin
3 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
4 Tbsp. fish sauce
5-6 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
Dipping Sauce: see Easy Satay Peanut Sauce

If using wooden skewers, soak them in water while you prepare the meat (to prevent burning). The kitchen sink works well for this.
Place chicken in a bowl.
Place all marinade ingredients in a food processor or chopper. Process well.
Taste-test the marinade - you will taste sweet, spicy, and salty. The strongest tastes should be SWEET and SALTY in order for the finished satay to taste its best. Add more sugar or more fish sauce (in place of salt) to adjust the taste. You can also add more chili if you want it spicier.
Pour the marinade over the meat and stir well to combine. Allow at least 1 hour for marinating, or longer (up to 24 hours).
When ready to cook, thread meat onto the skewers. Tip: Fill up to 3/4 of the skewer, leaving the lower half empty so that the person grilling has a "handle" to easily turn the satay during cooking.
Grill the satay on your BBQ, OR on an indoor grill, basting the first time you time it with a little of the leftover marinade from the bottom of the bowl. OR you can broil in the oven on a broiling pan or baking sheet with the oven set to "broil" Place satay close beneath the heating element and turn the meat every 5 minutes until cooked (be sure to soak your wooden satay sticks in water before skewering). Depending on how thin your meat is, the satay should cook in 10 to 20 minutes.
Serve with Thai jasmine rice and Satay Peanut Sauce for dipping. ENJOY!

Satay Dipping Sauce

3/4 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup water
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. dark soy sauce
2 tsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 to 2 Tbsp. fish sauce, depending on desired saltiness/flavor
1/2 tsp. tamarind paste OR 1 Tbsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, OR 1 tsp. Thai chili sauce (more or less to taste)
1/3 cup coconut milk

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend or process until sauce is smooth. If you prefer a runnier peanut sauce, add a little more water or coconut milk.
Do a taste test, adding more fish sauce (or soy sauce) if not salty enough, or more cayenne if not spicy enough. If too salty, add a squeeze of fresh lime juice. If you'd prefer it sweeter, add a little more sugar.
Serve warm or at room temperature with my Thai Chicken Satay, Thai Pork Satay, or Vegetarian/Vegan Thai Satay. It also makes a great dip with fresh veggies, fresh rolls, or other Asian finger foods. Or combine with noodles to create a Thai-style noodle dish or cold noodle salad. Enjoy!