SATAY CHICKEN SKEWERS
Satay chicken skewers are one of my favourite entrées when we go out to eat Thai food. This homemade version tastes very similar, but is turned into a full meal with the addition of rice and greens.
Juicy chicken skewers lathered in creamy peanut sauce are really quite hard to resist, don’t you agree? It took a lot of willpower not to eat a large portion of the food before I photographed it!
I’ve used yellow curry paste in this meal as it tends to be quite mild, making this a great family-friendly dinner. If you prefer more of a kick, you can use red curry paste instead. Save the rest of the curry paste – I’m working on another recipe to use it up and will have this live within the next couple of weeks!
If you don’t like the greens I’ve suggested, virtually any veggies will work well with this meal. Salad is a good option too.
SATAY CHICKEN SKEWERS
Satay chicken skewers are one of my favourite entrées when we go out to eat Thai food. This homemade version tastes very similar, but is turned into a full meal with the addition of rice and greens.
Ingredients
CHICKEN SKEWERS
- 600 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs (1lb 5oz)
- 1/4 cup lite coconut milk (60ml)
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp peanut butter
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp yellow curry paste
- 10-12 medium-sized metal or wooden skewers
- 1/2 Tbsp peanut oil
SAUCE
- 1 1/4 cups lite coconut milk (315ml)
- 1/2 cup peanut butter (130g)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp yellow curry paste
- 4 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
TO SERVE
- 350 g baby bok choy / shanghai (12.3oz)
- 200 g kale, spinach or silverbeet (7oz)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tsp peanut oil
- 2 x 250 g microwave pouches brown rice (2 x 8.8oz)
- 1/4 cup roasted, salted peanuts (50g)
- 1 lime (optional)
Instructions
PREPARE CHICKEN
Dice chicken into roughly 2cm (0.8in) cubes. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together coconut milk, sugar, peanut butter, soy sauce and curry paste. Add chicken and leave to marinate for at least 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180ºC (360ºF) fan bake and line a large oven tray with baking paper.
MAKE SAUCE
In a small non-stick saucepan, whisk together coconut milk, peanut butter, sugar, curry paste, soy sauce and vinegar. Set aside.
ASSEMBLE AND COOK SKEWERS
Thread marinated chicken pieces onto skewers. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add skewers (you may need to do this in batches) and brown for 1-2 minutes each side. Transfer to prepared tray and bake for 15-20 minutes, until cooked through.
COOK SAUCE, GREENS AND RICE
Place saucepan with the sauce in it over a medium-low heat. Gently simmer until sauce has thickened, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Turn heat down to very low until ready to serve.
Meanwhile, trim and discard the hard parts of the stem from bok choy and kale, spinach or silverbeet. Crush garlic. Heat oil in a large wok and stir fry greens and garlic for 5 minutes, until tender.
Microwave rice according to instructions on packet.
SERVE
Serve rice topped with chicken skewers, drizzled with sauce, with greens on the side. Cut lime into wedges to squeeze over the top, if desired.
Recipe Notes
WINE MATCH:A Gewürztraminer.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: Use gluten-free soy sauce. Ensure curry paste and peanuts are gluten-free.
INGREDIENT SWAPS / NOTES: Chicken tenderloins can be used instead of chicken thighs - try threading them onto the skewers whole. You can use crunchy or smooth peanut butter, whichever you prefer. Red curry paste is a good alternative to yellow curry paste if you like a bit more heat. Save the leftover curry paste for another recipe coming up in a couple of weeks! I used microwave pouches of brown rice with chia seeds as that was what I had in the pantry. For a more traditional option, use long grain white rice instead.
MAKE AHEAD: Chicken can be left to marinate for up to 24 hours.
COOKING TIP: I like to finish cooking the skewers in the oven to make sure they cook through properly while staying nice and juicy. It also frees up hands and space to prepare the other parts of the meal! If you prefer, you can cook these all the way through in the frying pan. Alternatively, grill them on the barbecue (you will need to soak wooden skewers in water first to prevent burning).
STORING AND REHEATING: Store individual portions of rice, chicken, sauce and greens together in airtight containers and reheat in the microwave. Don’t forget to remove metal skewers first!
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2 Comments
Loved the sauce (there was definitely some scraping the pot & licking the spoon at the end)
The sauce is definitely the best bit! Glad you enjoyed it, and thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review 🙂