The BBQ Report

You’ll find Chicken sate to be a featured appetizer in many Thai restaurant, but in my opinion they make a good meal on their own when served over rice. Once again I ate them all before taking a picture. Mine look a little different those pictured here. I like mine with a little char on them, and I don’t sprinkle them with sesame seeds.

This recipe includes several parts actually; a marinade and a peanut dipping sauce. If you wish, you can usually find Thai style peanut sauce for sale in many markets, saving you the hassle.

Chicken and Marinade

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce (or soy sauce)
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Cut the chicken into about a dozen strips, about 1/2 inch wide and 4 inches long. You want these to be fairly thin, say about 1/4 inch thick. If you have a fairly thick chicken breast, flatten it out some with a rolling pin.

Combine the marinade ingredients together with a whisk. Pour the marinade and the chicken into a plastic zip top bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours. Don’t over marinate or the lime juice with make the chicken mushy.

Grilling the Chicken

Thread the chicken strips onto bamboo skewers that have been soaked in water to prevent burning. Try to minimize the stick’s exposure to the fire by leaving the chicken hanging off the end of the stick a bit.

Grill these for 2 to 3 minutes per side over high heat until lightly browned. When arranging these on the grill, I like to turn off one side of the grill and lay the chicken perpendicular to the grill grate, placing the handles of the skewers away from the heat to prevent burning. Immediately after removing from the grill, baste lightly with the peanut dipping sauce on both sides.

Peanut Dipping Sauce

• 1-1/4 unsalted peanuts
• 1/2 cup canned sweetened cream of coconut
• 1-1/2 tsp. honey
• 1 tsp. peanut oil
• juice of one lemon
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce (or soy sauce)
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• dash hot pepper sauce

Blend 1 cup peanuts in electric blender or food processor until finely ground. With motor running add honey and oil, blending until smooth and creamy. Chop remaining peanuts finely. Mix pureed peanuts, chopped peanuts and remaining ingredients in small bowl. Serve warm.