Satay Chicken

Submitted by Kelly Smith

PEANUT SAUCE:

1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk

1 cup roasted salted peanuts

1/2 cup water

1 small onion (about ½ cup chopped)

2 Tbs lemon juice

2 Tbs soy sauce

2 Tbs brown sugar

2 garlic cloves

½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 Tbs sesame oil

CHICKEN:
2-3 lbs chicken tenderloins, or sliced chicken breasts

about ½ cup coconut milk (use rest of can after measuring for sauce)

¼ cup soy sauce

2 Tbs rice vinegar or red wine vinegar

2 Tbs vegetable oil

1 Tbs ground coriander

1 Tbs grated fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, crushed

Combine all chicken ingredients in Ziploc bag. Marinate in refrigerator about 1 hour. Remove chicken from marinade, discarding marinade. If desired, chicken can be threaded on skewers (soak bamboo skewers for about 30 mins before using). Spray broiler pan and place chicken in single layer on pan. Broil close to heat for about 8 minutes on each side. After turning chicken once, brush chicken with small amount of reserved peanut sauce (this is optional, but it does make a nice glaze for the chicken). Chicken can also be grilled outside (be sure to oil grill first, or it will stick).

While chicken is marinating, combine all sauce ingredients in a blender. Blend 2-3 minutes, until smooth. Pour into saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sauce comes to a boil; lower heat and simmer about 5 minutes. Set aside about ¼ cup of sauce to baste chicken. Serve remaining sauce warm as a dipping sauce for chicken.

TO PREPARE AFTER FREEZING: Thaw chicken and peanut sauce. Cook chicken as above. Reheat peanut sauce (sauce is already cooked, it just needs to be warmed). Serve with hot rice.

SIDE DISH:

I like to serve this with a roasted vegetable (usually fresh broccoli, asparagus or green beans). I put the fresh veges in a Ziploc bag with olive oil, crushed fresh garlic and fresh ground pepper and salt. Let this sit for 30 mins to 1 hour (unless you’re in a rush, and then just cook it). Place in foil lined roasting pan (or bottom half of broiler pan) and roast at 425 for about 15 min (depending on thickness of vegetable). When I roast something when I do the Satay chicken, I will start the veges cooking at 425 for about 5 minutes on the bottom rack, and then switch the oven over to broil to cook the chicken on the top rack (leaving the veges in the oven too).

Roasting vegetables is my new favorite way to serve them. The kids really like them this way. Other good veges to roast are zucchini & summer squash, peppers, onions, butternut squash, eggplant. Sometimes I will add some balsamic vinegar and/or fresh rosemary sprigs to the olive oil marinade. Leave rosemary sprigs in pan when you roast the veges, but then remove them before serving.