Today I’m going to show you how to grill chicken satay, or sate as it is sometimes called. These are like little chicken kebabs that have a ton of flavor. I’m going to show you how to make a Thai chicken satay that is so good, that you will find yourself grilling it again and again.
The nice thing about chicken satay is that they are easy to grill and are a perfect dish when entertaining for a lot of people. The recipe I will share with you is really easy to make, but it comes packed with flavor.
First things first, we are going to need some chicken. I like to use chicken tenderloins or tenders as they are often referred to. You can buy chicken tenderloins from your supermarket, or you can just buy chicken breasts and cut the tenderloin portion off yourself and save the breast meat for another day. Also, you don’t have to make your sates with chicken tenders, you could also use breast meat or chicken thighs. The thigh meat is commonly used in Thailand.
Whatever type of chicken you are using, you will want to cut it into long strips. If you are using chicken tenderloin, cut them in half lengthwise. I use about one pound of chicken when making these. That is roughly enough for 4 to 6 people for an appetizer, or 2 to 3 for a meal.
With the chicken cut you will need to weave it onto bamboo skewers. Get yourself a bunch of small bamboo skewers. I use these, which are 6 inches in length. You will want to soak the bamboo skewers in water for an hour or so before weaving on the chicken. This will help keep the skewers from burning while grilling.
At this point I marinate them. Use can use any marinade you would like, there are a lot of prepackaged marinades that would add some great flavor, but today I’m going to make a Thai inspired one.
Grilled Chicken Satay Recipe
Here is what you need:
2 tbsp sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 stalk lemongrass, minced
1 jalapeno, or Thai chile, seeded and sliced thinly
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
3 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
In a mixing bowl combine the sugar, garlic, lemongrass, chile, coriander, turmeric, and black pepper. Mash into a paste. Stir in the coconut milk, fish sauce, and lime juice. Place the chicken satay into a container and pour this mixture over it. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
Set up your gas or charcoal grill for direct grilling over high heat. Once the grill is ready brush the grate with a bit of oil to keep the chicken from sticking. Place the skewers on the grill, and cook for approximately 2 minutes per side. These grill up quick, so keep your eye on them. The chicken will be white and firm when it is done.
If your skewers start to burn a little trick is to place a folded piece of aluminum foil under them to keep them from catching fire. Once the chicken satay is done transfer them to a platter and serve. I like to have mine with a peanut sauce. Here is a simple peanut sauce recipe.
That is how to grill chicken satay that is really good. Feel free to experiment with marinades, and also you don’t have to use just chicken you can use seafood, beef, lamb, pork, or whatever.
You are definitely going to need a bunch of small bamboo skewers for this recipe. Here are one bamboo skewers that I use; they are perfect for making chicken sate.
image courtesy of avlxyz/flickr