Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

About this recipe

Satay is street food that's all about the marinade and the char—coconut milk, lemongrass and turmeric soaked into the chicken long enough to perfume it through, then grilled hard so the edges blacken and the surface crisps. This is how it's done over coals in Thailand; we translate it to the home grill or oven. The peanut sauce is non-negotiable and should be thick enough to coat a spoon, sweet, salty and a little spicy all at once. Make extra; it disappears as a dip long before the skewers are gone. The marinade is the hero here: full-fat coconut milk carries cinnamon, coriander, lemongrass and ginger into the chicken breast strips. Soy and fish sauce add umami depth, brown sugar adds subtle sweetness. The chicken strips thread onto soaked bamboo skewers in a ribbon pattern, creating maximum surface area for browning. The peanut sauce uses natural peanut butter (no added sugar), thinned with warm water and rounded with soy, lime juice, red curry paste and a splash of coconut milk. The result tastes balanced and complex, not one-note spicy. The technique that matters is marinading time and grill heat. Get the chicken into the marinade at least an hour ahead, overnight if possible. When you grill, get the heat genuinely high so the exterior caramelizes before the inside dries out. Brush with leftover marinade once during cooking to build layers of flavor. Serve satay skewers piled on a board with warm peanut sauce for dunking, cucumber ribbons for crunch and cool, and jasmine rice on the side. It's high-protein at 42g per serving, satisfying and elegant enough for entertaining. Leftovers refrigerate for three days and can be reheated gently or eaten cold.