GRILLED COCONUT-LIME CHICKEN WITH PEANUT SAUCE (CHICKEN SATAY)

GRILLED COCONUT-LIME CHICKEN WITH PEANUT SAUCE (CHICKEN SATAY) image

Categories Chicken Appetizer Wheat/Gluten-Free Backyard BBQ Kosher for Passover

Yield 18 skewers

Number Of Ingredients 43

Ingredients

8-10 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thigh meat
1/2 bunch cilantro chopped, for garnish
Marinade:
1 14 ounce can coconut milk
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
4 minced garlic cloves
1 tablespoon sriracha (thai chilli sauce) could also use sambal oelek/ulek
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
zest and juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons sesame seed oil
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons of curry spice mix, recipe below
salt to taste, if needed
Peanut Sauce:
1 1/2 cups crunchy all-natural peanut butter (nothing in the ingredients but peanuts and salt) or 2 cups roasted peanuts, crushed
zest and juice of 4 limes, plus more juice if needed
2-3 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1/2+ cup dark soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 finely minced garlic cloves
sriracha/sambal oelek to taste (I like mine quite spicy)
2-3 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons curry spice mix, recipe below
coconut milk as needed until desired consistency
Curry spice mix:
makes about 1/4 cup
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds
3 dried bay leaves
1/2 teaspoons celery seeds
1 teaspoons ground turmeric
Garam Masala:
makes about 1/3 cup
8-12 green cardamom pods (or 1 1/2-2 teaspoons ground cardamom)
1 tablespoon cloves
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
25g/1 oz coriander seeds
25g/1 oz cumin seeds
4 short cinnamon sticks
1/4 pod whole nutmeg (or 3/4 t ground)
3 star anise pods

Steps:

Marinate the meat pieces for 1-2 days in the fridge. I like to use all thigh meat (because it's juicier and more flavourful) that has been boned and skinned so it's really easy to just put it right into the marinade with no prep. Once ready to cook, preheat your grill. Once hot, scrape off any crud, and oil well. Remove each thigh and cut in half lengthwise. Skewer as many strips you can fit on your skewers (I did 3). Grill until just done on medium-high heat. During the last couple minutes of grilling, sprinkle the chicken with just a little bit of garam masala (recipe below) or the curry spice mixture if you prefer. Once all the chicken is done, place on a large platter, and sprinkle with the chopped cilantro. Serve with the peanut sauce to dip. Peanut sauce: You can make this a few days in advance, or while the chicken is grilling. Mix all ingredients together with a fork and then a whisk until well blended. The liquids are in variable measure because depending on what kind of peanut butter you use, how oily it is, and/or whether you grind your peanuts freshly, the amount you'll need to add in will change. If using peanuts instead of peanut butter, blend 3/4 of your peanuts in a food processor until it turns to peanut butter. Add the remainder of the crushed peanuts, and pulse a few times to mix them in, but retain the crunchy texture. Also depending on how limey and spicy you want it, change the amounts of lime juice and sriracha accordingly. For the spices: Toast the whole spices in a small, DRY sauté pan over low heat until fragrant and warm, you should be able to just smell the spices, but be very careful not to burn them. Grind them in a coffee grinder you dedicate solely to grinding spices. Add in any pre-ground spices and grind to mix in.