Skip the skewering and make chicken satay instantly weeknight friendly. The no-peanut-butter satay sauce recipe is the real deal.
Ingredients
MARINADE
▢ 1½ teaspoons coriander seeds
▢ ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
▢ ½ teaspoon white peppercorns
▢ 1 tablespoon brown sugar
▢ ¾ teaspoon table salt
▢ ¾ teaspoon ground turmeric
▢ ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
▢ 1 tablespoon tamarind paste, store-bought or homemade
▢ ½ cup coconut milk
▢ 1.2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in long ½-inch thick strips (see note)
▢ Jasmine rice and/or white toast, for serving
PEANUT SAUCE
▢ ½ cup roasted peanuts, unsalted
▢ 1¼ cups coconut milk
▢ 2 tablespoons red curry paste, store-bought or homemade
▢ 2 tablespoons tamarind paste, store-bought or homemade
▢ 2 tablespoons finely chopped palm sugar, packed
▢ 1-2 teaspoons fish sauce
"AJAAD" QUICK CUCUMBER PICKLE (OPTIONAL)
▢ ½ cup white vinegar
▢ ¼ cup granulated sugar
▢ Pinch of table salt
▢ 5 ounces cucumber
▢ 1-2 Thai chilies, chopped (optional)
Pound the coriander, cumin and white peppercorns into a powder.
Add all remaining marinade ingredients and mix well. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
Cut the chicken breast against the grain, diagonally, into ½-inch thick strips. Once you get to the flat part of the chicken, you can make it wider to even out the size. For chicken thighs, trim off excess fat and any dangly bits and cut horizontally in half. (See video for a visual of how to do this.)
Mix well with the marinade and let sit for at least 20 minutes and up to one day. Meanwhile make the peanut sauce.
Grind the peanuts until mealy in a food processor or mortar and pestle. Do not turn them into peanut butter!
Cook ⅓ cup of the coconut milk with the red curry paste until thick, and the coconut oil starts to separate out from the paste.
Add the remaining coconut milk, the peanuts, tamarind and palm sugar and cook for about 5 minutes until it's thick.
Taste the sauce and add fish sauce as needed. If you want to serve with pickles, make the pickling liquid now; instructions are in the recipe card, but you simply have to dissolve the sugar and salt in the vinegar and let it cool!
Grill the chicken breast for a few minutes per side with the lid open. If using chicken thighs, you may close the lid as they tend to take longer. You can also pan sear the chicken on a nonstick skillet instead.
If serving with the instant pickle, pour the pickling liquid over the cucumber shortly before serving so the cucumber remains crisp.
