Chicken Satay with Chef Jet Tila

Another beautiful classic Thai recipe from our new favorite chef Jet Tila:   A Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce, served with skewers and the classic dipping sauce featuring creamy peanut butter, spicy curry, and rich coconut milk.

Chicken Satay, Chef Jet Tila

Serves 6.

For the Chicken:

1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white or black pepper
1/4 cup coconut cream (from one 14-ounce can)
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
12 to 16 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes

For the Peanut Sauce:
1 14-ounce can coconut milk, unstirred
11/2 teaspoons red curry paste, or more to taste
2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter, or more to taste
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar, or more to taste

Prep:

For the chicken: Mix the curry powder, salt, sugar, garlic powder, and pepper in a baking dish. Mix in the coconut cream. Set the marinade aside.

Slice the chicken breasts at an angle and against the grain into 1 1/2-inch-wide slices. Add the chicken to the marinade and stir to coat evenly. Insert 1 skewer through the center of each slice of chicken (do not weave the chicken on the skewer), covering the top half of each skewer. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

Meanwhile, to make the peanut sauce: Spoon 4 tablespoons of the coconut cream from atop the coconut milk in the can. Heat the coconut cream in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the cream to a simmer. Add the curry paste and stir to blend well. Cook until the mixture thickens slightly and is aromatic, about 1 minute.

Stir in 3/4 cup of coconut milk and the peanut butter (reserve any remaining coconut milk for another use). Stir constantly until the mixture is well blended and the sauce simmers, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low.

Add the fish sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar, to taste. Simmer gently, stirring constantly, about 1 minute longer. Remove from the heat. If any oil rises to the top, skim it off with a spoon.

Preheat a heavy large grill pan over high heat or prepared a barbecue for high heat. Grill the chicken satays just until the chicken is cooked through and grill marks appear, about 3 minutes per side.

Transfer the chicken satays to a platter and serve the peanut sauce on the side.