Thai Chicken Satay Skewers with Smashed Cucumber Salad
Photography Josh Griggs.
These tender juicy chicken skewers topped with a creamy peanut sauce and wrapped up in soft fluffy flatbreads is one of my most requested barbecue dinners.
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
CHICKEN
1/3 cup coconut cream (I use the rest of a 400ml can for the satay sauce)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons each sea salt, curry powder, and ground cumin, coriander, and turmeric
1/4–1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
800 grams boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Smashed Cucumber Salad (gf) (v)
1 small telegraph cucumber
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 long red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 spring onion, thinly sliced
PEANUT SATAY SAUCE (V)
320ml coconut cream (I use the rest of a 400ml can for marinating the chicken)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
2 tablespoons kecap manis
1 tablespoon each brown sugar, rice wine vinegar and grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon each tamari, sesame oil, sriracha hot sauce and finely grated lime zest
1 tablespoon lime juice
METHOD
EQUIPMENT: 12 x 20cm thin metal skewers (if using wooden skewers, soak in cold water for a couple of hours before using).
CHICKEN: Combine the coconut cream, garlic, salt and spices in a large bowl. Cut the chicken into 2–3cm wide strips and toss through the marinade so each piece is coated. Cover and marinate for a couple of hours or up to 24 hours in the fridge.
TO COOK: Thread the chicken onto skewers, but don’t pack it tightly together. Season with salt.
Preheat the barbecue to medium heat.
Cook the skewers for about 8–10 minutes or until fully cooked.
PEANUT SATAY SAUCE: Combine all the ingredients except the lime juice, in a medium pot and bring to the boil, whisking the peanut butter to amalgamate. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring often until it’s thickish but pourable. Stir in the lime juice. If making ahead, rewarm to serve.
Smashed Cucumber Salad (gf) (v): Hit the cucumber with a rolling pin to make it burst open. Cut into small, rough chunks. Put in a bowl and sprinkle over the salt. Leave for 10 minutes then drain off all the liquid. Toss with the remaining ingredients.
TO SERVE: Transfer to a serving plate and drizzle over some of the Peanut Satay Sauce, serving the rest separately along with the Smashed Cucumber Salad.
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We start by sharing what’s on the dish team’s radar, what we’re watching, listening to and reading. Harry Butterfield puts a twist on his Nonna’s agnolotti, Malissa Fedele reminds us of the importance of fibre, and Phoebe Holden fulfils a long-held dream, sitting down with Yotam Ottolenghi. Autumn is an abundant time, we make the most with pumpkin, kūmara, cabbage, cauliflower, feijoas, apples and pears. We’re dishing up dinners for two, including a Chicken Dumpling Lasagne, alongside easy weeknight meals. We honour our mums, revisit timeless classics, and add a little baking challenge. This issue, we encourage you to slow down, to enjoy writing your shopping list, and spending time in the kitchen. Because even when life feels relentless, there’s always space to share something delicious.