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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In Dream Escape, we journey from Japan and Morocco to Italy, India and beyond, sharing recipes inspired by travel, heritage and comfort. We celebrate the champions of the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, explore the stories and recipes of chefs shaped by their cultural roots, and warm up with everything from West African soups and slow-braised lamb to porchetta, butter chicken and beef noodle soup. Alongside destination menus, Scandinavian sweets and cosy pub classics, Chrisanne Terblanche shares her favourite street-side dining spots in Bangkok, while Yvonne Lorkin explores red wine varietals. This issue, we invite you to slow down, turn the pages and escape through food.