This week’s recipe review is from Anthony Bourdain’s cookbook, Appetites. I bought the book at Half Price books in very good if slightly used condition, the previous owner put a little pencil check next to the recipes they must have tried. I made about 5 or so of the recipes already, half of which were fancier or uncommon international recipes, half of which are upgraded versions of classic Americana favorites. I hadn’t tried to make chicken satay ever before, although I’m sure I’ve made peanut sauce for spring rolls, but I had all the ingredients and wanted a new chicken recipe. This recipe is specifically for white people parties, so it’s not exactly authentic Thai, but it was delicious anyway. I also set the skewers on fire!
(photo of one skewer of chicken satay over a bed of rice with some furikake seasoning and a small dish of fakeass spicy peanut sauce)
Ingredients Summary – moderately easy to find, if you have an Asian store or a well-stocked supermarket
- chicken breast
- spices – turmeric and coriander
- lemons, lime, lemon grass (I used bottled lemon juice and lemon grass)
- shallots and garlic (I used brown onion instead of shallot)
- fish sauce
- soy sauce
- brown sugar
- coconut milk (I used reconstituted coconut milk powder plus warm water)
- chunky peanut butter
- sriracha sauce
Steps Summary – fairly easy but you need a blender and a grill or broiling apparatus
Blend spices and sauces together for marinade. Marinate chicken breast strips for 30 minutes up to 3 hours in fridge. Soak skewers in water for at least 30 minutes then skewer chicken. Meanwhile, whisk together ingredients for peanut sauce and store in fridge. Grill/broil skewers for about 5 minutes each side (I broiled on a small wire grill rack over a sheet since I don’t have a grill), basting with leftover marinade after you turn over the first time.
Taste Summary – yummy if you like a little spice
- spicy – the chicken has a bit of Indian or Thai curry flavor, but not too intense. The sauce has a slight kick from Sriracha but I added more for my personal preference, it was also a bit bitter but that may be due to the meh coconut milk and bottled lemon juice and old onion, using fresher ingredients would fix this.
- texture – kebabs are surprisingly tender despite pierced and getting a tiny bit of crunchy brown crust, this is due to the citric acid and fast blast of heat
Convenience Summary – easy technique but requires marinating time and special equipment
I made a third of the recipe, which should make 15 pieces but I had a smaller chicken breast size and made about 9 pieces. Eating it with rice and some vegetables would last about 3 lunch and dinner meals for me, although for a party, I assume a guest will eat only one skewer, maybe 2 if you’re super hungry. I did burn the skewers – I used thick bamboo skewers and soaked them in water as directed, but I guess they still got too hot that close to the broiler and set themselves on fire lol. Not convenient if you don’t want smoke in the house or if you forgot to have a water bottle for the grill.
Would I make this recipe again? Only if I had metal skewers. I do think this is good to use up spices in the cabinet and very fun if you are already grilling outside and want to make an interesting and tasty appetizer. It’s still delicious and juicy even microwaved as leftovers. But if you have peanut or various allergies or no spice tolerance at all, not recommended.
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https://starsbegantofall.com/category/food/