Recipes / Chicken
Chicken satay skewers
Thigh pieces marinated in soy, brown sugar, turmeric and garlic, braaied on skewers over medium coals and served with a warm peanut and coconut sauce.
- Prep
- 30 min
- On the fire
- 15 min
- Plan ahead
- 4 hours to overnight marinating
- Serves
- 4 as a main, 8 as a starter
- Done at
- 165°F (74°C)
Ingredients
Chicken
Peanut sauce
Method
Cooking on gas?
- Preheat with the burners on high and the lid closed for 10 minutes, then turn them down to medium so the lid thermometer settles at 175 to 200°C (350 to 400°F). Brush the grates clean and oil them.
- Close the lid between turns. It cooks a little faster than an open braai, so start checking about 5 minutes early.
- Keep one burner off or on low as a cooler zone. If fat flares up, move the food there. Never use water on a gas grill flare-up.
- For a smoky taste, put a handful of wood chips in a smoker box, or a foil parcel pierced with a few holes, over a lit burner while the grill preheats.
- Mix the soy sauce, oil, sugar, tomato sauce, garlic, turmeric and coriander. Toss the chicken in it, cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
- Soak wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes.
- Whisk the coconut milk, peanut butter, sugar, curry paste, soy sauce and chilli in a small pot. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until slightly thick, then stir in the lime juice.
- Thread the chicken onto the skewers with small gaps between the pieces. Throw away the used marinade.
- Oil the grid and braai the skewers over medium coals for 5 to 6 minutes a side, turning a few times.
- Move them to a cooler spot if the sugar in the marinade starts to char too fast.
- Scatter the peanuts over the sauce and serve it warm with the skewers.
Done when: the edges are charred, the chicken is no longer pink inside, and a thermometer in the thickest piece reads 74°C (165°F).
Tips
- Thighs stay juicier than breast on skewers. If you use breast, give it 3 to 5 minutes a side.
- The peanut sauce thickens as it cools. Loosen it with a spoonful of hot water.
- Serve with cucumber and red onion in a little vinegar to cut the richness.
Satay comes from Indonesia and Malaysia, and the Cape Malay community brought the habit of skewered, spiced meat to the Cape, where it shaped the sosatie. Peanut-sauce satay is now a regular at South African braais, especially as a starter while the main fire burns down. For the Cape version, see the chicken sosaties.
Source
Adapted from Chicken Satay at Once Upon a Chef and Chicken satay skewers at Food & Home.