CHICKEN SATAY BEST EVER

I can stop eating this!  Outrageously awesome creamy peanut butter, coconut cream, soy, tamarind satay sauce, I need to calm down it’s just a recipe!  Drenched over chicken tenders marinated in fresh turmeric, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, shallots, ground cumin and coriander seeds, chilli flakes and nut oil gives this chicken satay multiple levels of flavour, combine that with charred flavour from cooking on a cast iron skillet this is a winner dinner.  Serve this family style piled high with a stack of flatbreads and a garlic chilli lime coriander rice.

There seems a lot of ingredients don’t be put off, most of the ingredients double up so it’s a one time preparation then divide and conquer!  I make my own flatbreads but store brought will cut the cooking time, My family like their food hot and spicy, lower or leave out the chilli for a equally gorgeous chicken satay.

Marinating time 30 mins - 24hrs / Cooking time 25 minutes

Ingredients 

(serves 4-6)

Marinade

6 chicken breasts

1 small shallot finely diced

1 clove garlic finely grated

1 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp fresh grated turmeric root

1/2 stick lemongrass chopped

1/2 tsp coriander seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Himalayan sea salt 

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp fish sauce

1 tbsp dried chilli flakes

50ml ground nut oil

12 bamboo skewers soaked in water for 30 minutes

Satay Sauce

1/2 small shallot finely diced

1 tsp dried chilli flakes

1 tsp grated ginger

1 grated garlic clove

1 tbsp tamarind paste

4 tbsp peanut butter

1 tbsp soy sauce

200ml coconut cream

1 pinch Himalayan sea salt 

This is a recipe that works brilliantly if you prepare all the ingredients first.  If you can, marinate the chicken for at least 8 hours or more ahead of time, but 30 minutes will do, this I find easy as I prep while cooking the evening before’ she dinner, so I know the next nights family dinner is already done!  

For the marinade mix the shallot, ginger, garlic, turmeric, lemongrass, ground cumin and coriander seeds, salt, black pepper, fish sauce and chilli flakes with the oil, massage over the chicken and leave to marinate over night.  Thread on to bamboo skewers and drizzle with more ground nut oil.  Heat a cast iron skillet hot and place the chicken skewers on to the skillet to sear and charr for around three minutes each side, remove and place on a platter piled high ready to serve family style.

Meanwhile make the satay sauce, heat a skillet pan with a dash of oil, add the shallots, garlic and ginger and gently soften for a couple of minutes, take off the heat or the coconut and peanut butter sauce when added may split, mix the coconut milk, tamarind, soy and peanut butter well to combine, add to the pan and stir well, taste your sauce and assess if your sauce needs a hint of salt and lime juice, this is personal to your own taste buds, I only needed a hint of salt, but felt that lime would have also been great.  Serve in a large or several small bowls around the family table and enjoy.

Garlic Chilli Lime Coriander Rice

2 cups rinsed rice

4 cups cold water

1 lime zested and juiced

4 cloves garlic sliced

1 fresh diced jalapeno chilli

Small bunch chopped coriander

1 tbsp olive oil

1 knob butter (twice)

Place the 2 cups rinsed rice in 4 cups of water, bring to a medium simmer with the lid on, do not stir at any point, cook for six minutes, DO NOT REMOVE THE LID AT ANY POINT, take off the heat quickly add the lime juice, zest and knob of butter and fork through, place the lid back on and leave to steam off the heat on the side for five minutes to finish cooking, meanwhile place the garlic in a pan and add a drizzle of olive oil and tbsp butter, pan roast the garlic until nutty brown, stir in to the rice and serve.

Flat Breads 

Make Ahead Dough 1-48 hrs in Advance

Proven in the Fridge

500g 00 flour (blue caputo)

15g yeast (optional)

10g Himalayan sea salt 

50g olive oil}

320g water

Flatbreads

Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and either by hand or by machine with a dough hook mix for seven minutes, then dust a little flour over the dough mix and gently form into a ball, cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave in a warm area to prove for 1-2 hours until doubled in size if you want to use immediately, then other options are leave to prove slowly in the fridge for 24hrs, this is what I do as it gives me much more control over time and usage, this will keep for another 24hrs in the fridge ready to go when you are, you can also freeze any left over dough at this stage, then when ready to use remove from the freezer defrost and once up to room temperature use as you would fresh.

 Take a oversized golf ball almost a tennis ball piece of dough, dust your work top with a little OO flour, roll out a large disk no bigger than your skillet but to the thinness of a pound coin, heat your skillet to a hot heat, place the flat bread in the pan and cook for one and a half minutes on each side, keep warm by wrapping in a tea towel until serving, these flatbreads are best served warm but are almost as good used later the next day, to use the following day dip the flat breads in water and pop in a pre heated oven for 3-5 minutes and Ta-Da almost as good as fresh.