Great for barbecues or finger food at parties, these easy satay chicken sticks will be a crowd pleaser. Served with sweet and sour cucumber relish (ajat), you can marinate them for as little as 10 minutes if you’re in a hurry, or overnight if you have time.
Mum’s Thai Chicken Satay
500g (1 lb) diced chicken thigh
20 bamboo skewers
Marinade:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp white sugar
Thai cucumber relish (Ajat):
½ cup white sugar
½ cup white vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp diced cucumber
2 small Asian red shallots, sliced
2 long red chillies, sliced
Satay sauce:
3 tbsp roasted peanuts
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1½ tbsp Thai red curry paste
1 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp white sugar
- Mix together the marinade ingredients. Add the chicken and mix to combine. Thread the chicken onto bamboo skewers. Set aside to marinate for 10 minutes to overnight.
- To make the cucumber relish, heat the sugar, vinegar and salt in a saucepan over high heat for 3-4 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool. Then transfer to a bowl. Stir through the cucumber, shallots and chillies.
- For the satay sauce, use a mortar and pestle or food processor to grind roasted peanuts to a fine powder. Set aside.
- Heat the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the curry paste and cook for a minute until fragrant. Add the coconut milk, peanut butter, fish sauce and sugar. Then stir through the roasted peanut powder. Cook for a further minute. Then remove from heat. And keep warm or reheat when ready to serve.
- Heat a barbecue grill plate or non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken skewers for 3-4 minutes each side or until cooked through. Serve warm with the warm satay sauce and the Thai cucumber relish.
