’10 Easy Ways to Eat Less Meat’. Front cover of Fine Cooking magazine’s Aug/Sept edition. My initial reaction was ‘why?’. Why is everyone so hung up on eating less meat? I love being an insatiable carnivore. Love it! Now if the article had been entitled ’10 Ways To Eat Less Chicken’, they might have peaked my interest.
My lack of respect for chicken is not undocumented. I have been loud and strong on my feelings about ‘the other white meat’ (pork is, of course, the REAL white meat). Over-used, nothing-but-boring chicken is the devil that I know. I don’t really want to get into the devils that I don’t know. Chicken is for dressing up and pretending ...pretending that it’s something else. Whoever coined the phase ‘let’s put some lipstick on this pig’ really meant chicken. I’m almost sure of it. My latest attempt at creating a convincing chicken incognito resulted in some very pleasing chicken satay, or as we in this elegant dining area I call home say, ‘chicken on a stick’.
After sifting through a number of definitions of ‘satay’, I have concluded that the terms simply means meat that has been marinated, skewered and grilled. Many different meats. Many different marinades. Even many different skewers (coconut fronds, anyone?). Basically though, it is some kind of meat on a stick that has been infused with some kind of flavor and cooked over some kind of fire. Good. I can work with all of that.
As much as I slander chicken, I also call on it frequently to feed my family. I know, I know - hypocrite, right? It is easy to work with and quick to prepare and affordable so I keep coming back ....and whining. I went in search of a chicken satay recipe in order to prepare some take-along food for a swim meet my kids were participating in. After years and years of spending the summer attending swim meets and eating burgers and pizza at said swim meets, this year I decided to put a stop to all of it. I have been preparing and taking our family’s meals instead. This has required some creativity on my part as it’s not always easy to assemble a desirable meal for a family of 6 and transport it via cooler and beach bag to areas not known for their cloth-napkin dining. Chicken satay seemed like a fun, interesting prep for the lowly chicken for this particular occasion.
God bless the internet! While I am a very low-tech person, I do indulge in plenty of research (on every imaginable subject) with the aid of my beloved computer. ‘Chicken satay’ was typed in the Google search box. Two second and one billion options later...I had clicked and printed a recipe. I have this one little problem. Focus. I am very good at doing 26 things at once, but ask me to sit down and focus on one thing at a time and I am incapable. (Those in the know call it A.D.D., I believe) This should have been easy. I started assembling the recipe (without having read it through to the end). About one quarter of the way through, I realized there was trouble. I forged on. More trouble. And more. And more. The recipe was a disaster. If you’ve worked with food for any length of time, you can spot things that simply won’t work. Cooking methods, food flavors, missing ingredients...that sort of thing. The recipe below provides very good results...it is not, however, the original recipe I started out with so I will not be crediting any source. Changes on the fly were made and alterations proved successful.
Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup minced onion (I have used sweet and red)
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp minced ginger (I have used powdered in a pinch - 4 tsp)
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/3 cup peanut butter
3 tbsp ketchup
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 - 2 tbsp Sriracha hot chili sauce (this can be eliminated if you don’t like spicy-really enhances flavor though)
If using wooden skewers (which are much more fun, btw), be sure to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes. VERY IMPORTANT! Skewers that go up in flame, causes chicken that goes up in flame!
Cut chicken into 1/2 inch wide strips.
Over medium heat, combine both oils. When oils are heated, add the onion, garlic and ginger and saute for 3ish minutes. Be sure to take a really deep breath here because your kitchen will now smell AMAZING! (If using powdered ginger, add with vinegar.) Add vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, lemon juice and salt. Continue cooking for another 5ish minutes - until sugar is dissolved. Stir peanut butter into the mix and remove from heat immediately. Add the chili sauce (if desired). After marinade has cooled, pour into large zip-lock bag and add chicken. Make sure all chicken is coated. Marinate for about 1 hour.
Remove chicken from bag and thread onto skewers. Discard remaining marinade. Grill chicken over medium-high grilling heat for about 3 minutes per side.
Peanut Sauce:
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1-2 cloves garlic, minced or chopped
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
juice from half a lemon (can be less, depending on your tastes)
In a non-stick pan, combine all ingredients, stirring constantly over medium heat until peanut butter has melted.
My family eats the satay without any sauce. I think the sauce enhances the dish so I recommend it. It is not necessary though. As mentioned above, this meal can easily be transported, eaten hot or cold. I have yet to find the person who doesn’t like this particular disguise for the poor chicken! Enjoy!
P.S. I couldn't find any kind of appealing way to photograph my version of 'Chicken on a Stick' so I decided to try to win you over with pictures of humans/children instead. The picture is of my daughter Tori (at a swim meet) holding the latest chicken disguise.
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