Name: Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce
Total time: 55 min
Yield: Serves 10
Ingredients: ¼ cup soy sauce; ¼ cup vegetable oil; ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar; ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro; 4 scallions, sliced thin; 3 tablespoons ketchup; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 teaspoon hot sauce; 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed and sliced diagonally into ¼-inch-thick strips; 30 (6-inch) Wooden skewers; ½ cup creamy or chunky peanut butter; ¼ cup hot water; 3 tablespoons lime juice (2 limes); 2 scallions, sliced thin; 2 tablespoons ketchup; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar; 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro; 1½ teaspoons hot sauce; 1 garlic clove, minced

Why This Recipe Works

Though chicken satay is usually found in the appetizer section of Thai restaurant menus in America, versions of it are made throughout Southeast Asia. Any dish that comes with its own handle is bound to satisfy some primal comfort-food desires, and these marinated, broiled chicken skewers have deep flavor to match their convenient form. The marinade is a mixture of brown sugar, soy sauce, ketchup, and hot sauce and guarantees full-flavored meat. After a half-hour soak, the intense, direct heat of the broiler cooks the chicken strips through perfectly in under 10 minutes. A peanut dipping sauce with sweet, tart, and spicy elements echoes the marinade for a bright finish.

Before You Begin

Freezing the chicken for 30 minutes will make it easier to slice into strips (though of course that will take a bit longer). You will need thirty 6-inch wooden skewers. Covering the exposed ends of the skewers with aluminum foil protects them from burning.

Instructions

for the skewers

Combine soy sauce, oil, sugar, cilantro, scallions, ketchup, garlic, and hot sauce in medium bowl; add chicken and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Weave chicken onto skewers.

for the sauce

Meanwhile, whisk peanut butter and hot water together in medium bowl. Stir in lime juice, scallions, ketchup, soy sauce, sugar, cilantro, hot sauce, and garlic. Transfer to serving bowl.

Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Set wire rack in aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet. Lay skewers on prepared rack and cover skewer ends with foil. Broil until fully cooked, about 8 minutes, flipping skewers halfway through broiling. Serve with peanut sauce.