Anthony Bourdain's Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce
Try this recipe for Anthony Bourdain's chicken satay with spicy peanut sauce.
Try this recipe for Anthony Bourdain's chicken satay with spicy peanut sauce.
- 1 cup chunky peanut butter
- makes about 45 pieces
- half a cup vegetable or other neutral oil
- juice of 3 lemons or 2 lemons and 2 limes (about 6 tbsp)
- quarter cup plus 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp plus 1 tsp soy sauce
- 3 stalks lemongrass coarsely chopped, or finely grated zest of 3 lemons or 5 limes
- 2 shallots peeled and coarsely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves peeled and coarsely chopped
- quarter cup plus 2 tbsp light brown sugar packed
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground turmeric or mild yellow curry powder
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced length
- half cup hot water
- half cup coconut milk
- 1 tbsp sriracha sauce or to taste (but you want
- it spicy)
- Carbohydrate 86.5633399987316 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 112.855419999884 g
- Fiber 24.8977998713107 g
- Protein 59.2060399994661 g
- Saturated Fat 18.2326059999972 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (1910g)
- Sodium 1109.12599999486 mg
- Sugar 61.6655401274209 g
- Trans Fat 6.04808799994876 g
- Calories 1460 calories
Step-by-step
- Trim a pineapple and jab a bunch of chicken skewers into it, like some demented poultry porcupine, and do not skimp on the Fake-Ass Spicy Peanut Sauce.
- In the blender, combine the oil, the juice of 2 lemons, a quarter cup of fish sauce, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, the lemongrass, shallots, 3 of the garlic cloves, quarter cup of the sugar, the coriander, and turmeric.
- Blend on high speed for about 30 seconds.
- Place the chicken in 1-gallon zip-seal plastic bags or a large glass casserole or baking dish with a cover and pour the marinade over, turning the pieces so that they are all coated.
- Seal and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours (any more time than that, and the acid and salt in the marinade will begin to erode the structural integrity of the flesh, leaving you with revoltingly mushy chicken).
- While the chicken marinates, make the peanut sauce.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, hot water, and coconut milk and whisk well.
- Add the remaining juice of 1 lemon or 2 limes, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 2 tablespoons sugar, and the sriracha and whisk well, adding a bit more water or coconut milk if necessary to thin the sauce to desired consistency.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with additional splashes of soy sauce, fish sauce, citrus juice or sugar as desired.
- Cover and refrigerate the sauce until 30 minutes before serving.
- Soak the skewers in water for 30 minutes before cooking the chicken.
- Preheat your grill.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade, reserving the marinade in the small bowl.
- Thread one piece on each skewer, leaving enough room at the bottom of the skewer for a handle.
- Grill for five minutes, then turn the skewers and use a basting or pastry brush to coat the chicken with the reserved marinade.
- Cook for another five minutes, or until cooked through (cut through the centre of one piece to make sure there is no translucent pink flesh).
- Serve hot, with the peanut sauce alongside for dipping.
Charred poultry on wooden sticks carries a distinct aroma of caramelized sugars mingling with pungent fish sauce and citrus oils. Street stalls across Southeast Asia popularized the format of sliced protein cooked over intense heat, where direct flame contact yields savory edges.
Acid Mechanics and Protein Structure
Citrus juice acts as a potent denaturing agent that transforms meat textures long before heat touches the protein strands. Marinating boneless, skinless chicken breasts for more than two hours causes heavy citrus acids and sodium to break down muscle fibers completely, resulting in an unpleasantly mushy consistency rather than a firm bite. Keep marinating times restricted between thirty minutes and two hours to maintain structural integrity while still allowing lemongrass, shallots, and garlic to penetrate the outer layers effectively. Furthermore, soaking wooden skewers in water for thirty minutes prevents them from catching fire over an active grill zone.
- If the sauce appears too thick after combining peanut butter, hot water, and coconut milk, whisk in additional warm water one teaspoon at a time until the mixture flows smoothly off the spoon.
- Verify doneness by cutting directly through the center of the thickest piece to check that no translucent pink flesh remains inside.
