Issue #88- Grilled Chicken Satay Review

[Gourmet_Mom]

Well, I have to say, this isn't a weeknight dinner. BUT it's very good. I'd give it an 8 at least. It would have been much higher, but I was very unhappy with the rice. The marinade is awesome by itself. The chicken came out VERY tender. And the Cashew Butter Sauce was AWESOME. It leads with some heat and ends with that cashew flavor. Very good! I'll be saving what's left for other uses. And that Cashew Butter! OMG! I LOVE it!

Changes-
-I used chicken breasts and cut it into strips similar to what I would have had if I'd used chicken tenders. (What I had)
-I made my own cashew butter
-I used red onion instead of shallots (Shallots are not readily available.)
-I marinated the chicken for about an hour.
-I substituted 1/4 cup of coconut and 1 1/4 cup of water for the coconut water.
-I used long grain rice. I thought I had Basamati which is similar to Jasmine, but better, IMHO.

Recommendations
-Cook the rice the way I normally do. (20 minutes) It was very dry.
-Try cooking the rice with the coconut water.

Here's the cast of characters



And here's the finished product. (I totally forgot to get a shot before going on the grill.)



And here's the recipe again so we can find it all together.

Grilled Chicken Satay with Cashew Dipping Sauce
"Peanut Sauce is traditional with satay, but for a richer and slightly lighter flavored sauce, buttery cashews are the way to go."

For the Paste, Puree:
1/3 cup coconut milk
3 cloves garlic
2 shallots
2 Tbsp. each canola oil, fresh lime juice, and brown sugar
1 Tbsp. each chili garlic sauce and minced lime zest
1 piece fresh ginger, peeled (2-inch)
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground tumeric

Toss:
12 chicken breast tenders, cut in half lengthwise into 24 strips, seasoned with salt and pepper (1 1/4 lb.)

For the Dipping Sauce, Heat:
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1/4 cup chopped cashews
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger

Whisk:
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup each coconut milk and cashew butter
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. each chili garlic sauce, low-sodium soy sauce, and fresh lime juice

Preheat grill to medium-high. Brush grill grate with oil.

For the paste, puree 1/3 cup coconut milk, 2 Tbsp. oil, 2 Tbsp. lime juice, 2 Tbsp. brown sugar, 1 Tbsp. chili garlic sauce, zest, ginger piece, coriander, and tumeric in a mini food processor until smooth.

Toss chicken with paste and thread on 12 skewers; set aside. (Can be made and refrigerated up to a day ahead.)

For the dipping sauce, heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a small saucepan over medium. Add cashews, 1 Tbsp. garlic, and 2 tsp. ginger; cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.

Whisk 1/2 cup water, 1/3 cup coconut milk, cashew butter, 2 Tbsp. brown sugar, 1 Tbsp. chili garlic sauce, and soy sauce into cashew mixture; simmer 5 minutes. Stir in 1 Tbsp. lime juice; set aside.

Grill satay, covered, until chicken is browned, 2-3 minutes per side. Serve with cashew dipping sauce and Cucumber-Mango Rice.

Source: Cuisine at Home, August 2011, Issue #88, pages 12-13

[labradors]

Thanks, Daphne. Glad to hear this (especially the sauce) was as awesome as I had expected. This is absolutely going on to my to-make list.

[DFen911]

How great review and love the notes on the changes you made Derek walked by as I had this opened "hey...what's that?!?!" with the grin of "you know you want to make this for me right?..."

[Mare749]

Daphne, that turned out beautiful! Nicely done! Thanks for reviewing this. I definately will be making that one too.

[Gourmet_Mom]

Well, it's not as pretty as the magazine, but it rarely does. If you notice the oil on top of the dipping sauce, be lenient with the oil at the beginning. I think I may have slopped a little too much in there. That combined with the cashew butter must have caused that.

Taste the dipping sauce as it simmers. Some of you may want a little more heat. I didn't have too much of a problem with it, but I'm a wimp! Even dry and lacking in flavor, the rice dish was a welcome addition....LOL! I'm getting better, though!

[cjs]

Wow - great sounding dish, Daphne!! Sure is gong on the menu. Wonderful review and pictures.

[Harborwitch]

One word - Drool!

Issue 88 arrived yesterday. It was waiting for me when I got home from work but I haven't even opened it yet. I can't wait.

[Cubangirl]

Thank you so much for the review. We love chicken satay but I am not crazy about the peanut sauce. Can't wait to try it with cashews.
I can only tolerate minimal chili type heat so I am glad to find someone else like me.

By coconut water do you mean coconut milk or am I missing something ? Thanks for the tip about using the coconut and plain water. I assume you used unsweetened coconut?

You made your own cashew butter. Did you do add anything to the cashews to make the butter or just whirl them in a Vitamix or FP? I would love to make my own as I do my own tahini. Do I get unsalted roasted cashews or are the eating variety (Planters with Sea Salt) ok? Thanks.

[Gourmet_Mom]

The coconut water is the liquid from a fresh coconut. That's why I tried something different. Yes, I used unsweetened coconut milk like what is found in the Asian section of the grocery store.

Labs posted a link to Food Network for how to make the Cashew Butter. It was AWESOME! The only thing I did different was use regular salted cashews. I'll go get the link.

Here's the link Lab's gave me. Worked like a charm! And VERY yummy! Homemade Cashew Butter

[Cubangirl]

Hi, I am still a bit confused. There is no coconut water in the chicken recipe you posted, just coconut milk. I finally got to read the issue and start copying recipes into LC. Both dishes sound great and I actually have all the ingredients except for the coconut water (have milk). I saw that the recipe for the Cucumber-Mango Rice does call for 3 cups coconut water. Is that where you subbed the 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut and 1¼ cups water? Sorry to be so dense.