Week 3: Recipe #4--Chicken Satay

Found this recipe online and made it tonight.  It was soooooo good!  I highly recommend it.  Not only is it SUPER quick and easy to make (you can prepare it--which takes no time-- the night before and then spend 15 minutes on it before dinner) but it was very kid-friendly.  Lily hardly EVER eats meat, but she downed this chicken.  Part of that was due to the fact that it comes with "dipping sauce".  Also, I didn't use the skewers (didn't quite think she was ready for that).  Instead, I gave her a corn on the cob holder and she used that to pick up the chicken and dip it.  She thought it was so much fun.  My husband and I thought the chicken and the satay sauce was really flavorful.  So tasty.  I will definitely make this again soon.  The only trouble we had was getting the sauce to thicken up.  It was probably runnier than it should've been, but we ate it and it worked just fine.  (See note below.)  I thought about serving this with rice, but served it with a side of veggies and applesauce instead.

Photo from Disney Family Fun

You'll Need:


CHICKEN MARINADE                             

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 Tblsp. honey
• 1 Tblsp. vegetable oil
• 1 to 2 garlic cloves crushed
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken, cut into 1-inch cubes

SATAY SAUCE

• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 Tblsp. soy sauce, or to taste (I stayed with 1 Tblsp)
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 Tblsp. sugar
• 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
• 2 scallions, chopped (optional) (I left this out)

Preparation:

1. For the chicken and the marinade:  whisk all the ingredients (minus the chicken) together in a medium bowl.
2. Add the chicken cubes, turn to coat, cover, and marinate them in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to 24.  The sauce can also be made ahead and chilled for the same amount of time.
3. When you are ready to cook dinner:  heat the oven to 500 degrees.  Thread the chicken onto skewers, if you're using them, or just put the pieces on a foil-lined pan (that's what I did).  If you plan to use bamboo skewers, be sure to soak them in water for 1 hour beforehand.  Bake for 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
4. Meanwhile, for the satay sauce:  whisk together the broth, orange juice, soy sauce, garlic, and sugar in a small saucepan until the sugar has dissolved.  
5. Over low heat, whisk in the peanut butter (it will be messy at first) until smooth.  Whisking constantly, heat the sauce until it has thickened, about 10 minutes.  (My friend Nicole added some flour to help it thicken, she said it worked out fine.)
6. Add the optional scallions.  Serve the sauce as a dip for the chicken along with any cut-up raw vegetables your children might also want to dip.  Serves 4.

Recipe from Disney Family Fun:  http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/recipes-by-cuisine/asian-recipes/chicken-satay-683303/