Chicken Satay- Yea!

My sister, Cindy, says she can't eat spicy foods so when she said she and her boyfriend, Adam, were coming to town I had to whip up chicken satay. This was the perfect plan to broaden her horizons to the wonders of spicy foods. I chickened out last minute and decided to make a mild version. I didn't want this to be her last visit! Cindy and Adam loved the lunch and the homemade ice cream for dessert. They thought the meal was "gourmet," "delicious," "way better than fast food," and best of all "free." I am no fortune teller, but I think they will be back. The recipe is easy and the spicy version is included below; to make it mild just omit the hot sauce. The chicken will still be very flavorful and you won't walk away saying "hot, hot, hot" as Cindy would have.

Chicken Satay

For the chicken:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips (or 1 pound chicken tenders)

3 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon curry

2 teaspoons honey

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 gloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon hot sauce (adjust to your taste)

For the peanut sauce:

1- 6 oz cup of plain, fat free yogurt

1/4 cup of creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup coconut milk (do not substitute cream of coconut)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (adjust to taste)

Combine all ingredients, except for chicken, in a zip top bag. Add the chicken to the bag, close, and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. To prevent spills in your fridge, place the bag with the chicken inside a baking dish.

Skewer the chicken pieces that have been marinating and grill until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle. If you use bamboo skewers make sure to soak them in water for 30 minutes before you add the chicken. This will prevent the skewers from burning when you grill the chicken skewers. No grill? No problem! Just spread out the skewers on a cookie sheet and put it into the broiler for 6-8 minutes, flipping the skewers once halfway through the cooking time.

To make the peanut dipping sauce whisk all sauce ingredients together until smooth (yogurt, peanut butter, coconut milk, soy sauce, and hot sauce).

We served the chicken satay with rice, cucumber slices drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt, and mango slices. We used the leftover coconut milk for a drink: mix one part of coconut milk with 2 parts pineapple juice. Serve ice cold or over ice cubes. YUM!