Chicken Satay With "Peanut Sauce"

What an "adventure" making these chicken satay and good thing I love the people in my life group because this was NOT an easy dish to prepare.  Maybe next time (if there is a next time) I will have learned from my foibles this time?  I hope, because this was a lot of work.  Melissa's recipe is here at Braided Chicken Skewers with Peanut Sauce.  Mine is a little different, but this recipe comes from her.

After all I've been through to make these, there is no way on God's green earth that I was going to attempt to "braid" these.  This was a huge hit with my kids, as well as my life group.

Ingredients for Chicken Marinade (for 6 pounds of chicken breasts):

• 8 Tbspns garam masala (I got this at the Asian supermarket)
• 6 tspns garlic powder
• 6 Tbspns Red Boat Fish Sauce (this is the best kind for Paleo eaters - got at MeKong Asian Mkt)
• 6 Tbspns coconut oil (I use Tropical Traditions and buy online in bulk - way cheaper)
• 12 Tbspns water
• 3 tspns xylitol (you can use stevia instead, but both can be found at Sprouts or Whole Foods)
• juice from 4 limes

Directions:

• Pound down chicken until it's about 1/4" thick.  Slice chicken into long strips, as you will be threading the chicken onto skewers.  Place all chicken in a glass or stainless steel bowl.

This was a lot of chicken to pound down.

• In a medium glass or stainless steel bowl, mix all ingredients by hand until well mixed.
• Pour marinade over the chicken slices, rubbing marinade into the chicken, making sure all pieces are coated with this marinade.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and put in refrigerator to marinate for at least an hour.  Overnight or more hours is better, but at least an hour.

Much easier to marinade the chicken NOT on skewers.  Allows the flavors to soak in well.

• Preheat oven to 375° F.
• Remove chicken from refrigerator, take each piece and thread through skewer.

Make sure bamboo skewers have been soaked in water completely for  15-30 min. so they don't burn when cooked (or catch on fire, which would be bad)

Threading chicken on skewers.  Be careful.  The skewer ends are really sharp.  Nearly impaled myself a few times.  Having a piece of aluminum foil, seran wrap, wax paper makes cleanup much easier.

Skewered chicken

• Bake chicken for 15 min.  I did this for all this chicken and had several baking pans of skewers.  Once these are all done baking and removed from oven, set oven to BROIL.  Note, you can also put these skewers on a grill, too.  I'm not sure what the cooking times would be for that, though.
• Broil chicken skewers for 2-3 min., or until golden brown.

I can't remember if the chicken has been flipped over or not.

• Serve with "Peanut Sauce".  

The chicken satay is really hot.  My son said it was sooo yummy!  He plucked the skewer in the "peanut" sauce.

Ingredients for "Peanut Sauce"

If your'e in the Phx (East Valley) the only place that I found was MeKong Supermarket that sells this.  This has no sugar or any crap in it.  Good luck finding it in the store, though.  It was among like 50 other fish sauces.

• 1.25 cups raw almonds (least expensive at Costco)
• 1/4 cup walnut oil (can get at Sprouts)
• 1/3 cup sunflower seed butter (can get at Trader Joe's)
• 8 Tbspns fresh ginger
• 4 Tbspns Red Boat Fish Sauce (can get at MeKong or look online where it's closest to you)
• 4 Tbspns lime juice (limes are pretty inexpensive at Food City, as cilantro)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup coconut milk (less expensive in powdered form or in canned form at Trader Joe's)
• 2 tspns sriricha hot sauce (can get at Asian mkt or in the Asian section of a grocery store)
• 2 tspns xylitol (can get at Sprouts)

Directions for "Peanut Sauce"

• If you have a very high powered blender, blend raw almonds and slowly pour in walnut oil (or macadamia oil, if you have this).  Blend until it looks like a butter.  If you don't have a high powered blender, then buy raw or roasted almond butter either in the bulk section at Sprouts or Trader Joe's or at the grocery store in the organic section.

I watched YT videos and saw that it took about 10+ min. to make almond butter, but I don't think my processor is powerful enough

• Peel ginger and coarsely chop up into smaller pieces to be put in a blender.
• Add all the other ingredients.

I added the sunflower seed butter as an after thought.

• Blend in a blender, NOT food processor.  This is sorta liquidy, and it will leak from the food processor.
• If it's not thick enough for you, add more nut butter.

Not sure why all the bubbles, but this is really a yummy non-peanut sauce that does taste peanutty

• Refrigerate until use.