Chicken breasts, especially in boneless and skinless form, have been among the best-selling items in supermarket meat sections. Being relatively low in fat, they boomed in popularity when medical studies began to trumpet the importance of eliminating fat from the diet. Even with the current craze for low-carbohydrate, higher-fat eating, they still fit in well to eating plans, providing an excellent source of protein.
Many people have chicken breasts at home two or three times a week, like a bad habit they can’t break. No wonder so many people are getting bored with them! I hear complaints about how tasteless chicken breasts suddenly seem, and how the boneless and skinless ones in particular are hard to cook without turning out dry or chewy.
So here’s a simple solution: Go ethnic and cook chicken breasts as the well-seasoned Southeast Asian kebabs known as satays.
The curry spice blend that traditionally seasons satays adds excitement to white meat chicken without overwhelming its delicate flavor, and you don’t need to marinate the meat for much more than an hour. You can find prepared curry powder–traditionally a mix of several different aromatic seasonings–in your supermarket spice aisle; just be sure to buy a small container. Don’t use one that has been sitting on your pantry shelf for more than a few months, as it tends to lose its punch fairly quickly. You can use a spicier or milder blend to suit your own tastes; or switch to another ethnic cuisine if you like, substituting, for example, Mexican chili powder or North African charmoula spices.
For the kebabs, use skewers that are short enough to fit comfortably in a large saute pan or on a stovetop griddle, no longer than 6 to 8 inches. If you have a set of small metal skewers, that’s fine. Disposable wooden or bamboo skewers are also easy to find in supermarkets or kitchenware stores; just be sure to soak them in water for 30 minutes before use so their exposed parts won’t char during cooking, especially if you decide to try this recipe on your outdoor grill when the weather warms up.
Cutting chicken breasts crosswise into strips that you “thread” on the skewers ensures that they’ll cook very quickly without drying out. Even better, substitute chicken “tenders,” the slender strips of muscle that run along the inside of the breast, which can be skewered as-is without cutting. As a final touch, serve the satays with a peanut butter sauce that not only adds moisture to each bite but also lends a soothing counterpoint to the spices.
Chicken satay with peanut sauce
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Marinating time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 10 minutes per batch
Yield: 4 servings
If using wooden or bamboo skewers, place them in a bowl of cold water and soak for 30 minutes before cooking.
Aromatic seasoning paste:
1 piece (3 inches long) ginger root, peeled, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 green onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon each: crushed red pepper flakes, sugar, salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup peanut oil
Satay:
1 pound chicken tenders
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon each: ground cumin, coriander, salt, white pepper
1/4 cup honey or sugar
2 tablespoons each: lime juice, creamy peanut butter
Peanut sauce:
1 tablespoon peanut oil or vegetable oil
1/4 cup canned or bottled unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons each: lime juice, sugar
1 tablespoon each: rice vinegar, soy sauce
1 teaspoon bottled garlic chili paste, see note
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1. For seasoning paste, combine ginger, garlic, green onion, red pepper flakes, sugar, salt and black pepper in the bowl of a small food processor or a blender. Pulse to small pieces, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Pour oil through the feed tube with the machine running; process until finely pureed. Reserve 3 tablespoons; refrigerate remainder for another use.
2. For chicken, cut tenders into 16 strips, removing the white strip of tendon from each. Place in a non-reactive bowl, such as glass or plastic; toss with curry powder, cumin, coriander, salt and white pepper. Add the honey, lime juice, peanut butter and 2 tablespoons of the seasoning paste. Toss until well blended; cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Marinate in refrigerator 1 hour.
3. For the peanut sauce, heat a small saucepan over medium heat; add oil. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the seasoning paste; cook until glossy and fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in coconut milk, lime juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce and chili paste. Heat to gentle boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; whisk in peanut butter until well blended. Transfer to small bowl; set aside.
4. Place one strip of marinated chicken on each of 16 skewers, threading the tip of the skewer back and forth lengthwise through center of the strip. Repeat with remaining chicken.
5. Heat a grill pan or large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Lightly brush the griddle or pan with some vegetable or peanut oil; cook chicken in batches until golden brown, turning once, 4 minutes per side. Keep warm. Serve with the peanut sauce.
Note: Garlic chili paste is available in Asian markets.
Nutrition information per serving:
519 calories, 52% of calories from fat, 31 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 63 mg cholesterol, 34 g carbohydrates, 31.6 g protein, 821 mg sodium, 3 g fiber
