Chicken satay

Special equipment • 8 wooden skewers

Serves 4

Ingredients:

10oz (300g) skinless boneless chicken breast or thigh fillet, sliced into strips

1 tbsp peanut oil

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp Asian fish sauce, such as nam pla

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp hot red chili paste

juice of 1 lemon

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the satay sauce:

3 tbsp crunchy peanut butter

juice of 1 lime

half of a well-shaken 14oz (400g) can unsweetened coconut milk (about 7oz/200g)

½ tsp medium-hot chili powder

splash of Asian fish sauce, such as nam pla

Method:

1 Soak 8 small wooden or bamboo skewers in cold water for 30 minutes.

2 Combine the chicken, oil, soy sauce, fish sauce, garlic, chili paste, and lemon juice in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, and mix well. Set aside to marinate while you make the satay sauce.

3 Combine the peanut butter, lime juice, coconut milk and chili powder in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken and the coconut milk releases its fragrance. Add a little more water if it is too thick. Remove from the heat, and keep warm until needed.

4 Preheat the broiler to high. Thread the chicken strips onto the soaked skewers. Broil for 3–5 minutes on each side or until cooked through and lightly charred at the edges. Serve hot with a little crispy lettuce and a bowl of the satay sauce for dipping.

Cheat:

Instead of making your own, use a ready-made bottled satay sauce as a dip.

Chicken satay