The Man and I recently started a new workout routine. “Workout routine” is kind of an understatement…more like The Man and I have chosen to get our asses handed to us every day for the next 60 days and we love it! And even though we walked into this with no real intentions of changing our diet, we have both been craving more protein and more fresh veggies. So for dinner last night it was Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce and a heaping pile of Snow Pea Salad on the side. Full of flavor and color, everyone can get into this healthy meal – even if you aren’t working on your beachbody.
I found this recipe for Snow Pea Salad on Pinterest a few months back. The dressing is simple, and the ingredients are fresh and crisp. If you can’t find fresh snow peas, sugar snap peas would be a good substitute. And I couldn’t find fresh edamame beans (frozen just won’t work for this dish) so I skipped them. And the only yellow peppers I could find were the size of my head….so I went with orange. But that is kind of the beauty of this recipe – you can modify it endlessly. Thin sliced mushrooms, cilantro, diced avocado, baby corn…any and all would make awesome additions!
Anyone can put chicken on a stick and throw it over the hot coals….but to get this chicken extra tender and full of flavor, I suggest marinating it for a couple of hours before cooking time. I was happy to find thin sliced chicken breasts at my store (and on sale!) which I just had to cut into 2-ish inch strips. If you can’t find these, no worries. You can always slice your chicken in half lengthwise – just be sure to use a sharp knife and take your time to get two even halves. Marinate the chicken for about 6 hours before draining and threading onto the wooden skewers.
Since the chicken is thin, it won’t take long to grill. Towards the end of the cooking time, it’s time to get saucy. Brush a thin layer of the peanut sauce on one side, flip them over, and let the sauce cook on for a minute or so. Then do the same with the other side. Alternatively, you could serve the peanut sauce on the side and let people dip to their liking. I did both….because I can’t get enough peanut sauce!
Did you make too much peanut sauce, and need a good idea on how to use it?? Try a Thai Chicken Pizza!
Satay Marinade
- 1 lb. chicken breasts, 1/2″ thick and 2″ wide
- 3 T. soy sauce
- 2 T. seasame oil
- 1 T. Tabasco sauce
- 1/4 tsp. Chinese 5 spice
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1/2 C. water
Combine all ingredients in a large ziplock bag. Refrigerate for 6+ hours.
Peanut Sauce
- 1/4 C. peanut butter
- 1 tsp. oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 – 1/2 C. chicken stock (or water)
- 1 tsp. soy sauce
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp. ginger (powder or freshly grated)
- 1/2 tsp. curry powder
- 1/2 tsp. hot sauce
Heat up oil in a small sauce pan. Saute garlic for about 2 minutes. Add in peanut butter and remaining ingredients. Allow to simmer then remove from heat. You want the sauce to be slightly runny. Set aside until ready to use.
Grilled Chicken Satay
- Marinated chicken, drained
- Wooden skewers (one per chicken piece)
- Peanut sauce
Run a wooden skewer through each piece of chicken. On a medium heat grill, cook chicken until cooked through (about 4 minutes per side). Brush peanut sauce on each side, cooking for another minute per side. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
The Highfalutin Duck 