Chicken Satay ! Peanut Dipping Sauce ! Cucumber Relish ! Oh, my !

 

Yes, Spring is very much on my mind these days ! Yes, I am having a crisis of seasonal fatigue when it comes to winter weather ! Yes, I have bridled under the yoke of a late winter infection that laid me low ! Yes, I am ready for some fresh tangy food that wakes up the taste buds and zaps my kitchen routine out of the late winter casseroles, soups, and heavy braising.

Voila ! Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce, Cucumber Relish, and Stir Fried Vegetables. Perfect with a bowl of steamed rice and chilled Pinot Grigio. The colors of this dish alone are cheerful and optimistic ! I say this dish is Satay-ish because I chose NOT to skewer the chicken and grill it, but instead tossed it onto my stove top grill pan and did a fast and hot sear on the grill ridges. We loved it cut into bite sized pieces and dipped in the peanut sauce ! The only thing I would change is to thin up the sauce more with added water. It was super thick  - all that peanut butter and molasses. I'm getting ahead of myself, though !

  

This dinner required some slicing and dicing ahead of time, washing of the rice, assembling the cucumber relish and placing it in the fridge to chill, marinating the chicken tenders in a lime juice, soy, aromatics marinade, and making the peanut sauce. Once the ingredients are all prepped and the marinade has done its work, it's time to make things happen fast. Turn the rice on and bring to a boil, lower the pan to a simmer and turn on the grill pan to get it super hot. Get your wok going over high heat and be ready to tend the two pans at once. You will grill the chicken and stir-fry the veggies at the same time. Check the rice and top it off with a splash of water when its perfectly done - turn off the heat under the pan and cover the pan to keep things hot, while you finish the satay and veggies. Turn the veggies into a bowl, arrange the chicken pieces on a platter with sliced limes the relish.  Dish out the rice into a warm bowl, grab the cucumber relish and get everything to the table. 

We fell on this dinner like ravenous wolves ! There is a great range of flavors. The lime juice is just so fresh when its squeezed over the chicken and the peanut sauce is rich and sweet and nutty. So good !

We kept the rice under the chicken so it would soak up the juices, but also give us a break from the tang of the cucumber relish. The relish was a great palate cleanser from the sweet nuttiness of the peanut sauce.  Good balance all the way around. 

Here's how I did it ...

Chicken Satay

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken tenders

zest of half a lime

1 tbsp. fresh lime juice

1 tsp. sugar

1 large clove garlic, smashed

1/2 tbsp. minced ginger root

2 tbsp. soy sauce

Place the chicken pieces and all the ingredients in a small glass bowl and toss to coat the chicken well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. 

Grill skewered chicken over medium heat for 3 - 7 minutes until just done OR heat a grill pan on the stove top to searing hot and sear the chicken for about 2 minutes on each side. 

Place on a warm platter with lime slices for squeezing and serve with peanut dipping sauce and cucumber relish.

Cucumber Relish

Ingredients: 

4 small Kirby cucumbers - washed, sliced length-wise and chopped small

2 tbsp. purple onion, small dice

1/4 c. seasoned rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp. peanut oil

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Toss all the ingredients together in a glass bowl, cover closely,  and chill until serving time.

Peanut Dipping Sauce

In a mixing bowl, whisk together:

1/4 c. creamy peanut butter

1/4 c. very hot water

4 tsp. seasoned rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. molasses

 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes

Set the dipping sauce aside for an hour to let flavors develop. When ready to serve, add more very hot water to thin the sauce somewhat.

NOTES: Do serve this as an appetizer OR as a main course with rice and stir-fry vegetables. It's a great meal !