Sparkle Kitchen: Chicken Satay
In this week’s At Home with Martin and Sylvia story "Sticks", Martin is inspired by one of Sylvia’s fairy houses and decides to build a child-sized house of sticks in the woods. Sylvia helps collect sticks and then has an exciting idea: “Maybe we should make everything with sticks. We could make stick beds and chairs and toys!” Even Momma is into the fun as she finds a way to serve lunch on a stick!
In Southeast Asia, marinated meats are served on skewer sticks to make a dish called “satay." Satay was supposedly invented by street vendors in Indonesia as an imitation of the Indian kebabs brought to the area by migration in the early 19th century. While beef, pork, fish, and chicken are traditionally used, more exotic options include crocodile, lizard, and snake.
Don’t worry—the version below is just chicken! I’ve also tried to make it a little more kid-friendly, by subbing yogurt sauce for the traditional spicy peanut dip.
Chicken Satay with Tropical Rice and Yogurt Sauce
(Serves 4)
Ingredients
For the Yogurt Sauce
juice of 1 lemon
½ cucumber
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup greek yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced
For the Chicken
About 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
1 Tablespoon of curry powder
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon olive oil
For the Rice
1 teaspoon fresh, grated ginger
½ medium red onion, diced
juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon salt
14 oz can pineapple chunks, drained
14 oz can mango chunks, drained
About 3 cups cooked rice
Directions
Begin with the yogurt sauce. In a medium bowl, mix the yogurt, lemon juice, salt, and garlic. Then, using the small side of a box grater, grate the cucumber. Pile the cucumber shavings into a clean towel, and wring out as much liquid as possible. Add the cucumber to the yogurt mixture, stir, and refrigerate while you prepare the chicken and rice.
Cut the raw chicken into 1 inch strips, and place in a large bowl. Add the curry powder, garlic, salt, and olive oil, and use your hands to coat the chicken well. Thread the chicken onto skewers and cook for 5-6 minutes per side over medium heat on an oiled grill pan.
As the chicken cooks, you can work on the rice, which is super easy. Just put all of the ingredients in a large bowl and toss well to combine. Then, give it a taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
Plate up the chicken with the rice and yogurt sauce, and enjoy your meal on a stick!
If you liked this recipe, here are others you might enjoy:
Not yet a subscriber? Try a free trial HERE.
About the Author
Meryl Carver-Allmond
The Sparkle Kitchen Series is created by Meryl Carver-Allmond.
Meryl lives in a hundred-year-old house near the prairie with her sweet husband, two preschoolers, one puppy, one gecko, and about ten chickens. While she's been writing since she could pick up a pen, in recent years she's discovered the joy of photography, too. She feels lucky to be able to combine those skills, along with a third passion — showing people that cooking for themselves can be healthy and fun — in her Sparkle Kitchen posts.
