Chicken Satay + Thai Slaw

I’ve been in a funk. I’ve said it, I’m coming to terms with it, and I’ve made a big effort to identify the “why” behind my anxiety. The result of my internal soul searching - routine. My routine - my at-home routine - has been shook to its core. & I’m not a person who can look back and see “it’s just temporary.” When my routine is disrupted, it’s like that feeling when your sick & you start wondering if you’ll ever feel better? I’ve felt the anxiety of “will things ever go back to normal?”

We’ve had a few weeks of craziness, and ab-normalcy - that’s for sure. A long weekend in Canada followed by the grand opening shin-dig at our bar followed by a long weekend in California. A lot of good things going on, but it’s ultimate lead to a lot of meals out, barely enough time to take a shower & somewhat “tidy up my house, and certainly not a lot of time to just chill. When I don’t have that time to just re-charge and just be in my environment, I get irritable, which is my nice way of saying I’m a total fucking bitch. Like I can’t fend off the bad vibes of other (it literally wrecks me), and I fail miserably at my goal of putting out the vibes I’d like to get back, and I adapt a “let me tell you what I really think” strategy. Not good for anyone. But again, I’m in tune enough to know that if I can somewhat get back into my routine - stick to my productivity goals and truly make the most of my time home for a little self-case - I’m confident I can kind of reset. So on this Monday, I’m pretty damn thankful that the abnormal events have come and gone, and I can re-commit to a routine that fuels self-care. Today, self-care = Chicken Satay.

I don’t ever order chicken satay. I love it, and I honestly think it’s pretty “basic bitch” in my husbands eyes, so I blame him for my lack of chicken satay. But it was passed around at the wedding we were at this weekend (because it’s a dish that always seems to make an appearance as a passed app), and I was naturally over-joyed. I means little meats on a stick & yummy peanut sauce - what’s not to love? & I for whatever reason I can’t stop salivating over these little meats. So yes, today self care = chicken satay.

In all senses, chicken satay is a snack. & for game night at home, it was the main snack to curate an Asian snack-board of all Asian snack-boards. I resorted to filling my appetizer tray with other simple veggie stir fry options (ie. Brussels sautéed with a little bit of teriyaki sauce & cubed butternut squash with a little sesame oil & chili garlic sauce) & store bought dumplings. Keeping my Asian appetizer back-up dancers simple made it real easy to direct all the focus on the chicken prep.

If there’s one take-away from this recipe, it’s the peanut sauce. Lesson learned: cook that shit on the stove. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve tried to make peanut sauce the old fashioned way (ie. throw it in a mason jar, shake vigorously, and hope it turns out ok), and it leaves a lot fo be desired. Like left me with the feeling of “better store bought,” which is just sad. But tonight I saw the light, and that was simmer it on the stove. Combination of coconut milk + peanut butter + lime juice + soy sauce + brown sugar, and you’ve got yourself a winner! It bubbles up, and the warm peanut butter makes it so easy to blend in

I whipped together a real simple Thai flavored slaw that tasted great with the satay. & literally the satay and this slaw make a perfectly curated plate, and may just be my next go-to dinner when I’m trying to keep things simple. So good, and this simple homemade dish satisfied all my thai food cravings.

For the Thai Slaw

• Zest & juice from one orange

• 1 tbsp lime juice

• 1 tbsp honey

• 1 tbsp peanut butter

• 1/2 c. mayo

• 1 package coleslaw or cabbage mix (I recommend a coleslaw mix with different cabbages & carrots in the bag)

• Handful of cashews (about 1/4 cup), roughly chopped

• 1-2 tbsp fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

• Sesame seeds

For the Chicken Satay

• 1 lb chicken tenders (TJs always has them, or get chicken breasts and cut into thin strips)

• 1/4 c. lime juice

• 3 tbsp coconut aminos or soy sauce

• 2 tbsp honey

• 1 tbsp ginger

• 1 tbsp minced garlic

• pinch of chili flakes

• 1-2 tbsp fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (for garnish)

• 1/2 c. sweet chili sauce

For the Peanut Sauce

• 1 c. coconut milk

• 3 tbsp peanut butter

• 2 tbsp brown sugar

• 1 tbsp coconut aminos or soy sauce

• 1 tbsp chili sauce (or sriracha + pinch of chili flakes)

Start with the chicken marinade. Mix the lime juice, aminos, honey, ginger, garlic, & chili flakes in a shallow dish. Add in the raw chicken, cover, & set in the fridge for 2 hours.

Move to making the salad. Add the orange juice + zest, lime juice, peanut butter, mayo, honey & sesame oil to a mason jar along with a pinch of salt & pepper. Mix about half the salad dressing with the salad mix in a large bowl, adding more dressing if desired. Garnish with cashews, cilantro, & sesame seeds, and place in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.

At the 2 hour mark of chicken in the fridge, take the pan from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature. Place the wooden skewers in water and let them soak for 20 minutes.

Add all of the ingredients for the peanut sauce to a small sauce pan and place over medium high heat. Whisk to get everything incorporated together, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Let it cook over medium high heat for 5-7 minutes - it should thicken up quite nicely. Turn the heat to low, and leave uncovered.

Thread the chicken tenders on to the wooden skewers. Place a large saute pan (like biggest one you’ve got), put over medium heat, and add in 2 tbsp of canola oil. Once the oil is hot, place the chicken skewers in the pan, and cook for about 3 minutes on each side. Remove the skewers and place on a paper towel lined plate.

Plate it up - place the satay on a large platter, the peanut sauce in a ramekin nestled right by the skewers, and the bowl of slaw right on the platter. Place the sweet chili sauce for the saute right in a separate ramekin & place on your platter. Add any other veggie stir frys, dumplings, pot stickers, or no-cook snacks right on the platter to really fill it up.