With my wide grill pan I don’t have to wait all year for this glorious beginning of barbecue season to enjoy grilled chicken, one of my favorite Friday night dishes. Last week I didn’t have any fresh ginger, which is a must for “traditional” Thai peanut dipping sauce, so I improvised. What I ended up with was an amazing, zesty sauce that is better than anything I’ve tried from a bottle in eons! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Grilled Chicken Skewers With Thai Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
Chicken:
Four breasts, cut into bite-size pieces and placed on skewers or cut thinly and grilled with olive oil and salt and pepper. For best Friday night prep, grill only until beautiful grill marks appear on the outside and leave it on a hot plate 30-40 minutes before Shabbat to finish slowly cooking through, or, if finished, serve at room temperature. (Be aware of how long you’re leaving it on the heat, because fully cooked grilled chicken can dry out on a hot plate.) For weeknights, after grilling finish cooking in the oven.
Sauce:
- ¼ cup creamy natural peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Combine sauce ingredients and mix by hand until the peanut butter is fully incorporated. This takes longer than you might think, at least several minutes. Taste for flavor balance; you may like more lime or soy sauce, or a bit more sesame oil. Serve with grilled chicken as a dipping sauce or pour over when serving. A bit of the sauce can be used for basting during grilling, but it’s not necessary.
