Chicken Satay Skewers

Why This Chicken Satay Skewers Works

During the long soak in coconut milk, soy sauce, lime, and spices, the chicken strips start to drink in the liquid. The salt in the soy sauce and the acid from the lime loosen up the meat fibers a bit, so the chicken doesn’t tighten up as much on the grill. Coconut milk brings in fat that coats the outside, so the strips stay moist instead of drying out over the heat.

Once the skewers hit the grill, the outside of the chicken browns and gets a light char. That browned layer holds in the juices, while the inside cooks through but stays tender because of the earlier soak. Thin strips cook fast, so they don’t sit on the heat long enough to dry out.

In the saucepan, peanut butter, coconut milk, and honey slowly melt together into a smooth sauce. As it warms, the peanut butter thickens the sauce just enough to cling to the chicken. A bit of chili paste and lime spread through the sauce, so every bite of grilled chicken gets a creamy, slightly sticky coating when dipped.

Mistakes To Avoid

Letting the chicken marinate for only a few minutes or less than an hour keeps the meat almost bare on the inside. The outside picks up color from the spices, but the strips stay bland and a bit dry once grilled, instead of juicy and seasoned all the way through.

Threading thick, uneven strips on the skewers makes the grilling time unpredictable. Thicker pieces stay undercooked in the center while the thinner ends dry out and turn tough by the time the middle is safe to eat.

Grilling over very high heat from the start causes the outside of the chicken to char fast while the inside stays slightly raw. This leads to blackened edges, a bitter burnt crust, and meat that has to be left on longer, drying it out just to finish cooking.

Skipping the step of soaking wooden skewers often ends with the sticks burning or snapping on the grill. As the wood catches, the skewers become fragile, the chicken can fall through the grates, and any exposed ends turn to ash.