My neighbor occasionally asks me to babysit his young children. And I always agree, because I keep forgetting how utterly exhausting other people’s sticky, spirited darlings can be. So, to keep meltdowns (theirs, mine) at bay, or at least confined to the kitchen, I have started cooking with the little loves.
I’ve found picky eaters are more likely to try a new food if they’ve helped prepare it. These whippersnappers will only eat chicken a la nugget, so I decided we should make an easy chicken satay, which is basically grilled poultry on a stick. Stick food has always been a favorite of my own kiddos, except for the late-elementary school years when they turned the skewers into swords and poked each other in the face.
Simply slice boneless, skinless chicken breasts into long, thin strips. Then marinate the chicken in the refrigerator. Instead of the high-fat (albeit delicious) coconut milk that’s ubiquitous in satay recipes, I substituted plain nonfat Greek yogurt. I seasoned the marinade with curry powder, which is a one-and-done dried spice blend. Honey and fresh lime juice round out the flavors, but note that the chicken will start to break down in the acidic lime juice if it marinates longer than an hour.
The hardest part of this recipe is locating your skewers. If yours are metal, have a juice box to celebrate. But if you’re using bamboo skewers, it’s important that you submerge them in water for at least an hour before cooking, or else your next lesson will be on how to use the fire extinguisher. Let the wee ones thread the chicken onto the skewers. Then you take over, either grilling or broiling the chicken.
Sweet and spicy peanut sauce is the usual accompaniment to chicken satay. But peanuts are verboten in modern-day childhood, since so many tykes have nut allergies. Fortunately, SunButter, made from sunflower seeds, is a safe substitute. The only downside is that SunButter is relatively high in fat. To lighten the recipe, I replaced some of the SunButter with low-sodium chicken broth, which thickened beautifully into a dipping sauce. As I suspected, my charges enjoyed the novelty of eating chicken on a stick. No one poked an eye out, and everyone was thoroughly entertained, including, I’m pleased to say, me.
(Box)
EASY CHICKEN SATAY WITH PEANUT-FREE SAUCE
CONTRIBUTED BY KELLIE HYNES
6 bamboo or metal skewers
1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
4 tablespoons honey, divided
2 teaspoons+3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
1 teaspoon curry powder 1/4teaspoon ground
ginger
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick strips
6 tablespoons SunButter 1/2cup low-sodium
chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha sauce (optional)
If using bamboo skewers, submerge them in water for a minimum of one hour.
Combine the yogurt, cilantro, garlic, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 teaspoons lime juice, curry powder and ginger in a nonreactive dish. Stir the chicken strips into the yogurt marinade.Cover and marinate in refrigerator one hour.
Remove the chicken strips from the yogurt mixture, shaking offexcess marinade, and weave the chicken pieces onto the skewers. Discard remaining marinade. If grilling, cook the skewers over medium-high heat, with the grill lid closed, 3-5 minutes per side, until cooked through. If broiling, line a broiler pan with aluminum foil and spray the foil with cooking spray.Place the skewers about 4 inches from the heat, and broil, 3-5 minutes per side, until cooked through.Remove from the heat and keep warm.
Whisk together the SunButter, remaining 3 tablespoons honey, 3 tablespoons lime juice, chicken broth, soy sauce and Sriracha, if using, in a small saucepot over medium heat.Continue whisking until the sauce is smooth, thick, and heated through, about 3 minutes. If the sauce becomes too thick, thin with additional broth or hot water.
Serve the chicken satay hot, with SunButter sauce on the side.
Chicken Satay:Makes 6 servings.
Per serving, without sauce: 92 calories (percent of calories from fat, 10), 18 grams protein, 1 gram carbohydrates, trace fiber, 1 gram fat (trace saturated fat), 44 milligrams cholesterol, 57 milligrams sodiu
