Chicken Skewers with Asian Peanut Sauce and Chile-Fried Rice

Chunks of lean chicken breast are perfect for cooking on skewers. They thread easily, stay put on the skewers, and cook in about 10 minutes. The key to their flavor, of course, is the sauce. There are several ingredients in this spicy peanut sauce with delicious Asian flavors, but they come together fast and there’s no cooking required.

Make the sauce ahead of time and refrigerate, covered, to give the flavors time to meld and develop. Bring it to room temperature before serving. This recipe makes a little less than a cup, but it’s rich and spicy and a little goes a long way. Give each guest his or her own small bowl for dipping.

Tips on skewering: When you thread skewers, place the meat or vegetables toward the center of the stick, leaving at least two inches of free space on each end. This allows for easy turning by grasping the bares ends. Also keep in mind that bamboo, or wood, skewers won't get as hot on the griddle or grill pan as metal ones. If you use metal skewers, you'll need oven mitts or tongs to turn them over.

Chicken Ready to Marinate

Fried rice is simply cooked rice that gets the extra treatment of stir-frying in a little oil to loosen the grains and mix with other aromatic stir-fried ingredients. This recipe uses hot chiles and earthy scallions to complement the Asian flavors in the sauce—and if a little bit of the sauce dribbles onto the rice, that’s a good thing.    

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Chicken Skewers and Peanut Sauce

• 1/2 cup soy sauce, divided
• 1 tsp plus 1 tbsp brown sugar, divided
• 2 tbsp ground fresh chile paste (sambal oelek), divided
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 cayenne chile, stemmed and finely chopped
• 1/4 cup creamy, natural peanut butter
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• peanut oil, for brushing

Spicy Ingredients for the Peanut Sauce

For the Chile-Fried Rice

• 1 tbsp peanut oil
• 2 Thai or 1 habanero chile, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 cayenne chiles, stemmed and thinly sliced
• 2 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced and separated
• sea salt
• 2 cups cooked white rice

Chiles and Scallion for the Rice

Preparation

For the Chicken Skewers and Peanut Sauce 

1. Whisk 1/4 cup of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of chile paste, and 1 teaspoon of brown sugar in a small bowl until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Place the chicken in a sturdy, re-sealable plastic bag and pour the marinade over the chicken. Seal the bag and turn several times to coat completely. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (You can also marinate the chicken overnight.)
3. Combine the ginger, garlic, chile, remaining 1 tablespoon of chile paste, remaining 1/4 cup of soy sauce, remaining 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, peanut butter, vinegar, and lime juice in a medium bowl. Stir well until the peanut butter is blended and the sauce is creamy smooth. (It will be fairly thin.) 

Asian Peanut Sauce

1. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade. (If you’re using bamboo or wood skewers, soak in water 30 minutes.) Thread 5 pieces of chicken on each of 4 skewers.

Skewered Marinated Chicken

1. Heat a griddle or large grill pan over medium-high heat and brush with peanut oil. Grill the chicken skewers until browned and cooked through, for a total of about 10 minutes, turning after 3 minutes on each side, then 2 minutes on each side.

Chicken Skewers Beginning to Grill 

Skewers after 1 Turn 

Grilled Chicken Skewers

To serve, place 1 chicken skewer on each of 4 plates. Divide the peanut sauce among 4 very small bowls and set next to the skewers. Serve with chile-fried rice (recipe follows).

For the Chile-Fried Rice 

1. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the peanut oil. Add all chiles and the white parts of the scallions and season with salt. Stir-fry 3 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.

Stir-Fried Chiles and Scallion

1. Add the cooked rice and taste-test for more seasoning. Stir well until the rice and vegetables are well combined and the rice grains are loose and hot throughout, 2-3 minutes.

Chile-Fried Rice