Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Method

1. If using bamboo skewers, soak 12 in water for at least 30 minutes; metal skewers do not need soaking. Combine all marinade ingredients, from its coconut milk through its tablespoon oil, in a bowl. Add chicken and refrigerate covered for 2 hours.
2. Make the sauce separately in a small saucepan. Whisk peanut butter, sauce coconut milk, sauce water, sauce sugar, sauce fish sauce and optional chilli flakes over low heat. Simmer gently for 3–4 minutes, stirring so the peanut paste does not scorch.
3. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in lime juice. It should pour in a thick ribbon; add hot water a tablespoon at a time if needed. Keep separate from the raw chicken and its brushes or utensils.
4. Thread chicken loosely onto the skewers, leaving a little space between folds so heat can reach the meat. Divide into approximately 12 similar portions. Discard the used raw marinade; it is not the finished dipping sauce.
5. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat and brush with the teaspoon oil. Alternatively prepare a barbecue with a medium-hot cooking area and a cooler side. Avoid a fierce flame, which burns the coconut and sugar before the chicken cooks.
6. Cook the skewers for 8–12 minutes, turning several times, until browned and at least 74°C in the thickest chicken piece. Move them to the cooler part of the grill if dark patches develop too quickly. Do not baste with the discarded raw marinade.
7. Rest for 3 minutes and serve with the warm peanut sauce. For children or anyone who needs it, slide the meat off the skewers before serving. Leftover sauce can be loosened with water when reheated; keep it separate from remaining chicken.