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Cucumber salad with almond coconut milk chicken satay on white platter.

Almond Coconut Milk Chicken Satay with Quick Cucumber Salad

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken Satay:

  • 1 cup almond butter, I've subbed peanut butter with good results, too
  • 1 (13.5 ounce) can light coconut milk
  • ⅔ cup about 12 tablespoons fresh lime juice, (5-6 limes)
  • 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons red curry paste (see note)
  • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-size pieces or strips

Quick Cucumber Salad:

  • 1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, can sub red wine or white wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions 

  • In a medium bowl (or in a blender), combine the almond butter, coconut milk, lime juice, and curry paste. Whisk or blend until well-combined and smooth. Reserve 1 cup of the mixture and refrigerate (to use for serving later). Place the chicken pieces in a container with a lid or in a gallon-size ziploc bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken, tossing so the chicken is evenly covered. Refrigerate for 15 minutes (or up to 12 hours).
  • For the cucumber salad, in a medium bowl, add the cucumber and bell pepper. Whisk together the lime juice, rice vinegar, olive oil, and pinch of salt and pepper; add to the vegetables and toss to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  • Preheat a grill (indoor grill pan or skillet will work, too) to medium or medium-high.
  • Remove the chicken from the marinade (the marinade will be very thick, especially if it has been refrigerated longer than 15 minutes; that's ok - just take the chicken pieces out and scrape off any excess marinade). Thread the chicken onto skewers. Grill/cook, turning once or twice, until chicken pieces are cooked through, 7-9 minutes.
  • Serve the chicken skewers with the cucumber salad and the reserved almond coconut milk sauce (to drizzle over the chicken, if desired).

Notes

Red Curry Paste: I use the Thai Kitchen brand of red curry paste. It has a spicy kick, so use the lesser amount in the recipe if you don't want a lot of heat (don't be afraid of using it, though - the thick and creamy almond butter and coconut milk mellow out the spice a lot!).
Marinade: if you don't think you'll serve any of the reserved almond butter mixture with the grilled chicken (sometimes I do, sometimes I don't), you can easily halve the amounts and use it all just for the marinade.