Satay Chicken & Rice
A proper satay sauce is built in the same pan the chicken was seared in, so it picks up all that flavour left behind instead of starting from a clean pan. Peanut butter, fish sauce, curry powder and stock whisked together until glossy.
Charred pak choi adds something fresh and slightly bitter to balance the richness of the peanut sauce, and toasted peanuts on top bring back a bit of crunch against all that glossy sauce.
Five containers of something a lot more interesting than the usual satay you’d get from a jar of sauce.
Satay Chicken & Rice
SATAY CHICKEN · CHICKEN · MEAL PREP · EASY
A satay sauce built from scratch, not a jar
Building the sauce in the same pan the chicken was seared in means it picks up all that leftover flavour and fond, giving it a depth that a straight-from-the-jar satay sauce just doesn't have.
Toasting the peanuts separately before they go on top brings out a nuttier flavour and adds real crunch against the smooth, glossy sauce underneath.
Charred pak choi on the side keeps the whole bowl from tipping too far into rich and heavy, cutting through with something fresher.
Satay Chicken & Rice
Ingredients
Chicken
- 800 g Chicken Breast Diced
- 15 ml Neutral Oil
- 4 g Garlic Powder
- 4 g Ground Coriander
- 4 g Ground Cumin
- Salt & Ground White Pepper To Taste
Satay Sauce
- 125 g Natural Peanut Butter
- 22 ml Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- 22 ml Fish Sauce
- 22 ml Honey
- 7 tsp Rice Vinegar
- 6 tsp Curry Powder
- 300 ml Chicken Stock
Rice
- 300 g Jasmine Rice Washed
- 550 g Cold Water
- Salt To Taste
Vegetables
- 400 g Bok Choy Halved
- 2 Garlic Cloves Minced
Serving
- 60 g Roasted Peanuts Chopped
- 3 Spring Onions (Scallions) Sliced
Method
- Rinse the jasmine rice under cold water until the water runs clear. Add the rice to a saucepan with the water and salt, bring to a boil, then cover with a lid, reduce to low and cook for 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and rest covered for 4-5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
- Toast the peanuts in a dry pan until lightly golden and fragrant, then remove and allow to cool.
- Season the chicken with salt, garlic powder, ground coriander, ground cumin and white pepper, then set aside.
- Heat a large pan over medium-high heat with neutral oil. Pan-fry the bok choy until lightly charred, add the garlic briefly, season lightly with salt, then remove from the pan.
- In the same pan, sear the chicken in batches until deeply golden and cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 74°C (165°F), then remove from the pan.
- Lower the heat, add the chicken stock and scrape up the fond. Whisk in the peanut butter, soy sauce, fish sauce, honey, rice vinegar and curry powder until smooth and glossy, then return the chicken to coat.
- Serve the satay chicken over rice with bok choy, toasted peanuts and spring onion.
Can I use a different vegetable instead of pak choi?⌄
Yes, broccolini or Chinese broccoli both work well charred the same way. Anything with a bit of bitterness to balance the rich peanut sauce is a good fit.
Can I use crunchy peanut butter instead of smooth?⌄
Yes, it'll give the sauce a bit more texture rather than being completely smooth. Either works fine, it's down to preference.
Can I make this spicier?⌄
Yes, whisk a spoonful of sambal or a pinch of chilli flakes into the sauce along with the curry powder. Start small, the peanut sauce is rich enough that a little heat goes a long way.
Why toast the peanuts separately?⌄
Toasting brings out a deeper, nuttier flavour than raw peanuts have, and keeping them separate until serving means they stay crunchy instead of going soft in the sauce.
