Lemongrass Chicken Satay (AIP/Paleo)

While I prefer this recipe with chicken thigh meat for its succulent texture, the flavors pair nicely with chicken breast or pork.

When I discovered I’d accidentally nailed peanut sauce I knew the natural progression of that would be my favorite and arguably the most popular way to consume peanut sauce - chicken satay. I used chicken thighs, because they’re my favorite texture for grilling, but it would be just as delectable with pork sirloin or similar.

I love the flavor of the lemongrass brings to the marinade, it reminds me of the pork loin they serve the little Bahn Mi shop across town, I’ll have to re-create that another day, because droolworthy! It doesn’t take a ton, and lemongrass is usually sold by the stalk, though some Asian markets sell it in a 1lb container in the freezer section pre-ground. Thats what actually gave me the idea, well that, and my ongoing experiment of “can you freeze that” Well, it turns out you can freeze lemongrass and it gets like a zillion times easier to work with. I found that the food processor always left some large fibrous bits, I tried grating it, but it always fell apart on me. The solution was in freezing it. If you freeze the lemongrass before you microplane it you will find that it stays together much better and grates more efficiently. Then you can put it in a zipper bag, pressing flat before you freeze, so you can just break off what you need and always have it on hand without a special trip to the Asian Market and 3/4ths of it going to waste. How’s that for a life hack?!

Lemongrass chicken pairs nicely with a crunchy slaw made of cucumber, carrot, cabbage and cilantro tossed with a honey-lime dressing.

Ingredients

1 lime, juice and zest

1/4 cup coconut aminos

1 tsp powdered ginger or 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger root

1 clove grated garlic

1 tbsp grated lemongrass

1 Tbsp fish sauce

2 Tbsp Maple Syrup-or-Honey

1/4 tsp sea salt *adjust to taste

1 lb boneless skinless chicken thigh or pork loin chunks

AIP Reintroductions

1 Tbsp Sambal or 1 tsp chili flakes

Instructions

1. Combine ingredients in mixing bowl. Add cubed chicken thighs or pork pieces and marinate for 1-2 hours in the fridge.

2. Remove from the fridge and skewer the meat

3. Grill over medium high heat (or in a grill pan on the stove) turning frequently to avoid burning. Cook to 165f internal temperature

4. Serve with thinly sliced cucumbers and onions and peanut-free “peanut” sauce.

---