Thai Chicken Satay

So, we've been trying a lot of new recipes around here lately. Many of them have been "quick" week-night type recipes (or at least they've been advertised as such) but we've had mixed results. No dinners that were gross, but only a few that were truly memorable. I don't know about you, but no matter how easy or quick it is, I don't like eating meals that are just "okay." (So I'm a bit of a food elitist- is that such a crime?) Why put any effort in for only mediocre results? Luckily for all of the non-existent people who read this blog, I've sorted out the weak recipes from the culinary gems! And this one here is a gem my friends. It meets on all counts. It's relatively quick (okay the chopping does take some time, but that can easily be done the night before) and exceptionally yummy. This meal can be used during the week, but is fun/impressive enough to use when company comes for dinner-something I feel makes this recipe unique. Not too many dishes can fit both bills but this one does and does so without disappointing. But enough intro- try it for yourself and see what you think!

This recipe came from Williams Sonoma's Food Made Fast series, in the Weeknight cookbook. You can buy this cookbook here if you're interested. The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients
2 large limes
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup chunky peanut butter
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon minced ginger (fresh is best)
3 cloves minced garlic
3 tablespoons shoyu (soy sauce)
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 1/2lbs skinless, boneless chicken breast halves or tenderloins

Directions

Marinate the Chicken
1) Soak bamboo skewers in cold water until ready to use.
2) Grate 1 teaspoon zest from lines and squeeze 1/4 cup juice. Whisk together lime zest and juice, vinegar, and peanut butter until smooth. Stir in the cilantro, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar and sesame oil. Reserve 1/2 cup of this mixture to use as dipping sauce. Use the rest to marinate the chicken.
3) Marinate the chicken for 10 minutes at room temperature or cover and refrigerate for up to two hours. (I bet you could actually marinate it overnight to save time)

Cook the Chicken
4) Preheat the broiler. (You could grill this too, we just happened to broil ours)
5) Remove chicken from marinade and skewer the chicken
6) Brush the chicken with extra marinade before putting in the oven, then discard marinade
7) Place skewers on cookie sheet and place under the broiler
8) Cook, turning once until seared on the outside and opaque throughout. The recipe says this took 6 minutes, but it took us more like 12....my only guess is because our rack was very low in the oven. Just watch the chicken and cook it until done but not rubbery.
9) Serve with Jasmine Rice and Cucumber Sunomono