Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce, Cilantro and Lime

Last night, we recreated my childhood experience of chicken satay at the great Thai place by the Seattle Center where I grew up eating with my family, right down to the quarters of white-bread toast that accompanied the dish.

The amounts below are designed to make 24 skewers and be served as a party appetizer; we made it our entree dish and were very full by the end.

• 1 cup plain yogurt (original recipe calls for 1.25 cups but I found this to be a bit much)
• 1 tsp. freshly grated ginger
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1.5 pounds of large skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips (we cut down to just 2 large breasts)
• Vegetable oil (for grill)
• 2 tbsp. cilantro, chopped
• Lime wedges, 2-3 per person
• White bread, 1-2 pieces per person

For peanut sauce:

• 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 2 drops hot pepper sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup water

1. Combine yogurt, ginger, garlic and soy sauce in a bowl. Toss in chicken strips until well coated. (The original recipe calls for marination up to 2 hours, but it was late and we were hungry so we didn't do this - just tossed the chicken in there for a bit before throwing on the grill. It still turned out great.)

2. Preheat grill. When ready to grill, thread the chicken pieces onto skewers, working the skewer in and out of the meat, so that it stays in place. Place on perforated pan over medium heat and brush with oil to prevent sticking. Grill for 5 minutes on each side, until seared and cooked through. (We used a perforated pan but if you don't have one, we found that it worked better to just grill the pieces directly on the heat; do whatever works best for you.)

3. While chicken is grilling, make the 5-minute peanut sauce with ingredients above. In a small bowl, stir together peanut butter, soy sauce, sugar, hot pepper sauce and garlic until well mixed. Transfer to a small skillet and over medium-low heat, gradually stir in water until texture is smooth and creamy.

4. Toast pieces of white bread and cut into quarters.

4. Remove skewers from grill and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Serve with peanut sauce, lime wedges, and toast. I find that the lime really gives it an extra kick with the peanut sauce especially.