Sambal Chicken Skewers
Naturally, the July issue of Bon Appetit is The Grilling Issue. Grilled chicken skewers, you say? Well, thatās something Iād be making for dinner anyway, so bring it on.
Additionally, I was looking forward to making these because they include sriracha and sambal oelek, the dynamic duo of spicy Asian condiments that are stocked in my fridge at all times.
Usually, I feel like I should make a choice between one or the other, but here, I didnāt have to choose between two of my best friends ā they both came along to the party.
I had to make a few substitutions when making the marinade/sauce. I ran out of brown sugar, so I used a little less than what was called for. Also, I havenāt been able to find a brand of fish sauce that doesnāt make me totally gag.
Iāve heard Red Boat brand is very good, but I havenāt been able to locate that in a store in my area yet (I need to go on a fish sauce-hunting mission). So, instead of fish sauce, I substituted soy sauce to add some saltiness.
Even though I ran low on brown sugar, I still used the amounts called for of sriracha and sambal.
This led me to have a minor meltdown while grilling, because as I was brushing the sauce onto the chicken, all I could think was āThis is going to be so spicy. Too spicy to eat. Why am I brushing all of this sauce on? Stop saucing, Lori. No, I canāt. Itāll be good. Spicy, but good. Do we have any milk in the fridge? Your mouth is going to be on fire.ā
Iām happy to report that this recipe, even with my substitutions, was absolutely out of this world. It was the perfect balance of super spicy and kind of sweet.
It certainly wasnāt as sweet as my orange honey chicken, but by no means, was it too spicy to eat (as long as you like spicy Asian food, I guess).
In fact, as with many of Bon Appetitās cover recipes, it was so good that it was kind of hard to stop eating. Sure, I needed several tall glasses of ice water while eating it, but on a hot day, I probably needed the hydration anyway.
Sambal Chicken Skewers
Ingredients
- Ā½ cup rice vinegar
- ā cup packed light brown sugar
- ā cup sambal oelek
- Ā¼ cup soy sauce
- Ā¼ cup sriracha
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 Ā½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 2-inch pieces
Instructions
- Place skewers in large dish and cover with water. Let stand 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat grill for direct grilling over medium-high heat. In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, brown sugar, sambal oelek, soy sauce, sriracha and ginger. Add chicken and toss to coat. Thread chicken pieces onto skewers.
- Transfer marinade to small saucepan. Heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 6 to 8 minutes or until reduced by half.
- Transfer chicken skewers to grill. Cook, turning and basting with reduced marinade frequently, 8 to 10 minutes, or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
These skewers were very tasty! Ā They were also quite easy, which is always a good thing š
So glad to hear that, Corrine!
This looks yummy so I am planning to make tonight. Did you think I could/should marinate the chicken for a couple hours?
Hi Corrine! You can marinate if you want, but itās not required š
Thank you Lori Yates!
You can get the Red Boat fish sauce in different sizes…free ship w/prime… @Amazon.com
Yeah, who needs fish sauce, right? š Thanks for stopping by!
Yum, these sound delicious. I often sub fish sauce for soy sauce and nobody has ever noticed!
Yum, these sound delicious. I often sub fish sauce for soy sauce and nobody has ever noticed!
Yeah, who needs fish sauce, right? š Thanks for stopping by!
Ugh, I know! I’m usually pretty open to most foods and condiments, even ones that smell weir. But fish sauce…I just can’t.
Gorgeous. And I can’t stand fish sauce either!
Gorgeous. And I can’t stand fish sauce either!
Ugh, I know! I’m usually pretty open to most foods and condiments, even ones that smell weir. But fish sauce…I just can’t.