Indonesian Chicken Skewers

Let’s just kick things off with some honesty: this recipe was weird. There, I said it!

In a classic move that will surprise absolutely no one who knows me, I didn't read the instructions all the way through before diving in (shocker, I know). If I had, I might have noticed that the entire base of the marinade was peanut butter. And we aren't talking a subtle, background-note hint of peanut butter—we are talking a lot of it.

Now, I’ve been trying to be more open-minded about unique flavor profiles lately, but peanut butter just doesn't scream "meat marinade" to me. Still, in the spirit of culinary adventure, I decided to trust the process and follow the recipe exactly as written. Mostly. I did cut it in half.

The verdict? Needless to say, I wasn't exactly impressed.

It was just way too overwhelmingly peanut butter-y. It totally hijacked the dish. If I ever make this one again, my first order of business will be cutting way back on the peanut butter so the other ingredients actually get a chance to stand out and shine.

Indonesian Chicken Skewers

Recipe from Tasty Kitchen 

Serves 4

• 4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1 cup Peanut Butter
• ½ cups Soy Sauce
• ½ cups Sweet Chili Sauce
• ¼ cups Brown Sugar
• ¼ cups Fresh Lime Juice
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 2 Red Bell Peppers
• 8 Green Onions
• 1 bunch Fresh Cilantro
• Salt And Pepper
• Red Pepper
• Unshelled Peanuts

Start with the marinade

Combine the peanut butter, chili sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, garlic (finely chopped), cilantro finely chopped (about a 1/3 cup), green onions finely chopped, salt, black and red pepper in a gallon zip block bag or large container with lid. 

Next cut the chicken breast into about 2 inch chunks and add to the marinade-make sure its fully submerged. Let it marinade in the fridge for one hour minimum to overnight. 

While its marinading take 8-12 cooking skewers and let them soak in water-this will prevent splintering when the skewers are cooking. Take the bell peppers and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. 

Chop up more cilantro and peanuts if you wish to garnish. 

When the chicken has marinaded for at least an hour or more, its time to assemble the skewers. Take 2-3 cubes of chicken and thread onto the skewers than slide on a piece of bell pepper, repeat those steps again. Once you have all the skewers assembled they are ready to put on the grill over high heat. Turn them on the grill every 2-3 minutes or so. They are done when you cut into them and the juices run clear.