Peanut butter chicken skewers with ginger yoghurt

This crowd-pleasing snack is a popular dish for Eid al-Fitr celebrations in Sierra Leone.

Credit: Chris Chen

• makes

  16

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  25 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• ½ long red chilli, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
• 125 ml (½ cup) coconut cream
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 kg skinless chicken thighs, deboned
• coriander sprigs and lemon wedges, to serve

Ginger yoghurt

• 1 cup thick Greek-style yoghurt
• 3 tsp grated ginger
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 lemon, juiced

Marinating time 3 hours

Resting time 5 minutes

Instructions

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Stir in garlic, chilli and tomato paste, and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add peanut butter, coconut cream and 125 ml water, and simmer for 5 minutes or until thick and combined. Stir in sugar and lemon juice and season to taste. Remove marinade from heat and set aside to cool.

Cut chicken into 3 cm pieces and place in a large bowl. Pour cooled marinade over chicken, tossing to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Meanwhile, to make ginger yoghurt, place all ingredients in a bowl, mixing to combine. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate until needed.

When ready to cook, thread chicken onto skewers pre-soaked in cold water. Brush a chargrill pan or barbecue with remaining 1 tbsp oil and heat over medium–high heat. Working in batches, season peanut butter chicken skewers, then cook, turning, for 8 minutes or until cooked through. Rest for 5 minutes then drizzle with ginger yoghurt and serve with coriander and lemon wedges.

Photography Chris Chen.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.