Usually, lately, especially in summer, I like easy meals.

Sometimes I still like to get a little complicated.

This isn’t a difficult meal but, like most Asian cooking, while it requires a bit of prep, the cooking is easy.

If one is organized it goes rather quickly.

And we both agreed it was worth the effort.

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Like most Asian cooking, this requires a bit of prep but very little actual cooking time.

Scale

Chicken:
2 chicken breasts )12oz, 360gr), boneless, skinless, cut into 1″ (2.5cm) cubes.
2 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs fresh ginger, peeled and minced about 3 slices the size of an American quarter or 1 euro coin
1 tsp chili powder
2 – 4 skewers
Warm Peanut Sauce:
1/3 cup (2.5oz, 75gr) peanut butter
2 tbs snipped fresh chives
1 tbs snipped fresh parsley
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbs olive oil
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp brown sugar
1/3 cup (3oz, 90ml) chicken broth
Crisp Green Beans:
6oz (180gr) green beans, trimmed, cut 1 1/2″ (3.25cm) lengths
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp sesame or walnut oil
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Sesame Brown Rice:
1/2 cup (3.3oz, 95gr) quick-cooking brown rice substitute Basmati
1 cup (8oz, 240ml) chicken broth or whatever your rice calls for
1/2 tsp sesame or walnut oil
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Soak skewers in warm water while preparing chicken and making marinade.
Mix the ingredients for chicken in a medium bowl.
Add chicken and allow to marinade for 20 – 40 minutes.
When ready, remove from marinade and thread onto skewers.
Grill over direct heat for 8 – 10 minutes.
Warm Peanut Sauce:
Heat oils in small saucepan.
Add chives and chili powder and sauté briefly.
Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring well to combine.
Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
Crisp Green Beans:
Bring a medium saucepan half full of water to a boil over high heat.
Add beans and blanch for 4 minutes, until crisp-tender.
Drain beans and immediately submerge in an equal amount of very cold water.
Drain again, spread out on paper towels and pat dry.
Put into a serving bowl.
In small bowl whisk together the oils and soy sauce.
Pour over beans and stir to combine.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Sesame Brown Rice:
Cook rice according to package instructions stirring in the sesame oil, soy sauce and seeds when rice is almost done.
To Serve:
Spread rice on a platter, surround with beans and top with chicken skewers.
Serve with peanut sauce on the side.

Note: You can toast regular sesame seeds in a small, dry, skillet over medium heat for 5 – 7 minutes, until light brown.

Keywords: grilled chicken breasts, chicken satay, peanut sauce

Un soleil de plomb.

Literal translation is ‘a lead sun’. A sun that is so hot and heavy it weighs one down.

A blazing sun.

I now know what that feels like.

It’s oppressive.

I just went out to see if it’s too hot to coax our dog, Guapa, out for a ‘necessary’ break.

It is.

The heat actually feels heavy.

Guapa said she’d wait a few hours until the sun sets.

It’s 38C (100F) today.

Again.

This is our third canicule (heat wave) this summer and it’s only the first part of August.

I didn’t walk today (duh!) but I took this 2 weeks ago…

Our house in the sunshine:

And a few hay bales.

After 2 more weeks of drought, this is all brown now.

On a positive note – I managed to get a few green beans and tomatoes in between heat waves.

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce; hot… again