Swich | Recipes - Spiced-Coconut Skewered Chicken
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Spiced-Coconut Skewered Chicken

Served with a lively dipping sauce and a simple cucumber salad. You’ll practice marinating chicken in aromatic spices and coconut milk, then grilling skewers while preparing two fresh accompaniments.

Serves 1 | Active Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes
Serves 1 | Active Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes
Step 1: Preparing and Marinating the Chicken
  • 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs (approx)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 stalks lemongrass (woody and outer parts removed), minced
  • 1 inch piece of peeled grated ginger
  • 200 ml coconut milk
  • 1 T dark soy sauce
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 salt

In a bowl, combine the garlic, lemongrass, coconut milk, coriander, cumin, turmeric and ginger. Mix well. Cut the chicken thigh into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces and add these to the bowl with the marinade. Toss until well coated with the marinade. Cover the bowl, place in the fridge and marinate for at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours. Soak the skewers in water.

Step 2: Make the Dipping Sauce
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 3 T light brown sugar
  • 2 T fish sauce
  • 3 T light soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp dried chili flakes
  • 8 to 10 springs of coriander

In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, brown sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, dried chili flakes and stir until mixed. Strip the coriander leaves from the stalks. Pile them up and coarsely chop the leaves and these to the dipping sauce. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Step 3: Make the Cucumber Salad
  • 3 medium-size cucumbers
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 cup rice vinegar
  • 6 T sugar
  • 2 T fish sauce
  • 1 T lime juice
  • Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Peel cucumbers, then cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds using a spoon. Place cut-side down on a chopping board and slice on a bias into ¼ – ½ inch thick. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Mix well and leave to stand for 10 minutes.

Combine vinegar and sugar in a saucepan and stir over heat until sugar dissolves. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes, until reduced by almost half and slightly syrupy. Set aside to cool.

Drain the cucumbers and gently squeeze to remove the excess water.

Add to the cooled syrup. Season with black pepper.

You can make these ahead of them but keep them separate to avoid the syrup being too liquid. Combine them 5 minutes before serving.

You can add some red onion or fresh chili to the salad.

Step 4: Skewer the chicken

Heat the electric or gas grill and lightly oil the rack. Thread the chicken pieces onto the prepared skewers.

Step 5: Grill the chicken

Grill the chicken until they’re no longer pink on both sides, about 5-8 minutes (depending on the type of griller that you’re using), basting them with the coconut marinade. Also, making sure that the griller is not too hot.

Arrange the chicken skewers on a platter. Serve with the dipping sauce, cucumber salad and steamed rice.

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