Delicious tips for making the best Thai chicken satay skewers with a sweet and spicy peanut dipping sauce.

1 teaspooncoriander seeds

1/2 teaspooncumin seeds

12 gramsgalangal (1/2-inch piece, sliced)

20 gramslemongrass (1 stalk, thinly sliced)

30 gramsThai shallots (4 grape-sized , peeled)

6 gramsgarlic (1 large clove)

1/2 cupcoconut milk

1 tablespooncoconut sugar

1 tablespoonfish sauce

1/2 teaspoonground turmeric

455 gramsboneless skin-on chicken thighs (sliced into thin strips)

2 tablespoonscoconut oil

50 gramsThai shallots (peeled and thinly sliced)

1 teaspoonchili flakes

1 cupcoconut milk

100 gramspeanuts (about 3/4 cups)

1 1/2 tablespoonscoconut sugar

1 1/2 tablespoonstamarind juice

1 teaspooncurry powder

Put the coriander seeds and cumin seeds in a blender and blend until the spices are ground. Add the galangal, lemongrass, shallots, garlic, coconut milk ,sugar, fish sauce and turmeric to the blender and blend until the marinade is smooth and free of chunks.
Put the chicken in a bowl and pour the satay marinade over the chicken. Stir to coat evenly and let the chicken marinate for at least 1 hour, or preferably overnight. This is also a good time to start soaking your skewers in water to keep them from burning (I forgot to soak mine).
To make the peanut sauce, add the coconut oil and shallots to a frying pan and fry the shallots until they start to brown.
Add the peanuts and fry until the peanuts are fragrant and browned and the shallots have fully caramelized.
Add the chili flakes and fry for a few seconds until they are fragrant.
Remove from the heat and add the coconut milk to the pan to cool the mixture.
Pour everything into a blender and then add the fish sauce, sugar, tamarind juice and curry powder. Blend at low speeds until the mixture starts to thicken but the sauce still has some peanut texture. Adjust the seasonings to taste. You can also continue blending until the sauce is smooth if you prefer, but you will likely need to add more coconut milk.
Skewer the chicken, being careful to skewer it in such a way that it is roughly the same thickness from end to end. If there are areas where the chicken was cut too thick, you'll want to trim it down, otherwise the thin parts will dry out by the time the thick parts cook.
To cook the satay, you can either use a charcoal grill, gas grill, or broiler (in that order of preference).
If you're using charcoal, pile the charcoal evenly on one side of the grill so you have a range of temperatures to work with. If you are using a gas grill, preheat the grill on medium heat until hot. If your grill is not seasoned, you'll want to rub some oil onto the grill to keep the skewers from sticking.You may also want to put down a sheet of aluminum foil below the exposed parts of the skewers to keep them from burning. Grill the chicken until it is browned and lightly charred on both sides and the internal temperature registers 160 degrees F on an instant read thermometer.
If you are using a broiler, move your oven rack to the top position and place the skewers on an oiled rack set on a sheet pan and then lay a sheet of aluminum foil over the exposed parts of the skewers to keep them from burning. Once the top surface is browned and lightly charred, flip it to get the other side and broil until the satay registers 160 degrees F on an instant read thermometer.