#LylesSummerSmiles recipe : Chicken Satay

OK, I admit it may not look very appetising but this was absolutely delicious ! This was another of the #LylesSummerSmiles recipes using black treacle and when I saw the combination of ingredients, I was more than a little hesitant - peanut butter, black treacle, lemon juice, soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce really didn't sound like they should be going in the same bowl, but they actually combine to create a rich, sticky, sweet and intense marinade and sauce that we will definitely be having again.

Chicken Satay

ingredients :

100g crunchy peanut butter

2tbsp black treacle

1tbsp lemon juice

1tbsp light soy sauce

4tbsp sweet chilli sauce

500g chicken breasts, cut into chunks

Put all of the ingredients except the chicken in a bowl and vigorously stir to combine. (I added some gado gado sauce mix - a slightly spicy Indonesian crushed peanut mixture - to give it extra crunch and depth of flavour.) Remove half of the mixture to a small bowl.

Chop the chicken into strips or chunks and add to the bowl. Stir to evenly cover the chicken and leave to marinade for a couple of hours in the fridge, or even overnight.

You could thread the meat onto wooden skewers soaked in water then grill on the barbecue or just lay out in one layer on an oven tray and grill for 5 minutes on each side. Check the chicken is cooked through and add extra cooking time if necessary.

Add two tablespoons of boiling water to the small bowl of separate marinade and stir to create a thick sauce. Serve the chicken on a bed of rice and pour over the sauce. A side serving of cucumber salad or mango salsa would make a great accompaniment.

Disclosure : We received a hamper of BBQ goodies including a tin of black treacle in order to take part in the #LylesSummerSmiles challenge.