Chicken Sugar Cane Skewers

This is an aromatic mixture of East Asian herbs and spices with minced chicken. The mixture is cooked on skewers of sugar cane which adds flavour. Sugar cane can be purchased fresh or frozen from East Asian grocers. These make a great starter, lunch or light dinner.

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4-6 Portions
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Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 500g chicken breast, diced
  • 1 tbsp lemon grass, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp spring onion
  • 3 small red chillies, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp fish sauce
  • juice of half a lime
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 3 tbsp coriander, roughly chopped

Sugar Cane

  • 4x8-10cm sugar cane sticks, sliced lengthwise into 4 skewers

To Cook

  • 2 tbsp groundnut or similar oil

To Serve

  • Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
  • coriander leaves
  • 1 tbsp cashew toasted, finely chopped

Method

  1. Chicken: Place all the ingredients in a food processor and puree to a firm puree or finely chop all the ingredients and grind them to a paste in a mortar and pestle.
  2. Chicken Skewers: Have a bowl of water aside to wet your hands. Lightly oil a tray or plate with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Take a small handful of the chicken mixture in slightly wet hands and mould it around the sugar cane so that it comes 4-6cm down the skewer. Place the skewer on the oiled plate or tray and repeat this process until you have used all the chicken mixture. Cover the chicken skewers with cling film and place them in the refrigerator until ready to cook.
  3. To Cook: Preheat a grill or barbecue to a moderate-high. Coat the skewers in the oil on the plate so that they are lightly coated (add a little more oil if needed). Place the skewer on a grill tray or barbecue and cook them for 8-10 minutes (dependant on their thickness) turning them half way through cooking time. When ready they should be golden and firm, if cooked on the barbecue they should have distinctive grill marks. Serve hot or keep warm until ready to serve.
  4. To Serve: Serve the Chicken Sugar Cane Skewers with small bowl of sweet chili sauce garnished with coriander leaves and the cashew nuts.