Sheet Pan Chicken Satay with Cabbage Slaw (Peanut-Free, Soy-Free)

This sheet pan chicken satay has everything you’re looking for in chicken skewers: tender, flavorful chicken in a soy-free and nightshade-free marinade and popped under the broiler for an easy weeknight meal. It’s served alongside a light, crunchy cabbage slaw tossed with lime, citrusy sumac, and handfuls of fresh cilantro. Together, the juicy chicken and zingy slaw are especially good piled into crisp lettuce wraps with a nutty, peanut-free satay sauce for a fresh, satisfying dinner that’s just as fun to assemble as it is to eat.

How this recipe fits AIP Modfied and Paleo

This chicken satay is suitable for Modified AIP and Paleo diets. The creamy, nutty satay sauce swaps sunflower-seed-based SunButter for traditional peanut butter, while coconut aminos take the place of soy sauce. I’ve also left out the chiles and other nightshade spices typically used to season chicken satay, making this version a flavorful option for anyone avoiding nightshades. Because Modified AIP allows seeds and berry spices like Sumac, the recipe fits comfortably within that framework; however, it is not suitable for the AIP Core program.

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Cut the boneless, skinless chicken thighs into one-inch pieces. You can quarter a regular-sized chicken thigh, or cut larger thighs into into five or six pieces. It’s to be expected that the pieces will be irregular in size. You’ll end up skewering them, and can corral any that are oddly-sized.

Then, whisk together the turmeric, coriander, cumin, garlic, coconut sugar and salt with the coconut aminos and olive oil or avocado oil and toss the chicken in the sauce. You can cook these right away, or cover, refrigerate and marinate for up to 8 hours.

When you’re ready to cook, pierce four or five pieces on each bamboo skewer, leaving a little bit of room in between each piece, so that every exposed bit of chicken has a chance to get golden brown and crispy in the oven. Position the skewers on a foil-lined sheet pan, then place them under the broiler for 10 to 15 minutes.

Then, make the slaw. I’m using a pre-cut bag of cabbage slaw from the grocery store. My favorite bagged blends are the ones with broccoli and carrots, because they stay crunchy, even after they’ve been refrigerated for a while, which is perfect for meal prep. This is a blend of red and green cabbage, carrots and broccoli. Toss lime juice, olive oil, salt, sumac and fresh cilantro leaves with the slaw mix.

Finally, make the satay sauce. This is a classic peanut-style sauce, but made with Sunbutter (roasted sunflower seed butter) instead. Since I’m using the No Sugar Added variety, I’m adding more sweetener than I usually would, in the form of coconut sugar. With it, a little fish sauce, lime juice and garlic. Whenever you mix Sunbutter with something very acidic, like lime juice, it will get grainy and seize up at first. Just add a few tablespoons of water and keep whisking until it thins out, comes together and gets glossy. Then, season to taste.

Serve the chicken skewers alongside the slaw with some lime quarters. Tuck chicken pieces into lettuce wraps with a scoop of the citrusy slaw and a drizzle of the satay sauce, then squeeze a lime all over the top.

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Sheet Pan Chicken Satay

5 from 1 vote

Tender sheet pan chicken satay in a nightshade-free marinade, served with a crunchy cabbage slaw and a creamy SunButter satay sauce. Peanut-free and soy-free.

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Optional Marinating Time:8 hours hrs

Total Time:35 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Christina Marche

Ingredients

For the chicken

• 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp coconut sugar
• 1 small garlic clove, grated
• 1 tbsp coconut aminos
• 2 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
• 1½ tsp kosher salt
• Quartered limes, for serving
• Butter lettuce leaves, for serving

For the satay sauce

• ¼ cup no-sugar-added SunButter
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 1 tbsp coconut sugar
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ cup cold water, plus more as needed

For the slaw

• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp sumac
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 10 oz cabbage slaw
• ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

Broil the chicken

• Position an oven rack about 6 inches below the broiler and heat the broiler.
• In a large bowl, combine the coriander, cumin, turmeric, coconut sugar, garlic, coconut aminos, oil and salt. Add the chicken and toss until thoroughly and evenly coated. Cook right away, or cover and refrigerate for up 8 hours to marinate.
• Thread 4 or 5 pieces of chicken onto each bamboo skewer, leaving a little space between the pieces, and arrange on a foil-lined sheet pan.
• Broil, without turning, for about 10 minutes, until the tops are deeply browned and caramelized and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
• Transfer the skewers to a platter.

Make the satay sauce

• In a small bowl, whisk together the SunButter, garlic, coconut sugar, lime juice, fish sauce and salt. The mixture may seize and become very thick; this is normal.
• Add the cold water a few tablespoons at a time, whisking until the sauce is smooth, glossy and easy to drizzle. Adjust with additional lime juice, salt or coconut sugar to taste.

Make the slaw

• In a large bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, sumac and salt.
• Add the cabbage slaw and cilantro and toss until evenly coated. Taste and adjust with additional lime juice and salt as needed.

Serve

• Serve the chicken hot with the crunchy slaw, satay sauce and lime wedges. Include butter lettuce leaves for making into lettuce wraps.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: AIP Modified, Paleo