Crispy Rice Chicken Satay Salad

Is it a salad? A curry? A traybake? Whatever it is, we want it weekly.

1 hour prep

20 minutes cook

Serves 2

Nell Carter

Ingredients

Crispy rice:

200gcooked rice (jasmine or basmati)

2 tbsp vegetable oil

pinchsalt

Chicken satay:

2 chicken thighs or breasts, cut into chunks

1 tbspsoy sauce

1 tbsplime juice

1 tsp

1 tspbrown sugar

1 tspsesame oil

1 tspcurry powder

1garlic clove, minced

1 tbspvegetable oil

Satay sauce:

2 tbsppeanut butter, smooth or crunchy

1 tbspsoy sauce

1 tbsplime juice

1 tspgrated ginger

1 tspbrown sugar

2 tbspcoconut milk, to loosen (can also use water)

1/2 tspchilli flakes or sriracha

Everything else:

1carrot, peeled into ribbons

1/2cucumber, peeled into ribbons

4-5radishes, thinly sliced

handfulfresh coriander and mint

2spring onions, whites and greens chopped

Optionalsalted peanuts and crispy chilli oil, to garnish

Crispy rice, juicy satay chicken, fresh crunchy veg and a punchy peanut dressing — all built on one tray, minimal faff, maximum flavour.

Method

Cut chicken into chunks and marinate in soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, sesame oil, curry powder, and garlic. Leave for at least 30 minutes, or overnight if prepping ahead.

Preheat your oven to 200°C fan. Thread the chicken onto skewers and place on one half of a lined baking sheet with a little drizzle of oil.

Cook rice in advance if you can — day-old rice works best for crisping. In a bowl, drizzle over 1 tbsp vegetable oil and use your hands to mix, ensuring all the grains are coated. Spread the rice onto the other half of the baking tray, drizzle with the remaining tbsp vegetable oil and a pinch of salt, then press it down gently with a spatula.

Bake the chicken and rice for around 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is golden and crisp at the edges. For extra crunch, grill the rice for 1–2 minutes at the end.

While everything bakes, whisk together all the satay sauce ingredients except the coconut milk (or water) — it should thicken up. Then stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons of coconut milk or water to loosen it to a pourable sauce.

To assemble, peel one medium carrot into ribbons and thinly slice 4–5 radishes. Toss with fresh coriander, mint, and sliced spring onions. Add the crispy rice and chicken straight from the tray, drizzle with the satay sauce, and toss gently. Finish with chopped salted peanuts and a spoonful of crispy chilli oil.