Crispy Chicken Satay Bucatini
Chicken satay is often an appetizer, but I wanted to serve it over bucatini and fry the chicken nice and crispy to transform it into a full on meal. The satay sauce actually makes a fantastic pasta sauce for these bucatini noodles. Because bucatini is thick and substantial, the intensely flavored sauce does not overpower things. Using crispy fried chicken with satay totally changes up the vibe in a great way!
The inspiration for crispy chicken satay bucatini
The jumping off point for this idea was “what if chicken satay and chicken parmesan were combined?” After I developed the recipe a bit, I realized there wasn’t much chicken parm left in the dish. But the idea of chicken parm was enough to add the bucatini and crispy chicken into the mix of satay flavors. The creamy coconut sauce smothers and coats the thick pasta so well and tastes so good with the crispy fried chicken!
Make the satay sauce
I used the Malaysian style satay curry from Recipe Tin Eats as a jumping off point for this satay sauce. I liked this recipe because it was already meant to be a main dish and not an appetizer, so the flavor would be more balanced. It also just looked so good! I made a few tweaks based on what I had on hand and what I was in the mood for.
Shallot and fresno chilis in first, then ginger, garlic, and lemongrass. Lots of satay seasoning, and some peanuts. Then I added the liquids to the pan – coconut milk, chicken stock, peanut butter, and soy sauce.
After it simmers a bit, blend it smooth, then let it cook some more. I probably should have used a bigger vessel for blending this, I almost made a huge mess. You could also use a regular blender instead of the hand blender I used.
Bread and fry the crispy chicken
Pound out the chicken so it is thin, then do the usual flour, egg, and breadcrumb breading. The flour is loaded with more of the satay spice. The satay spice is a blend of cumin, coriander, curry powder, garam masala, paprika, chili powder, turmeric, salt, and sugar.
Fry the chicken until it is perfectly crispy. I like to cut it before serving but that part is up to you. The best part about cutting it ahead of time is you can have a few bites and no one will notice.
Toss the bucatini with the satay sauce
Boil the bucatini pasta and mix it with the hot satay sauce! I also added some thin sliced baby bok choy to this. The heat from the pasta and sauce will wilt the bok choy just enough.
All the garnishes for the crispy chicken satay bucatini
Get the garnishes ready ahead of time because they are an important part of the dish. Cilantro, peanuts, cucumbers, and lots of lime! I also used fresno chilis. You could do bird eye chilis if you want it spicier but fresnos are more like jalapeno level of heat and I like them because you can use more and get the flavor of the pepper as well as the heat.
Serve the crispy chicken satay bucatini
Pasta down first with lots of extra sauce, then top with the chicken! I like to add a spoonful of the satay sauce over the chicken too. Then it’s up to everyone to garnish their own plates. I like to go heavy on the peppers!
The textures and flavors in this crispy chicken satay bucatini are incredible. The creamy pasta sauce goes so great with the crispy chicken! I love the texture of bucatini and how it sort of squeaks in your mouth as you bite it.
Twists on this dish
You could of course serve this pasta with a more traditional satay skewer on top. You could also go the opposite direction and put a piece of actual chicken parm on top! This dish could easily be made vegetarian with some store bought breaded vegetarian chicken replacement. Or you could fry up some mushrooms!
I love doing Italian-Asian mashups. Check out my gochujang vodka sauce, Italian sandwich summer rolls, or this gnocchi gobi!
Crispy Chicken Satay Bucatini
Equipment
Ingredients
seasoning
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon arbol chili powder or other chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 3 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 red fresno chilis diced
- 1 shallot diced
- 5 cloves garlic sliced thin
- 2 inches ginger sliced thin against the grain
- 1 tablespoon minced lemongrass
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 14 ounces coconut milk
- 1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons pure peanut butter
Chicken
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 cup flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- oil for frying
Finish
- 12 ounces bucatini
- 2 small baby bok choy heads sliced into thin strips
- cilantro garnish
- sliced fresno or bird eye chilis garnish
- sliced cucumber garnish
- sliced limes garnish
- chopped peanuts garnish
Instructions
Make the seasoning
- mix all the seasoning ingredients together and set aside in a bowl
Make the sauce
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add in the shallot and pepper. Cook 3 minutes. Add in the garlic, ginger, and lemongrass and cook 2 minutes.
- Add 1/4 of the seasoning mixture to the sauce.
- Stir in all the remaining sauce ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook 10 minutes.
- Transfer to a bowl or to a blender. Use the blender, or a hand blender in a bowl, to blend the sauce smooth.
- Return the sauce to the pan, or to a sauce pot, and bring to a simmer. Simmer on low until ready to use, stirring occasionally.
Make the chicken
- Cut the chicken in half the wide way so you end up with two thinner/flatter pieces of chicken for each breast.
- Place some parchment on the counter and put a piece of chicken on it. Put another parchment on top and use a kitchen mallet or a rolling pin to pound the chicken so it becomes thinner and wider. Repeat with all the chicken.
- Place three shallow bowls on your counter and put the flour in one, the eggs in another, and the breadcrumbs in the third. Add the remaining seasoning mixture to the flour bowl and stir it together. Beat the eggs.
- Lightly season the chicken with salt, but remember there is more salt in the seasoning mix.
- Dredge the chicken first in the flour mix, then the egg, and finally the breadcrumbs, pressing the chicken down to make sure the breadcrumbs are fully attached. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Pour about an inch of oil into a pan and bring to medium high heat. Add the chicken, two at a time, to the oil. Cook about 3-5 minutes per side to brown and cook through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool and repeat with the remaining chicken.
Finish it
- Bring some heavily salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook to package instructions.
- Strain the pasta and add to a large bowl with the sauce and bok choy. Toss to combine. The residual heat from both the sauce and pasta will be enough to lightly cook the baby bok choy.
- Serve the pasta in bowls and top with the chicken. Serve the cilantro, chilis, cucumber, and peanuts on the side as garnishes.