These are best grilled slowly so that the sweet sauce caramelizes slowly as the chicken cooks through. You can use boneless breasts for these, but they will almost invariably dry out. Do not marinate these for more than an hour or so; the meat will begin to get mushy. In fact I don’t bother to marinate them at all unless it fits into my schedule. Thai fish sauce (nam pla) is described on page 500.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　1/2 cup natural peanut butter, preferably chunky

　　1 tablespoon curry paste (page 9) or curry powder, preferably homemade (pages 592–593), or to taste

　　About 1/2 cup coconut milk, homemade (page 584) or canned

　　2 tablespoons nam pla or soy sauce

　　1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

　　1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken thighs, cut into large chunks

　　Lime wedges for serving

　　Chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

　　

Step 1

Start a charcoal or gas grill or preheat the broiler; the fire should be only moderately hot, and the rack should be at least 4 inches from the heat source. Put the peanut butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; add the curry paste and enough coconut milk to achieve a creamy, stirrable consistency. Cook over low heat, whisking, for about 5 minutes; do not boil. Stir in the nam pla and lime juice.

　　

Step 2

Marinate the chicken in this mixture for 5 minutes or up to an hour. Grill or broil slowly, until nicely browned and cooked through, 10 minutes or longer.

　　

Step 3

Serve hot, sprinkled with fresh lime juice and garnished with cilantro.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.