Crispy 5 Spice Chicken Skewers with Satay Sauce

These little bites of  lightly spiced crispy chicken are just fabulous for pre-dinner drinks and cocktail parties. A large chicken breast will make around 16  so a little really does go a long long way. I served mine with a dish of Satay sauce but they are equally delish with sweet chilli sauce.

Recipe for approximately 32 skewers

2 large skinned & filleted chicken breasts
4 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tsps toasted sesame oil
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 heaped teaspoon chilli flakes
2 tsps 5 Spice Powder
around 4 tbsp cornflour for coating (you may need a little more)
cocktail sticks
Vegetable or peanut oil for frying

for the Satay sauce

2 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
sprinkle of garlic powder
sprinkle of chilli flakes
around ½ cup boiling water
Just place all the above in a saucepan, gently bring to the boil, simmer for a couple of minutes. If the sauce is really thick just add a little more hot water. Cool slightly and it's ready to go.

For the Skewers

Cut each breast lengthwise into around 16 thin slices
Thread each piece onto the cocktail sticks folding slightly as you go in a concertina effect
In a dish mix together the rest of the ingredients,( minus the frying oil and the cornflour) & marinade the skewers in this for around an hour
Pour around 1½ inches of oil in a frying pan begin to heat up to a medium heat you can test this temperature later. you don't want the oil too hot or the chicken will burn before the inside is cooked out.
Drain the marinade from the skewers
Place the cornflour on a plate or tray and completely coat each skewer with it shaking off any excess.
Test the oil is hot enough by placing just one skewer in the pan, it should immediately start to gently bubble around the edges.
Cook in batches, turning once and don't overload the pan, they should take no more than 4-5 minutes, when they will be crispy on the outside and thoroughly cooked through.
Place onto paper kitchen towel, keep warm until you've cooked them all and serve immediately with the satay sauce.

You can always freeze these after you've marinaded them so they're all ready for your party, all you'll then have to do is coat with cornflour and quickly fry them off after defrosting.