Summer is just around the corner—so close, in fact, that we’ve already busted out the grill. On today’s menu? Chicken Satay Burgers with Green Papaya Slaw.
To learn how to make this warm-weather dish, we employed the help of Max Borthwick, co-owner of the food company Thaifusions, as well as Williams Sonoma’s culinary director, Amanda Haas. The two of them went live on Facebook in the Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen to teach us everything there is to know about grilling chicken breast, shaving papaya for Southeast Asian salads, and (of course) building a fabulous summer burger. Keep reading to learn Max’s brilliant papaya-shredding technique, and to get the burger recipe.
We learned a lot about Thai cooking techniques from this tutorial, and our favorite part is around 6:30, when Max demonstrates the typical Thai street vendor technique for shredding papaya:
Re-create the burger we made today at home with the recipe below, and get schooled on even more Thai techniques with Thaifusions on our YouTube channel.
Thaifusions Chicken Satay Burger Topped with Green Papaya
Ingredients
- 4 small, boneless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper
- 8 tsp. Chicken Satay Rub
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 medium-size Thai red chiles, chopped
- 1 1/2 Tbs. palm sugar (often available in small, puck-like discs)
- 2 Tbs. fish sauce
- 2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
- 2 cups packed shredded green papaya
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 Tbs. coconut oil
- 1/4 cup Spicy Peanut Grilling Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 4 sesame brioche buns, lightly toasted
- 1 head butter lettuce
- 1 tomato, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup peanuts, toasted and roughly chopped
- Handful of fresh cilantro leaves and stems
Directions
1. Season both sides of each chicken breast with salt, pepper and about 1 tsp. of the Chicken Satay Rub. Set them aside to let the rub settle in.
2. In a large mortar and pestle, add the garlic, Thai chiles and palm sugar and pound into a paste. Add fish sauce and lime juice and stir together. Next, add shredded papaya and cherry tomatoes. Gently pound out the sweetness of the tomatoes and the papaya as they soak up the dressing.
3. Turn grill on high and lightly coat with the coconut oil to avoid any sticking. Place chicken on grill, then turn heat down to medium-low so the seasoning rub doesn’t burn or char too quickly while keeping the chicken at an even heat, grilling 5 to 6 minutes on each side, until chicken is firm to the touch.
4. Make the mayonnaise sauce by adding the Spicy Peanut Sauce to the mayo and either whisking or using a hand-immersion blender to blend together.
5. Spread each brioche bun half with the peanut mayonnaise. On each bottom bun half, assemble the burger with a butter lettuce leaf, a slice of tomato, chicken breast and papaya salad. Top each off with chopped peanuts, cilantro and top half of the brioche. Makes 4 burgers.
