Thai Chicken Tacos

This was a classic case of 'what's in the fridge.' I had a hankering for Thai or Mexican and couldn't decide...so voila! Thai tacos. This is a take on chicken satay that's sort of inspired by a Vietnamese Bahn Mi...but with a tortilla. We had this the other night and I get the feeling that these will be on the menu at least a few more times before summer's over. Very easy and yummy and make lots of extra chicken - you can use the leftovers on salad, chicken salad, or just on their own!

Chicken Satay Marinade
1/4 minced lemongrass (peel away the outside few layers and only use the softer inside)
2 shallots, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cayenne pepper or garlic chili paste
1 TB fresh ginger, minced
1/2 tsp tumeric
2 TB coriander
2 tsp cumin
3 TB soy sauce
4 TB fish sauce
5 TB brown sugar
2 TB veg. oil
1 or 2 packages of chicken breast tenders

Satay Sauce
1 cup peanuts (or you can use peanut butter but cut down on the brown sugar if you do)
1/3 cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
2 TB brown sugar
2 TB fish sauce
1 TB lime juice
1/2 cayenne or garlic chili paste
1/3 cup coconut milk

Tacos
4-5 flour tortillas
green lettuce
cucumber sliced into thin spears
cilantro
basil leaves
carrot (ribboned from a peeler)

1. Mix all of the marinade ingredients together and add the chicken. Place in a large ziplock and marinate for at least an hour.

2. While the chicken is marinating (or before you go to work in the morning) soak your wooden skewers so that they don't burn on the grill later.

3. To make the satay sauce, combine all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth. Set aside.

4. Chop up the veggies and arrange your fixins for your tacos.

5. When the chicken is done marinating, fire up the grill. Put each tender on a skewer so that the skewer goes through the tender the long way. They should look like chicken popsicles.

6. Grill until the chicken is done, just a few minutes on each side. Set the chicken aside and then place the tortillas on the grill just one minute per side to heat them up and get slight grill marks.

7. To build the tacos, generously spoon the satay sauce on the tortilla, then add the lettuce, cucumber, cilantro, basil, carrot and chicken. Roll up and you're ready!