1. Whisk the onion, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, lime juice, rice vinegar, Hoisin, fish sauce, sesame oil and chilis (if using) in a flat dish. Trim away any excess fat from the chicken thighs and cut them each into 4 strips and toss in the marinade. Cover and chill for 1-8 hours to marinate.
2. Skewer the chicken onto soaked bamboo skewers, putting 2-3 strips of chicken on each (yielding 8-12 skewers total).
3. While the satays are marinating, prepare the peanut sauce. Whisk all of the ingredients together vigorously (at first the mixture will appear curdled or grainy, but it will smooth out as you continue to whisk) and chill until ready to serve.
4. Preheat a grill on high heat and grill the satays 5 to 6 minutes on each side until cooked through, turning halfway. Serve immediately with the peanut sauce.
1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil and add the rice stick noodles, boiling on medium-high for 3-4 minutes, or until tender. Drain and rinse to cool a little, then place the noodles in a large bowl and toss with half of the dressing. Add the green onion, pepper, cucumber, carrot, snap or snow peas, basil and mint and toss again.
2. Arrange the lettuce leaves on a large platter (or 4 individual plates) and spoon on the salad. Spoon the remaining dressing overtop and sprinkle with the peanuts and sesame seeds and serve.