Recipes › Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Satay is street food with a very short ingredient list and one rule: high heat. The marinade is sweet soy and spice, the sauce is peanut and aromatics, and the whole thing comes together in the time it takes to cook rice. Skewers are worth soaking so they do not burn.

Ingredients

• 800 g boneless chicken thigh, cut into 2 cm pieces
• 4 tablespoons sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon salt
• For the sauce: 200 g roasted peanuts, unsalted
• 3 garlic cloves
• 4 shallots
• 2 red chillies, deseeded
• 1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon palm sugar or brown sugar
• 200 ml coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon tamarind paste
• 1 tablespoon oil
• To serve: cucumber and red onion, sliced; lime wedges; steamed rice or lontong

Method

1. Soak 16 to 20 bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes.
2. Mix the sweet soy sauce, oil, grated garlic, coriander, turmeric and salt. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, or up to 4 hours.
3. For the sauce, blend the peanuts, garlic, shallots and chillies to a coarse paste. Leave a little texture — a completely smooth sauce loses body.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan over medium heat and fry the peanut paste for 4 to 5 minutes until fragrant.
5. Add the coconut milk, sweet soy sauce, palm sugar and tamarind. Simmer gently for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring, until thickened. Season with salt. Keep warm.
6. Thread the chicken onto the skewers, 4 to 5 pieces per skewer, packing them snugly so they stay moist.
7. Cook over a hot charcoal grill or a ridged pan for 10 to 12 minutes, turning every 2 to 3 minutes, until charred at the edges and cooked through. Baste with any leftover marinade during the first half of cooking only.
8. Rest the skewers for 2 minutes, then serve with the warm peanut sauce, cucumber and onion, and lime.

Notes and tips

• Baste only early. Marinade brushed on late does not reach a safe temperature and adds nothing.
• Chicken thigh is far better than breast here. It survives high heat without drying.
• If the sauce thickens too much, loosen it with warm water a spoonful at a time.
• For a smoother restaurant-style sauce, blend the peanuts twice: coarse first, then with the coconut milk.
• No grill? A ridged grill pan or a hot oven grill works. Cook under the grill 8 to 10 cm from the element, turning once.

Questions

Can I make the sauce ahead?

Yes. It keeps three days refrigerated and reheats gently with a splash of water. It also freezes well for up to a month.

My peanut sauce is too thick or too thin — what now?

Thicken with more simmering or a spoon of ground peanut; thin with warm water or coconut milk. Adjust salt and sugar at the end, not the start.

Is satay always chicken?

No. Beef, lamb, pork and even tofu and tempeh work. Beef needs thinner slices and slightly longer cooking.

Can I oven-bake the skewers?

Yes, at 220C for 15 to 18 minutes, turning twice, then finish under the grill for char.

Cooked it? Tell us how it went on the contact page — corrections and regional variations are always welcome.