Chicken Satay (Sate Ayam) with Peanut Sauce
Small skewers of turmeric-and-sweet-soy marinated chicken, grilled over high heat until the edges char, then served with a rich, spicy peanut sauce made from ground peanuts. This recipe is scaled for a home grill.
- Prep time
- 25 min
- Cook time
- 15 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
- 600 g chicken thigh fillets(1¼ lb; cut into 2 cm pieces)
- 3 tablespoons kecap manis(Indonesian sweet soy sauce)
- 2 shallots(roughly chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar or brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 12-16 bamboo skewers(soaked in water for 30 minutes)
- 150 g roasted unsalted peanuts(1 cup; or 4 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter in a pinch)
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon kecap manis
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar
- 1 teaspoon tamarind paste(or lime juice)
- 200 ml warm water(¾ cup + 2 tablespoons)
- pinch salt
- cucumber chunks and sliced shallots
- steamed rice or rice cakes (lontong)
- kecap manis(extra; for drizzling)
- lime wedges
Instructions
- 1
Blend the shallots, garlic, turmeric, coriander, palm sugar, kecap manis, lime juice, and oil into a smooth marinade. Reserve a clean portion for brushing, then coat the chicken pieces with the remaining marinade and marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight in the fridge.
- 2
For the peanut sauce: grind the roasted peanuts in a food processor (or pound in a mortar) until mostly smooth with some texture left. Add the garlic and sambal and blend again.
- 3
Simmer the peanut mixture in a small pan with the kecap manis, palm sugar, tamarind, salt, and warm water for 5-8 minutes, stirring, until thick and glossy with oil starting to separate at the edges. Loosen with water if it gets too thick.
- 4
Thread 4-5 pieces of chicken onto each soaked skewer, packing them snugly at the top end of the skewer.
- 5
Discard any marinade that contacted raw chicken. Grill over high heat — BBQ, grill pan, or overhead grill — for 3-4 minutes per side, brushing only with the reserved clean marinade, until charred at the edges and cooked through.
- 6
Serve hot: spoon peanut sauce generously over the skewers, drizzle with kecap manis, and scatter over sliced shallots. Add cucumber, lime, and rice on the side.