Table of content show
Juicy sweet and savory chicken on a stick, what’s not to love!
Do you have your own recipe for chicken satay?
We have traveled practically all over Asian in the past.
And skewers is something that you find in every country.
Why?
It is easy to make, cheap and easy to eat as well, the perfect street food!
What does satay taste like?
Satay meat should be juicy in texture.
Flavorwise you can expect a mixture of sweet and savory coming from the marinade. Satay should also be slightly smoky since it is usually cooked over coals or lightly charred on a griddle or bbq.
Our recipe for chicken satay below is a classic version, however you can also make it with beef or pork! The most popular satay is chicken or pork satay, but beef is also used as well as tofu.
Just make sure not to overcook the meat.
Check our recipe for chicken satay below!
Where is satay from? Is chicken satay Chinese or Thai?
It is believed that Indonesia is the true birthplace of satay, and more specific Java.
Because of its popularity the use of satay quickly spread out to other countries throughout Southeast Asia including Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and others.
Trade was mainly the reason why it soon became a staple in many surrounding cuisines.
Why is it called chicken satay?
The origin isn’t absolutely clear.
However it is believed that satay could possibly come from the Indonesianword sateor the Malaysatai or sate.
Why is satay popular?
Satay is a popular and cheap street food in Asia.
Meat skewers on a hot grill not only smell amazing, they also taste great.
Buy a couple of satay on the go for a dollar or two and eat them while walking around or sitting on the sidewalk.
Delicious!
How do you make sate?
Check our recipe for chicken satay below!
Is satay sauce the same as peanut sauce?
Yes, both are the same.
Peanut sauce is also referred to as satay sauce just because it is so often served with satay.
Satay sauce is an essential condiment in Indonesian and Malaysian cuisine. You can find it either served as a dipping sauce for skewers or in soups or curries toto give a more earthy taste and smooth texture.
Best chicken satay ever
We have been trying hard to find the best recipe for chicken satay for a while.
We travel quite a lot, and we love Asia.
For us the best ever chicken satay we ever tasted was at a Bangkok floating market. Fatty chicken in a sweet and spicy marinade, served on a banana leaf with satay sauce and cucumber.
Price? About 2 dollars for a whopping 15 skewers!
It looks very easy to prepare but the marinade really is the most important component here. The sugar gives the satay a deeper flavor, great dark color and caramelisation.
Our best recipe for chicken satay
Ingredients for 4 persons
- 1 ½ lbs (675 g) boneless chicken breast
- 1 cup (240 ml) coconut milk
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Method
- Slice the chicken breast into thin strips or dice it up, whatever you prefer. Transfer the chicken to a large ziploc bag.
- Add all the other ingredients to the bag as well.
- Carefully close the bag and try to push out as much air as possible. Then give the bag a good shake until all the ingredients are evenly spread over the fresh chicken.
- Place the bag in the fridge and let it marinate for at least an hour, preferable overnight.
- About 30 minute before you plan to grill the chicken satay, let the wooden skewers soak in plenty of water. That will keep them from burning once they are on the grill.
- Thread the chicken onto the wooden skewers. You decide how much chicken you want on each skewer, but don’t exaggerate. Less is more.
- Place the skewers into a hot grill and cook them on each side for 2 to 4 minutes, depending on how think they are. You can even make the satay better by basting them with coconut milk.
- Serve the chicken satay immediately with peanut sauce and a fresh cucumber salad.
Yes, and what about that classic peanut sauce?
Here is the best peanut sauce we have ever made!
And it is so easy to make with very little ingredients.
Ever since visiting Thailand a couple of years ago we have hardly been to a Thai restaurant here in town: most of them are simply not good enough or flat out westernised. Well except forLittle Siam in Bruges.
Their food is pretty close to the classic and pure Thai cuisine we tasted back there.
So what makes the difference in our peanut sauce?
A touch ofThai red curry paste! Highly recommendable. Its spiciness, freshness and depth of flavor is a good match for the creamier earthy peanut butter and coconut milk.
Make our recipe for chicken satay above, and serve the skewers with this delicious peanut sauce…
Do you love peanut butter dishes?
Then you should also take a look at ourThai stir fried cucumber in creamy peanut satay sauce!
Enjoy!
Best peanut sauce for chicken satay
Ingredients for 4 people
- 1cup(240 ml) coconut milk
- 4tbsppeanut butter
- 1tspspicy red curry paste
- a handfulsalted peanuts
- 1tspbrown sugar
- ½ tspchili sauce
- salt
Method
- Add the salted peanuts to a blender and blend until you end up with a fine crumble. Put it aside for later.
- Pour the coconut milk in a saucepan, season with a pinch of salt and place it over medium heat until it starts to simmer.Add the peanut butter, brown sugar, chili sauce and red curry paste.
- Stir until the peanut butter has dissolved and you end up with a smooth sauce. Add the peanut crumble.
- Stir well and check the seasoning. Add extra red curry paste, brown sugar, salt or chili sauce to taste if necessary. Add extra coconut milk if you prefer a runnier sauce. Add extra peanut crumble if you want the sauce to be thicker.
- Take the saucepan off the heat and pour the peanut sauce in a bowl. Serve hot.
