Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

What is satay?

Satay (or saté) is a Southeast Asian dish of meats grilled on skewers and typically served with a spicy peanut sauce. It’s popular across Indonesia. You’ll find variations from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, China, etc.

This Thai-influenced recipe uses chicken tenders with a flavorful coconut-lime marinade and luscious peanut dipping sauce.

When craving Asian-inspired flavors, this Thai-style chicken satay recipe is one of the best with marinated and grilled chicken tenders, a creamy Thai peanut sauce and fresh cucumber avocado relish.

It’s an excellent recipe for the weekends because most of the prep is done in advance, like marinating the chicken in satay marinade and prepping the peanut dipping sauce. I even like to make the cucumber relish in advance and wait until serving to add the diced avocado (so it doesn’t oxidize).

Why you’ll love this chicken satay recipe:

• The fresh, vibrant flavors are well-balanced and will tantalize your tastebuds.
• Advance prep takes about 30 minutes.
• The chicken saté cooks quickly on the grill, but you can also use a grill pan or oven.
• Asian and Thai recipes are famous for hitting all parts of the tongue with sweet, spicy, tangy, bitter and umami flavors. This one delivers them in spades.

Ingredients for chicken satay, marinade and peanut sauce:

• Chicken Tenderloins (I prefer to use the tenderloins because they’re the perfect size to thread onto the skewers and are super tender. However, you can swap the tenders for boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced into strips).
• Brown Sugar – gives a little sweetness to the satay marinade.
• Garlic – adds a punch to the marinade.
• Lime Peel (use a fine vegetable peeler and avoid the bitter white pith).
• Jalapeño or Thai Chile Pepper – for heat and flavor.
• Ground Coriander – adds a smoky, floral quality to the satay marinade.
• Ground Turmeric – this is what gives the marinade its yellow cast. Turmeric also has strong anti-inflammatory properties, according to Healthline.
• Unsweetened Coconut Milk – Make sure you use unsweetened coconut milk and not cream of coconut. There’s a big difference. This adds so much flavor to the marinade.
• Black Pepper – for another layer of spice.
• Fish Sauce adds a funky, umami layer to the marinade and gives the chicken satay the Thai flavor you’d expect.
• Lime Juice – use freshly squeezed juice for a tangy punch that pairs well with the other Pan-Asian flavors.
• Cilantro – adds a fresh herbal quality to the marinade for the chicken satay.
• Peanut Butter – you can use creamy or chunky (I like the chunky).
• Ginger – Use fresh ginger for the best flavor. Peel a small knob and grate or mince it.
• Shallot – shallots taste like a cross between onion and garlic without sharpness and pungency. They add more sublet aromas and flavors.
• Fish Sauce – is just what it sounds like… fish that’s been fermented for a few months or up to several years. It adds the funky Asian flavors you know but probably can’t identify outright.

How to make the marinade for the saté recipe:

1. Use a mortar and pestle to grind the brown sugar, minced garlic, lime peel, jalapeno, coriander, turmeric and pepper.
2. Mash them until you have a paste.
3. Transfer the contents of the pestle to a medium bowl and add the coconut milk, fish sauce and lime juice.

Note: If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, you can mound the ingredients on a cutting board and use the flat side of a chef’s knife or Santoku to rub and mash them into a paste. (The sugar is an abrasive and helps to break down the ingredients).

Marinating the skewered chicken

1. Place the chicken skewers in a long shallow dish and prop up the blunt ends on the side of the container so they don’t soak in the marinade.
2. Pour the Thai marinade over the chicken tenders to coat them, and refrigerate the chicken satays for an hour to infuse them with the marinade flavors.

The peanut dipping sauce is my favorite part of this recipe. It has a peanut-forward flavor that’s tangy, funky and sweet at the same time. Trust me; you don’t want to skip it.

Make the satay sauce and cucumber relish while the chicken is marinating

1. Sauté the garlic, chiles, ginger and shallots in hot oil over medium-high heat until golden brown and fragrant.
2. Add the peanut butter and stir for one minute.
3. Add the coconut milk, fish sauce, brown sugar, cilantro, ground coriander and lime juice.
4. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 3-5 minutes until the sauce is saucy and fragrant.

Note: If the sauce seems too thick, you can whisk in 1-2 tablespoons of hot water to thin it out.

Grilling chicken satay skewers

1. Heat the grill to medium-high heat (about 450° F).
2. Transfer the chicken skewers to the hot grill and cook for about 2 minutes before flipping them and cooking an additional 1-2 minutes until cooked.
3. Transfer to a cutting board to rest for a few minutes before serving.

Pro-Tip:

I usually lay a piece of tin foil on a portion of the grill grates and rest the blunt ends of the skewers over the foil. This is an added layer of protection, so the wooden skewers don’t catch fire and make them easier to flip if you’re using grill mitts to grab the satays.

Variations:

• For more Indian flavors, add two teaspoons of curry powder to the marinade.
• Instead of chicken, use beef flank steak or pork tenderloin slices.
• You can use natural peanut butter in the sauce, but you may want to add additional sugar. Natural peanut butter doesn’t have sugar added to it. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts to garnish.
• Soak extra firm tofu in the satay marinade for a vegetarian option. (Swap fish sauce for soy sauce in the satay sauce to keep it vegetarian).
• If you don’t have a grill, use an indoor grill or grill pan for cooking the chicken. You can also broil the meat about 3 inches from the heating element for 3-5 minutes in the oven, flipping halfway through.

FAQ’s

What do you serve with chicken satay?

• Rice is a popular side dish to serve with this recipe. You can use jasmine or sticky white rice as well as coconut rice. For a twist, try this creamy coconut mango rice.
• Steamed couscous goes well with this recipe.
• Asian cucumber salad is a regular accompaniment, as is a simple grated cucumber salad. You can easily substitute the relish for either of these recipes.
• Cold Soba Salad
• Snow Peas with Garlic & Ginger
• Grilled vegetables – like zucchini, sweet bell peppers and red onions.

More grilled chicken recipes:

• Grilled Chicken Wings
• Grilled Chicken Thighs with Herbed Spice Rub
• Wood Smoked Beer Can Chicken
• Brined Smoked BBQ Chicken
• Rotisserie Chicken

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