Sate Ayam (Indonesian chicken satay skewers) Recipe

Saté Ayam (Indonesian chicken satay skewers) is hands-down one of the most popular Indonesian street food dishes. In Indonesia you can find Saté Ayam all around the archipelago. Satay skewers are typically sold in small street food stalls in almost every Indonesian city.

In the Netherlands, Saté Ayam is incorporated into Dutch cuisine and many of you probably know it from Indonesian restaurants and Chinees-Indische restaurants.

Sate Ayam: Indonesian chicken satay skewers

Indonesian satay varieties

Satay comes in many varieties, like beef, goat, mutton, pork, fish and tofu, but the base is the same: seasoned, skewered and grilled meat (or tofu) pieces, served with a (peanut) sauce. Indonesians are fond of goat so you'll find a lot of goat satay in Indonesia. Dutch people are less enthusiastic about goat meat so I use chicken thighs for this satay recipe.

Satay originated in Indonesia but is also very popular in Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and in the Netherlands of course. Authentic versions of satay use skewers from the midrib of coconut palm leaves but nowadays bamboo skewers are used mostly. The meat pieces are skewered around the bamboo sticks and then grilled or barbecued. Satay can be served with various sauces but peanut sauce is the most common, hence, peanut sauce is usually referred to as satay sauce.

Saté Ayam: Indonesian chicken satay skewers grilled on charcoal

How to make Saté Ayam: Indonesian chicken satay skewers with peanut sauce

The chicken thighs I use for saté ayam should marinate for at least 4 hour in the fridge. If you don't have time in the morning to prepare the marinate, it is best to start the previous evening and marinate the chicken thigh pieces overnight.

First, chop chicken thighs in 1-2cm/ 0.4-0.8 inch pieces and set aside. The meat should be cut in smallish pieces in order to ensure that they cook evenly and don’t burn.

Chop onion or shallot, long red chilies and garlic cloves roughly. Peel ginger and galangal root. Chop galangal roughly, grate ginger and add with onion or shallot, long red chilies and garlic cloves to a food processor. Grind until a smooth paste forms.

Marinate for Saté Ayam: Indonesian chicken satay skewers

Remove veins from Kaffir lime leaves and chop them finely. Stir together with shrimp paste, sweet soy sauce and tamarind in the coconut cream. Add the mixture from the food processor and mix well. Marinade the meat combined with the mixture at least 4 hours in the fridge, preferably longer (overnight).

When the chicken thigh pieces are marinated, take the marinated meat out of the fridge 30 minutes before grilling the satay skewers. First, put the skewers in lukewarm water for 30 minutes to prevent the skewers from burning later. To grill the satay skewers you could best use a barbecuing, grill or grill pan. Thread 4 to 6 pieces of marinated chicken thigh meat on the skewers, depending on their thickness.

Ready to grill Indonesian chicken satay skewers

Before you start barbecuing or grilling the satay skewers first make the peanut sauce. Chop long red chilies, garlic cloves and Kaffir lime leaves (remove veins first!) roughly and combine with palm sugar and shrimp paste in a food processor. Grind until a smooth paste forms. Heat oil in a pan and fry the mixture for 5 minutes until the onion/ shallot is cooked. Then add in phases peanut butter, coconut milk, sweet soy sauce and lime juice. Stir well and heat on low heat but prevent cooking. Take the pan of the heat and cover, so the peanut sauce will be warm when serving.

Then grill the satay skewers for about 6-8 minutes (depending on their thickness) and serve with warm peanut sauce.

Sate Ayam: Indonesian chicken satay skewers

Ingredients for 6 people

For the satay skewers:

• 1 kg/ 2.2 pounds chicken thighs

• 1 onion or big shallot

• 2 long red chilies, optional: 1 Thai bird’s eye (cabe rawit)

• 3 garlic cloves

• 3cm/ 1.2 inch ginger (djahé)

• 3cm/ 1.2 inch galangal (laos)

• 100ml/ 3.4 oz coconut cream (Kara brand for example)

• 5 tablespoons sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)

• 2 tablespoons tamarind

• 1 teaspoon shrimp paste (trassi)

• 4 Kaffir lime leaves (daun djeruk perut)

• Satay skewers

For the peanut sauce:

• 3 long red chilies, optional: 1 Thai bird’s eye (cabe rawit)

• 2 garlic cloves

• 100ml coconut milk

• 5 tablespoons peanut butter

• 5 tablespoons sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)

• 2 tablespoons palm sugar (gula jawa)

• 1 teaspoon shrimp paste (trassi)

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (coconut, peanut or sunflower)

• 3 Kaffir lime leaves (daun djeruk perut)

• Juice of half a lime

Instructions

• Start with preparing the meat and marinade. The meat should marinade for at least 4 hours in the fridge, but preferably longer. Chop chicken thighs in 1-2cm/ 0.4/ 0.8 inch pieces and set aside.

• Chop onion or shallot, long red chilies and garlic cloves roughly. Peel ginger and galangal root. Chop galangal roughly, grate ginger and add with onion or shallot, long red chilies and garlic cloves to a food processor. Grind until a smooth paste forms. Remove veins from Kaffir lime leaves and chop them finely. Stir together with shrimp paste, sweet soy sauce and tamarind in the coconut cream. Add the mixture from the food processor and mix well. Marinade the meat combined with the mixture at least 4 hours in the fridge, preferably longer.

• Take the marinated meat out of the fridge 30 minutes before grilling the satay skewers. Put the satay skewers in lukewarm water for 30 minutes to prevent the skewers from burning later. To grill the satay skewers you could best use a BBQ, grill or grill pan. Thread 4 to 6 pieces of meat on the skewers, depending on their thickness.

• Before you start BBQing or grilling the satay skewers first make the peanut sauce. Chop long red chilies, garlic cloves and Kaffir lime leaves (remove veins first!) roughly and combine with palm sugar and shrimp paste in a food processor. Grind until a smooth paste forms. Heat oil in a pan and fry the mixture for 5 minutes until the onion/ shallot is cooked. Then add in phases peanut butter, coconut milk, sweet soy sauce and lime juice. Stir well and heat on low heat but prevent cooking. Take the pan of the heat and cover, so the peanut sauce will be warm when serving.

• Then grill the satay skewers for about 8 minutes and serve with the warm peanut sauce.