Description
This Chicken Satay recipe features tender chicken breast marinated in a flavorful blend of spices, galangal, garlic, and soy sauces, then grilled to perfection. Served with a rich peanut sauce, it’s a delicious Southeast Asian-inspired dish that’s perfect for barbecues or stovetop cooking.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Chicken and Marinade
- 400g chicken breast, cut into bite-sized chunks (about 3cm cubes)
- vegetable oil, for brushing
- 10–12 wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least 1 hour
For the Marinade Paste
- 125g shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 2 fresh long red chillies
- 3cm piece of galangal, peeled
- 50g gula melaka palm sugar, shaved (or 3½ tbsp dark brown soft sugar)
- 2 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 4 tbsp light soy sauce
- 6 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
- 1½ tsp salt
To Serve
- Peanut sauce (prepared separately)
Instructions
- Make the marinade paste: Put the shallots, garlic, red chillies, galangal, gula melaka palm sugar, ground coriander, ground cumin, light soy sauce, kecap manis, and salt into a food processor or blender. Blitz until the mixture is smooth and well combined into a thick paste.
- Prepare the marinade: Combine the marinade paste thoroughly with the other marinade ingredients in a bowl. Stir well to mix fully.
- Marinate the chicken: Add the chicken pieces to the marinade and stir to coat them evenly. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, ideally overnight, to allow the flavors to penetrate the meat.
- Soak the skewers: Place 10 to 12 wooden skewers in a tray of water and leave them to soak for at least 1 hour or overnight. This prevents the skewers from burning during cooking.
- Thread the chicken: Remove the marinated chicken from the fridge, then thread the pieces onto the soaked wooden skewers, distributing the pieces equally across the skewers.
- Cook the satay: Heat a barbecue grill or a cast-iron pan over high heat. Cook the skewers for about 2 minutes on each side, or until they are well-seared and cooked through. Brush lightly with vegetable oil if desired to prevent sticking.
- Serve: Serve the hot chicken satay immediately with peanut sauce on the side for dipping.
Notes
- Soaking the wooden skewers prevents them from burning on the grill or pan.
- For best flavor, marinate the chicken overnight.
- If you don’t have gula melaka, dark brown sugar is a suitable substitute.
- You can cook the satay using either a barbecue or a hot cast-iron pan, depending on your preference and availability.
- Serve with fresh cucumber slices and rice for a full meal.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: Southeast Asian
Keywords: Chicken Satay, Satay Skewers, Grilled Chicken, Southeast Asian Chicken, Peanut Sauce, Barbecue Recipe
