Many South East Asian international locations have a model of Satay Chicken. This Indonesian model is the best, you will get all the things you want from the grocery store and it’s SO tasty. This peanut sauce is thick and chunky, not a skinny dipping sauce. As a result of I wish to DOLLOP the sauce on!
** For the reader favorite THAI Satay chicken skewers, see right here!**
Satay Chicken might be higher often known as Malaysian and Thai. However really, it’s initially from Indonesia. And as with all standard dishes from cuisines all over the world, there are a lot of variations of chicken satay. I’d wish to share all the favored ones with you finally – Thai, Malaysian and even the Singaporean model. However I believed it will be excellent to start out with the unique and the best – the Indonesian model.
Once I was evaluating the varied satay chicken recipes I’ve used previously, I realised that although that they had some similarities, they’re really made very otherwise. None are too arduous, however most required many elements. And once I say many, I’m not exaggerating. Malaysian Satay Chicken requires 25+ elements (the one I take advantage of requires 32). The Thai model doesn’t require fairly as many, however not far off, particularly should you make it utilizing selfmade pink curry paste (price each ounce of effort).
Nonetheless, the Indonesian model requires far much less. Simply as tasty as the opposite variations – simply completely different. As my sister all the time says – “identical, identical…however DIFFERENT!”.
The Peanut Sauce I take advantage of on this recipe is not a 100% genuine Indonesian recipe, however with good cause. The normal Indonesian peanut sauce is made merely with peanuts, kecap manis (candy soy sauce), chillies, shallots and lime. Not cooked, simply floor collectively right into a thick paste.
The Peanut Sauce in my Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls recipe would additionally go nice with Chicken Satay
I’m satisfied that Indonesian peanuts are completely different to Australian peanuts. As a result of each single time I’ve tried the standard recipe, the bottom peanuts come out sort of “gritty”, like desiccated coconut. The sauce doesn’t have the creaminess that you just get at Indonesian eating places and in Indonesia (I feel I ate satay day-after-day once I was in Bali!). I attempted it quite a few methods – utilizing a mortar and pestle (the standard approach – it’s tiring!), meals processor and even a blender stick. None labored.
For the aim of sharing this recipe with you, I attempted the unique but once more and it nonetheless didn’t work. I have a couple of peanut sauce recipes I take advantage of recurrently – a Vietnamese one (I shared this within the Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls recipe), a Thai one (I’ll share this in the future!), a Malaysian one (which takes time to prepare dinner and is probably the most advanced one) and this one which I made up myself. It is a mish mash of all these recipes!
This peanut sauce is made utilizing retailer purchased peanut butter. No, that’s not genuine. However don’t be a snob! It’s flavoured with “actual” Indonesian flavours so it doesn’t style “westernised”. And it’s FAST and EASY to make.
I wager that Indonesian eating places use at the least some peanut butter of their satay sauce…..he he! 😉
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Satay Chicken with Peanut Sauce (Indonesian/Bali) Recipe
1 lb / 500g chicken thigh fillets (skinless and boneless)
2 1/2 tbsp kecap manis (thick sweet soy sauce – see Note 1)
1 tbsp unsalted butter , melted
12 – 14 small bamboo skewers , soaked in water for at least 30 minutes
1 tbsp cooking oil (peanut, canola, vegetable)
2 garlic cloves , minced
1 small or 1/2 large onion , diced (red, brown, yellow or white)
3 birds eye chillis , sliced (or sub with hot sauce)
1/2 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
1 cup coconut milk (full fat is better, but light is ok)
2 1/2 tbsp kecap manis (Note 1)
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup crushed unsalted roasted peanuts (buy crushed or chop your own)
1 – 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
Crushed peanuts
Lime wedges
Sliced shallots/scallions
Instructions
Cut the chicken into 1.5cm/0.5″ cubes. Thread onto skewers – 4 to 5 pieces per skewer.
Combine kecap manis and butter, then brush onto chicken.
Cook the skewers on a hot BBQ (outdoor grill) or on the stove in a large non stick fry pan (add a splash of oil, and make sure the skewers will fit in the pan). Grill/broiler would also work.
Serve, garnished with crushed peanuts, shallots and with lime wedges and Peanut Sauce on the side.
Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion and chillis and cook for 3 minutes until onion is translucent.
Turn heat down to medium, then add peanut butter, coconut milk, kecap manis, soy sauce and salt. Simmer for 10 minutes, whisking occasionally.
Use a handheld stick to puree (so the onion and chilli blends throughout the sauce – this is key). (See Note 2 for blending instructions) Stir through crushed peanuts and lime juice and simmer for 2 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before serving or to room temperature – it will thicken.
Notes
1. Kecap Manis is a thick soy sauce that has the consistency of syrup. It can be found in the Asian or sauce section of supermarkets and it is cheap – in Australia, it is $2 for a small bottle or $4 for a very large one. It tastes like sweet soy sauce with smokiness, and it is a key ingredient in this recipe. It’s the secret ingredient in 90% of Indonesian recipes!
2. If you puree in a blender, make sure the sauce cools before you blend it. Otherwise it will literally “explode” when you start whizzing it and sauce will splatter everywhere. I made this mistake. 🙂
3. I find that the traditional recipe for Indonesian satay peanut sauce does not come out smooth and rich like you get at restaurants, it comes out a bit gritty, like it has desiccated coconut in it (which it does not). It may be because peanuts in Australia are different. Also, it requires considerable effort to ground the peanuts into a paste (food processor does not work). So this recipe is one I created using peanut butter. It is heavily flavoured with other ingredients so it tastes just like what you get at restaurants.
Here is an authentic Indonesian Peanut Sauce recipe if you want to give it a go: 100g roasted unsalted peanuts, 3 to 5 birds eye chillies, 50 ml kecap manis, 3 shallots/scallions, sliced and 1 tbsp lime juice. Ground all ingredients together, season to taste then serve.
4. This recipe makes more Peanut Sauce than you will need. It is hard to make a smaller batch. It goes great with steamed vegetables and rice, and lasts for at least a week in the fridge (it should last longer, but I think the flavour might fade). Freshen up leftover peanut sauce with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
5. Nutrition for chicken skewer only (Peanut Sauce is below).
Nutrition for Peanut Sauce based on my estimate that one batch is sufficient for 3 batches of chicken skewers.
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Sarah Miller
Hi, I’m Sarah Millar!
I’m a food blogger who loves creating quick and easy recipes that bring big flavor without the fuss. Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated — and I’m here to share simple, fast food ideas that anyone can make at home. When I’m not in the kitchen, you’ll usually find me tasting new dishes, exploring cafés, or coming up with fresh food hacks to make everyday meals more fun.
