Chicken Satay Recipe | Authentic Indonesian Sate Ayam with Peanut Sauce
Chicken Satay (Sate Ayam) with Peanut Sauce
Indonesia's most famous export: small skewers of turmeric-and-sweet-soy marinated chicken, grilled fast over high heat until the edges char, then dipped in a rich, spicy peanut sauce made from real ground peanuts. Street vendors sell thousands a night across Java — this is that recipe, scaled for a home grill.
Chef Yossie
Traditional Indonesian Recipe
Make this recipe taste authentic
Street-style peanut sauce gets its heat from real sambal — not chilli flakes. Ours is handmade in Lancashire using Chef Yossie's Indonesian family recipe, and it ships across the UK.
What You'll Need
Hard to find these outside Indonesia? These are the ingredients and tools that make this recipe authentic.
- Kecap Manis (sweet soy sauce)Sweet, thick Indonesian soy — key to nasi goreng & marinadesView on Amazon →
- Sambal OelekThe chilli base for most Indonesian dishesView on Amazon →
- Palm Sugar (gula jawa)Caramel depth for marinades and saucesView on Amazon →
- Tamarind PasteSour note that balances rich, spicy dishesView on Amazon →
- Granite Mortar & PestleFor grinding fresh spice pastes the traditional wayView on Amazon →
- Cast Iron Grill PanFor ikan bakar and grilled meats indoorsView on Amazon →
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Interactive Cooking Guide
Master skewering, high-heat grilling, and real peanut sauce with step-by-step guidance
Blend the shallots, garlic, turmeric, coriander, palm sugar, kecap manis, lime juice, and oil into a smooth marinade. Coat the chicken and marinate at least 30 minutes, or overnight.
Equipment needed:
Chef's Tip:
Overnight marinating gives the deepest flavour and colour. Turmeric stains — use a glass or steel bowl.
Grind the roasted peanuts in a food processor until mostly smooth with some texture remaining, then add the garlic and sambal and blend again.
Equipment needed:
Chef's Tip:
Stop while there's still a little crunch — glassy-smooth sauce is the takeaway giveaway, not the street version.
Simmer the peanut mixture with kecap manis, palm sugar, tamarind, salt, and warm water for 5-8 minutes, stirring, until thick and glossy with oil separating at the edges.
Equipment needed:
Chef's Tip:
The sauce thickens as it cools — take it off the heat slightly looser than you want it. Loosen with warm water any time.
Important:
Peanut sauce catches easily; keep the heat medium-low and keep stirring.
Thread 4-5 pieces of chicken onto each soaked skewer, packed snugly at the top end.
Equipment needed:
Chef's Tip:
Snug packing keeps the chicken juicy; leave the bottom half of the skewer empty as a handle.
Grill over high heat for 3-4 minutes per side, brushing with leftover marinade, until the edges char and the chicken is cooked through.
Equipment needed:
Chef's Tip:
Charred edges are the whole point — the caramelising kecap manis should blacken in spots.
Important:
Discard any marinade that touched raw chicken after the final brush.
Spoon peanut sauce generously over the skewers, drizzle with kecap manis, scatter sliced shallots, and serve with cucumber, lime, and rice.
Equipment needed:
Chef's Tip:
Indonesians sauce the skewers, not the plate — every piece should carry peanut sauce.
Get the Perfect Sambal for Satay
This recipe uses our Sambal Oelek. Get the authentic taste Chef Yossie uses in professional kitchens.
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The Indonesian Sambal Starter Guide
A free PDF covering the essential sambals, the pantry ingredients you actually need, and how to build authentic Indonesian flavour in a home kitchen. Sent straight to your inbox.
🛒 Perfect Ingredients for This Recipe
Recipe Match
Sambal Oelek
Pure chilli paste that gives the peanut sauce its heat — and doubles as a fiery dip for the skewers. Ships UK-wide.
Recipe Match
Buy Sambal Online UK
Browse the full Spice Island Indonesia sambal range and find the right heat level for your cooking.
👨🍳 More Delicious Sambal Recipes
Sambal BBQ Marinade
Another Indonesian grilling essential — a spicy sambal marinade for any meat
Ikan Bakar (Indonesian Grilled Fish)
Indonesia's famous grilled fish — satay's seafood cousin from the same charcoal grills
Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice)
The classic plate partner — satay skewers on fried rice is a street-food feast
📚 Learn More About Indonesian Cuisine
The Complete Guide to Indonesian Sambal Varieties
Which sambal to serve with satay? A tour of 15+ varieties from across the archipelago
How Spicy Is Indonesian Food? A Guide for British Palates
How spicy is Indonesian food really? Calibrate the sambal in your peanut sauce
Indonesia's Most Famous Dish
Walk any Indonesian street after dark and you'll smell satay before you see it: charcoal smoke, caramelising sweet soy, and the nutty warmth of peanut sauce bubbling beside the grill. Vendors fan tiny charcoal braziers with woven fans, turning dozens of skewers at once — a craft passed down for generations since satay first appeared on Java in the 19th century.
What separates real sate ayam from the satay of takeaway menus abroad is the sauce: ground roasted peanuts simmered with sambal, palm sugar, and tamarind until the oil separates — coarse, rich, spicy-sweet — rather than thinned peanut butter. Make it once and the jar version is finished for you.
How Indonesians Serve It
The Classic Plate
- • Peanut sauce spooned over the skewers
- • A drizzle of kecap manis on top
- • Raw shallot slices and cucumber chunks
- • Lontong (compressed rice cakes) or steamed rice
Make It a Feast
- • Serve alongside nasi goreng
- • Add krupuk (prawn crackers)
- • Extra sambal for the brave
- • Pickled cucumber (acar) to cut the richness