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.
Ingredients
- 600g (1¼ lb) chicken thigh fillets, cut into 2cm pieces
- 3 tablespoons kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce)
- 2 shallots, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar or brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 12-16 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
- 150g (1 cup) roasted unsalted peanuts (or 4 tbsp crunchy peanut butter in a pinch)
- 1 tablespoon Spice Island Sambal Oelek
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon kecap manis
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar
- 1 teaspoon tamarind paste (or lime juice)
- 200ml (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) warm water
- Pinch of salt
- Cucumber chunks and sliced shallots
- Steamed rice or rice cakes (lontong)
- Extra kecap manis for drizzling
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- 1
Blend the shallots, garlic, turmeric, coriander, palm sugar, kecap manis, lime juice, and oil into a smooth marinade. Coat the chicken pieces and marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight in the fridge.
- 2
For the peanut sauce: grind the roasted peanuts in a food processor (or pound in a mortar) until mostly smooth with some texture left. Add the garlic and sambal and blend again.
- 3
Simmer the peanut mixture in a small pan with the kecap manis, palm sugar, tamarind, salt, and warm water for 5-8 minutes, stirring, until thick and glossy with oil starting to separate at the edges. Loosen with water if it gets too thick.
- 4
Thread 4-5 pieces of chicken onto each soaked skewer, packing them snugly at the top end of the skewer.
- 5
Grill over high heat — BBQ, grill pan, or overhead grill — for 3-4 minutes per side, brushing with leftover marinade, until charred at the edges and cooked through.
- 6
Serve hot: spoon peanut sauce generously over the skewers, drizzle with kecap manis, and scatter over sliced shallots. Add cucumber, lime, and rice on the side.
Nutrition Information
Chef's Tips
For best results, use authentic Indonesian sambal from Spice Island Indonesia. The quality of your sambal will significantly impact the final flavor of this dish.
Chef Yossie
Traditional Indonesian Recipe
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What You'll Need
A quick pantry and equipment check before you begin. Use the brands available to you.
- Kecap Manis (sweet soy sauce)Sweet, thick Indonesian soy — key to nasi goreng & marinades
- Sambal OelekThe chilli base for most Indonesian dishes
- Palm Sugar (gula jawa)Caramel depth for marinades and sauces
- Tamarind PasteSour note that balances rich, spicy dishes
- Granite Mortar & PestleFor grinding fresh spice pastes the traditional way
- Cast Iron Grill PanFor ikan bakar and grilled meats indoors
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.
Learn with Chef Yossie
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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
Keep Cooking
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Nasi Goreng
Indonesia's national fried rice with kecap manis and a crispy egg
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Turn leftover rice into a spicy, flavour-packed meal