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Indonesian · Malaysian

Sate ayam (chicken satay)

Non-vegetarian

Sate ayam

Small skewers of marinated chicken thigh grilled over high heat and served with a sweet, nutty peanut sauce, a squeeze of lime and sliced shallots.

Sate ayam (chicken satay) is an Indonesian grilled dish, ready in about 1 hour 50 minutes and made with chicken thigh, kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) and roasted peanuts. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Close-up of chicken satay being grilled over charcoal in Jawa Barat, Indonesia.
Photo: Fitria Nunik / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
30 min
Cook
20 min
Rest
1 h
Total
1 h 50 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
473

Ingredients

4 servings

For the marinade

For the peanut sauce

To serve

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Pound or blend the shallots (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), coriander and turmeric (opens in a new tab), then mix with the kecap manis (opens in a new tab), oil and salt. Toss the chicken in the marinade, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Soak bamboo skewers (opens in a new tab) in water.

  2. Step 2

    For the sauce, blend the peanuts with the garlic (opens in a new tab) and chilli to a coarse paste, then simmer with the kecap manis (opens in a new tab), palm sugar (opens in a new tab), salt and water until thick. Stir in the lime juice (opens in a new tab).

  3. Step 3

    Thread 4–5 pieces of chicken tightly onto each skewer (opens in a new tab).

    • 10 min
    Food cooking over a grill
    How it looks · Photo: Malte Luk on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Grill over very hot charcoal or a hot grill, turning and brushing with the leftover marinade, until charred at the edges and cooked through.

    Food safety: Chicken must reach 74 °C in the centre. Stop basting with raw marinade in the last 2 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Serve with the peanut sauce, lime (opens in a new tab) wedges and sliced shallot (opens in a new tab).

      A finished dish being plated
      How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Java, Indonesia · Commonly attributedSatay is widely associated with Java and is eaten across Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.Also popular in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, NetherlandsMore food from Indonesia
    Dish
    Lunch · Dinner · Snack · Grills & kebabs · Street food · Appetizers & starters
    Cooking method
    Grilled, Marinated / cured
    Taste
    sweet & savoury, smoky, nutty
    Diet
    Dairy-free · High-protein
    All labelsNon-vegetarian · Dairy-free · Egg-free · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Street food · Child-friendly · Festive & celebration
    Cook more with
    Chicken thigh · Kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) · Roasted peanuts · Shallot · Garlic · Ground coriander
    Techniques
    Grilling · Charcoal grilling · Simmering · Dhungar (charcoal smoking) · Marinating

    Allergens

    • Contains: Peanutsfrom roasted peanuts
    • Contains: Wheatfrom kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
    • Contains: Glutenfrom kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
    • Contains: Soyfrom kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    473 kcal per serving

    Estimated

    1 serving ≈ 288 g · recipe makes 4

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 32%
    • Carbohydrate 21%
    • Fat 47%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy473 kcal165 kcal
    Protein38.3 g13.3 g
    Carbohydrate24.9 g8.6 g
    Net carbohydrate20.8 g7.2 g
    Sugars12.7 g4.4 g
    Added sugars15.2 g5.3 g
    Fibre4.1 g1.4 g
    Fat25.4 g8.8 g
    Saturated fat4.4 g1.5 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol142 mg49 mg
    Sodium974 mg339 mg
    Salt equivalent2.4 g0.8 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    677 mg
    Calcium
    60 mg
    Iron
    2.5 mg
    Magnesium
    102 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    12 µg
    Vitamin C
    8 mg
    Vitamin D
    0 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0.9 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    47 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: lime, shallot.
    • Kecap manis (sweet soy sauce): Hoisin sauce (FDC 172886) used as a stand-in for this thick palm-sugar-sweetened soy sauce; sugar and sodium differ by brand.
    • Kecap manis (sweet soy sauce): Hoisin sauce (FDC 172886) used as a stand-in for this thick palm-sugar-sweetened soy sauce; sugar and sodium differ by brand.
    • Jaggery / palm sugar: Brown sugar (FDC 168833) used as a stand-in for unrefined cane jaggery and palm sugar.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Fanning the charcoal, as satay sellers do, keeps the heat fierce so the sugary glaze chars without drying the meat.

    Common mistakes

    • Using breast meat cut too large — it dries out before it chars.

    Serve with

    • Serve with lontong or ketupat rice cakes and cucumber.

    Storage

    • Refrigerate cooked satay for up to 2 days; the sauce keeps for 5 days.

    Reheating

    • Reheat under a grill; warm the sauce with a little water.

    Variations

    • Malaysian satay (Malaysia): Marinated with more lemongrass, cumin and fennel and served with a chunkier peanut sauce, cucumber and onion.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in step 1

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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