Chicken satay is a popular Southeast Asian dish that consists of marinated, skewered, and grilled chicken, typically served with a flavorful peanut sauce. The chicken marinade is really flavorful as is the peanut sauce. Both are quite easy to make. The skewers can be a fun appetizer or a full meal, served with sticky rice.
Chicken breasts are a staple that I readily keep in our freezer. After making a Chinese Chicken Salad, I had an extra piece of chicken that needed to be cooked. It’s been years since I’ve made Chicken Satay. The peanut sauce is one of my favorite condiments.
Asian recipes is a favorite in our home. There are pantry staples that are always at hand– rice vinegar, sesame oil, low-sodium soy sauce, fish sauce and fresh ginger. Yay! This recipe used all of these ingredients!
For the marinade, honey and lime juice rounded out the flavors.
A food processor, or blender, works perfectly to make the marinade. In a bowl, place the marinade and the chicken, and toss to combine. The chicken will need a minimum of 2 hours, or overnight.
Sadly, I didn’t photograph how I made the peanut sauce. The ingredients needed are chicken broth, creamy peanut butter, honey, soy sauce, fish sauce, Sriracha sauce, fresh ginger and garlic and fresh lime juice. Combine the ingredients, bring to a boil, then simmer until thick (about 5 minutes). Set aside to cool.
To prepare the chicken skewers: Soak bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes. Cut into one-inch slices, then thread on the skewer.
Threading the marinated chicken was the most time-consuming work! Sneak Peak: A great shortcut, next time, is to pound the chicken to be thin. Marinate and grill the whole pieces, and it will taste just as delicious!
For indoor grilling, a cast-iron grill works great for us. Oil the grill, lightly, to prevent sticking. It only takes 2-3 minutes, per side to cook the chicken. (Of course, you can use an outdoor grill as well.)
Plate the chicken skewers and garnish with fresh cilantro, chopped cashews (or peanuts) and lime slices on the side. Don’t forget the peanut sauce! Sticky rice and sauteed snow peas rounded out this meal perfectly.
TASTING NOTES: The marinade makes this chicken so flavorful. The peanut sauce is incredibly good. Truthfully, other than threading each skewer, this dinner wasn’t really complicated to make. This recipe is officially a family favorite.
You can switch out the chicken breasts for chicken thighs, if you prefer. If cilantro tastes like soap to you, leave it out! Parsley can be a good substitute.
Chicken Satay with Peanut Dipping Sauce
Equipment
- 8 wooden skewers soaked in water for one hour
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch strips
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce or tamari for gluten free
- ½ tablespoon fish sauce or additional 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice from 2 small juicy limes
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce I didn't use)
- 2 teaspoons fresh ground ginger chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
For the Peanut Sauce (can make one day ahead):
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 5 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce or tamari for gluten free
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce or additional 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice from about 1 small lime
Garnishes:
- unsalted roasted peanuts or cashews chopped
- fresh cilantro optional, but we love it
- lime wedges
Instructions
For the chicken:
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all of the marinade ingredients, (except for the chicken): soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, honey, Sriracha, ginger, and garlic. Add the chicken, toss to coat, then cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to marinate for 2 hours or overnight. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling. If using wooden skewers, soak the skewers in water for 30 minutes prior to grilling. See note:
For the the peanut sauce:
- In a medium saucepan, combine the chicken broth, peanut butter, honey, soy sauce, fish sauce, Sriracha, ginger, and garlic. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then let cook, stirring often, until the sauce is smooth and has thickened, about 6 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and set aside.
Grill the chicken:
- Preheat an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan to medium-high. Thread the chicken onto skewers.
- Grill chicken until cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side. Let rest for 2-3 minutes. If using whole chicken breasts, grill until the meat reaches 165F.Sprinkle with peanuts and cilantro, then serve warm with peanut sauce and lime wedges.
Notes
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