Satay Chicken with Restaurant-Style Peanut Sauce

These chicken satay skewers are a true crowd-pleaser, perfect for grilling, pan-frying, or broiling. While satay is famous across Southeast Asia, this Indonesian-style recipe is incredibly simple, with an easy-to-make, restaurant-quality peanut sauce. The sauce is rich and thick, perfect for coating the tender chicken, and it can be prepared ahead of time, making this an ideal dish for parties or a quick weeknight dinner.

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the chicken by cutting the thighs into 1.5 cm (0.5-inch) cubes. Thread 4 to 5 pieces onto each soaked bamboo skewer.

2. 2

   In a small bowl, whisk together the kecap manis and melted butter. Brush this mixture generously over the chicken skewers.

3. 3

   Heat a grill, a large non-stick fry pan with a splash of oil, or your oven broiler/grill. Cook the skewers until the chicken is cooked through and lightly charred on all sides.

4. 4

   To make the peanut sauce, heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic, diced onion, and sliced chilies. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until the onion becomes translucent.

5. 5

   Reduce the heat to medium. Stir in the peanut butter, coconut milk, kecap manis, soy sauce, and salt. Allow the sauce to simmer for 10 minutes, whisking it occasionally.

6. 6

   Using a handheld immersion blender, puree the sauce until smooth, blending the onion and chili throughout. Alternatively, cool the sauce completely before carefully blending it in a regular blender. Stir in the crushed peanuts and lime juice, then simmer for another 2 minutes. The sauce will thicken as it cools.

7. 7

   Serve the satay chicken skewers hot, with the peanut sauce on the side for dipping. Garnish with additional crushed peanuts and sliced shallots, and serve with fresh lime wedges.

Recipe Notes

• Kecap manis is a crucial ingredient for this recipe. It’s a thick, syrupy soy sauce with a sweet, smoky flavor that is a staple in Indonesian cooking and can be found in the international or Asian food aisles of most supermarkets.

• This recipe makes a generous amount of peanut sauce. Since it’s difficult to make a smaller batch, we recommend making the full quantity. The extra sauce is fantastic over steamed vegetables or rice and will keep well in the fridge for up to a week. A squeeze of fresh lime juice can revive the flavor of any leftovers.

• For the smoothest sauce, using an immersion blender is ideal to blend the cooked onions and chilies directly in the saucepan. If you use a standard blender, remember to let the sauce cool down before blending to prevent a dangerous "explosion" of hot liquid.

• The nutrition information provided is for a single serving of the chicken skewers only, and does not include the peanut sauce. The peanut sauce nutrition has been estimated based on a serving size that is sufficient for one batch of skewers.