Sate Ayam Bumbu Kacang / Sate Ayam Khas Senayan (Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce)
Servings: 30 satay
Learn how to make authentic Indonesian sate ayam (Chicken satay) inspired by the famous Sate Khas Senayan, served with delicious peanut sauce that you want to drizzle on pretty much everything.
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Ingredients
- 700 gr boneless skinless chicken thighs about 1 1/2 lbs
Marinade:
- 1 small red onion peeled and quartered
- 4 cloves garlic peeled
- 20 g galangal or use 1 tsp galangal powder
- 1 ½ Tbsp coriander powder
- 4 candlenuts sub with macadamia nuts
- 3 kaffir lime leaves
- 1 Tbsp coconut sugar or brown sugar
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp kecap manis
Bumbu kacang (Peanut sauce):
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- ½ small onion red, yellow, or white
- 5 Thai red chili optional
- 3 kaffir lime leaves
- 250 g creamy peanut butter or chunky peanut butter
- 100 g water or more as needed
- 75 gr coconut sugar or use brown sugar, more as needed
- ½ tsp salt or more as needed
- 2 Tbsp kecap manis
- 50 gr unsalted roasted peanuts finely chopped, this add texture to the sauce
For cooking:
- 30 bamboo skewers or more depending on how much meat you put in one skewer
- Butter or cooking oil for brushing during cooking
Serve with:
- Fried shallots crisp bawang goreng
- Kecap manis
Instructions
Preparing chicken and marinate:
- Cut the chicken into long strips, about 3-inch (about 8 cm) long and 1-inch (2.5 cm) wide, don't have to be exact, just an estimate. Place in a mixing bowl. Place all ingredients for marinade, except for kecap manis, in a blender or food processor and grind into a paste. Have a taste. The marinade should be more at the sweet side
- Add chicken pieces and kecap manis and toss to make sure all pieces are coated with the marinade. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours but no more than 24 hours
- Soak the bamboo skewers in water for 1 hour or leave them overnight. They won't burnt easily when you grill them on open fire or bake them in the oven. You can skip this if you cook the sate on the stove-top
- After that, weave one strip of meat into a skewer and repeat with the rest. Save the marinade juice for basting the meat later
- Meanwhile soak the bamboo skewers in cold water for at least 1 hour before you plan to cook the sate so they don't break easily when you grill them
Preparing bumbu kacang:
- Give the food processor a rinse of water and then place all ingredients for the sauce in the food processor, except for the dry roasted peanuts. Process into a creamy peanut sauce. Add more water to the consistency you like
- Put this on a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer and let it cook for about 15 minutes over low-medium heat. The cooking will prolong the shelf life. Fold the chopped peanuts in to combine
- Keep in mind that the sauce thickens further when it cools down. You can always "thin" out the consistency by adding a bit of water
Cooking the satay by grilling:
- Get the marinated sate out from the fridge 2 hours before you plan to cook them so they have time to come to room temperature
- Get your grill ready and grill the satay about 5-8 minutes per side (depending on the size of the chicken too). Brush with some marinade juice on one side, turn over and cook and brush with some butter/cooking oil on the other side and grill until they are cooked through (the meat should turn opaque and pull easily. Internal temperature will be about 165 F) and has nice golden brown on them and has a nice shine
Cooking the satay in the oven:
- Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the satay on the baking sheet, they can be close to each other. Brush with some marinade juice and bake for 8-10 minutes on one side, turn over and brush with some butter or oil and bake for another 5-8 minutes (if you plan to brown it by broiling later, do 5 minutes first). You don't want to overcook the meat as they will dry out. The chicken turns opaque and pull easily when cooked through. The internal temperature is 165 F
- If you cook in the oven, the satay may not get that nice charred or browning. You can broil them briefly on high. This happens quickly so you don't want to walk away
Cooking the satay on the pan:
- Get a large non-stick pan. Preheat over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes. Add about 1 Tbsp of oil. Brush with some marinade juice on one side, turn over and cook and brush with some butter/cooking oil on the other side and grill until they are cooked through (the meat should turn opaque and pull easily. Internal temperature will be about 165 F) and has nice golden brown on them and has a nice shine
- After that turn off the oven and turn on the broiler on low and let the satay broiled until it has nice golden brown. Take care not to burn them
Serving:
- Serve the satay with bumbu kacang on the side or drizzle them with bumbu kacang, some kecap manis and sprinkle of crispy shallots and you are ready to go
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