Indonesian Chicken Satay Skewers with Peanut Sauce
Grilled turmeric-marinated chicken skewers served with a lightly sweetened peanut dipping sauce for dunking.
Satay ayam is street food done exactly right: chicken marinated in coriander, turmeric, and a little brown sugar, threaded onto skewers, and grilled until the edges char just enough. The peanut sauce alongside is what most people remember, and here it's built with real peanut butter thinned with coconut milk and lime rather than anything overly sweet.
Using skinless chicken breast keeps this genuinely lean, and grilling instead of frying means the fat you're eating comes mostly from the peanut sauce itself, which is largely unsaturated. It's a good one to reach for if you're eating for muscle and recovery, since a serving lands solidly in high-protein territory.
These are easy to scale up for a crowd — just double the marinade and sauce and keep the skewers coming off the grill in batches.
Ingredients
Chicken and marinade
- 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breast — cut into strips
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 cloves garlic — minced
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp tamari
- 1 tbsp lime juice
Peanut sauce
- 0.33 cup natural peanut butter
- 0.33 cup light coconut milk
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp tamari
- 1 tsp chili garlic sauce — optional
- 1 tsp honey
These ingredients are common at South Asian grocers; a well-stocked international supermarket usually carries them too.
Instructions
- 1Combine the coriander, turmeric, garlic, brown sugar, tamari, and lime juice in a bowl. Add the chicken and marinate at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight.
- 2Thread the marinated chicken onto skewers (soak wooden skewers in water first).
- 3Grill or broil the skewers 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally, until charred in spots and cooked through.
- 4Whisk the peanut butter, coconut milk, lime juice, tamari, chili garlic sauce, and honey together until smooth, adding a splash of water if too thick.
- 5Serve the skewers warm with the peanut sauce for dipping.