Sate ayam

Name: Sate ayam
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 110 min
Yield: 4 people
Cuisine: Indonesian
Ingredients: 700 g Chicken, boneless thigh, cut into 2 cm pieces; 5 tbsp Kecap manis, 3 for the marinade, 2 for the sauce; 5 clove Garlic, 3 crushed for the marinade, 2 for the sauce; 1 piece Lime, juiced; 2 tbsp Neutral oil; 1 tsp Salt; 200 g Peanuts, roasted, skins rubbed off; 3 piece Fresh chilli, red, chopped; 3 piece Shallot, 1 for the sauce, 2 sliced thin to serve; 2 tbsp Palm sugar, grated; 1 tbsp Tamarind, paste or pulp soaked and strained; 250 ml Water, hot; 0.5 piece Cucumber, chunks, to serve

Indonesian chicken satay: kecap manis-marinated thigh grilled on skewers and served with a rough, sweet-hot peanut sauce.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.

Start cooking

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 20 min
Rest: 1 hr
Total: 1 hr 50 min
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: Mild
Cost: Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price

Know it before you cook it

About

Sate ayam is small pieces of chicken thigh on bamboo skewers, marinated in kecap manis and garlic, grilled hard and served under a peanut sauce. The sauce is the work: roasted peanuts pounded or blitzed with garlic, chilli, palm sugar, tamarind and more kecap manis, loosened with water until it coats a spoon. It should be grainy, not smooth like peanut butter. Thigh stays juicy where breast dries out. Grill over charcoal if you can. A grill pan or a hot oven grill is the honest home substitute. Serve with sliced shallot, cucumber and rice or lontong rice cakes.

What you'll need

13 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.

0 of 13 ready

4 servings

Satay
Peanut sauce
To serve

Ingredients

Servings

Satay

Chicken, boneless thigh, cut into 2 cm pieces700 g
Kecap manis, 3 for the marinade, 2 for the sauce74 ml
Garlic, 3 crushed for the marinade, 2 for the sauce5 clove
Lime, juiced1
Neutral oil30 ml
Salt4.9 ml

Peanut sauce

Peanuts, roasted, skins rubbed off200 g
Fresh chilli, red, chopped3
Shallot, 1 for the sauce, 2 sliced thin to serve3
Palm sugar, grated30 ml
Tamarind, paste or pulp soaked and strained15 ml
Water, hot250 ml

To serve

Cucumber, chunks, to serve½

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

Step 1
Mix the chicken with 3 tablespoons of kecap manis, crushed garlic, lime juice, oil and salt. Marinate for at least an hour in the fridge. Soak 16 bamboo skewers in water.
10 min
Step 2
For the sauce, fry chilli, one shallot and 2 cloves of garlic in a little oil until soft, 3 minutes. Blitz with the peanuts to a coarse rubble.
6 min
Step 3
Return the peanut mix to the pan with palm sugar, tamarind, 2 tablespoons of kecap manis and the hot water. Simmer, stirring, until thick and the oil begins to show at the edges, 8 minutes. Season with salt.
8 min
Tip: It thickens as it cools. Leave it looser than you think.
Step 4
Thread 4 or 5 pieces of chicken onto each skewer, packed close so they stay juicy.
10 min
Step 5
Grill over hot charcoal or in a smoking grill pan, turning every minute and brushing with leftover marinade, until charred at the edges and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.
10 min
Watch: Kecap manis chars quickly. Keep turning and move skewers off the hottest spot once they colour.
Step 6
Spoon warm sauce over the skewers. Scatter sliced shallot, and serve cucumber and rice alongside with extra kecap manis.
2 min

Nutrition

Per serving · estimate

Calories: 771 kcal
Protein: 69.6 g
Carbs: 43.6 g
Fat: 37.1 g
Saturated fat: 5.5 g
Fibre: 5.6 g
Sugar: 30.1 g
Sodium: 1381 mg

Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.

Allergens

Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.

Peanuts
Soy
Wheat

Dairy-free

Adapt this recipe

The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.

Substitutions

Roasted peanuts → 150 g unsweetened crunchy peanut butter
Faster, smoother, a little flat. Add extra tamarind to lift it.

Tips

Soaked skewers still burn. Fold a strip of foil over the exposed ends.
Make the sauce a day ahead. It is better and you are not juggling two things over a fire.
Leftover sauce is gado-gado dressing tomorrow.

History & culture

Satay sellers fan charcoal braziers on pavements across Java at night, and the smell travels a street. It is a snack, a side, a party platter and a wedding dish. Madura, off East Java, is the island most associated with sate ayam, and Madurese vendors work across the country. Everyone has an opinion about the sauce.

Skewered grilled meat probably came to Java with Arab and Indian traders and their kebabs, and Javanese cooks swapped the spices for local ones and added peanuts, a New World crop. By the nineteenth century satay was everywhere in the archipelago and had spread to Malaysia, Singapore and the Netherlands.

Traditional — Charcoal is traditional. A ridged grill pan or oven grill gives less smoke but the same sauce.

Provenance: Editorial adaptation.

Questions about this recipe

Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.

How long does Sate ayam take?

1 hr 50 min all in — 30 min prep, 20 min cook, 1 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.

How many does it serve?

The recipe is written for 4 people. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.

How hard is it?

Easy.

How spicy is it?

Mild.

What allergens should I watch?

This recipe is labelled for Peanuts, Soy, Wheat. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.

Does it fit a diet?

The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free.

8 more questions

What does it cost to cook?

Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.

What equipment do I need?

Frying pan, Blender, Mixing bowl.

How much salt do I put in?

The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp.

What can I use instead?

Roasted peanuts → 150 g unsweetened crunchy peanut butter. Faster, smoother, a little flat. Add extra tamarind to lift it.

What should I watch for?

Kecap manis chars quickly. Keep turning and move skewers off the hottest spot once they colour.

Any tips from this recipe?

Soaked skewers still burn. Fold a strip of foil over the exposed ends. Make the sauce a day ahead. It is better and you are not juggling two things over a fire. Leftover sauce is gado-gado dressing tomorrow.

Can I prepare this ahead?

Make the sauce a day ahead. It is better and you are not juggling two things over a fire. Leftover sauce is gado-gado dressing tomorrow. Grill over hot charcoal or in a smoking grill pan, turning every minute and brushing with leftover marinade, until charred at the edges and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.

Can I use an air fryer?

This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.