Recipes > Malaysian Chicken Satays

Malaysian Chicken Satays

Details

These satays are quick to make and full of flavor. They are great as an appetizer or as an entrée.
  • Serves: 48 skewers
  • Active Time: 40 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hr
  • Views: 51,324
  • Success Rating: 96% (?)
    0% - I fed it to the dog
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Steps

Step 1: Marinating the Chicken

Marinating the Chicken
  • 1 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 4 large shallots
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 2 tbsp fresh ginger
  • 1 tbsp young ginger (or galangal)
  • 2 serrano peppers
  • 4 tbsp lemongrass
  • 4 tbsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)
  • 1 tbsp turmeric
  • 4 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 3 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
  • 3 tbsp water
  • 24 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 4 lb)

Method

To make the marinade, first toast the coriander and fennel seeds over medium heat. Set aside and let cool. Once the spices have cooled, transfer them to a food processor and pulse, until roughly ground.

Next, roughly chop the shallots, garlic, ginger, young ginger (or galangal), serrano peppers and add to the food processor. Blend everything together.

Finely mince the lemongrass, chop the palm sugar and add them to the food processor, along with the salt, turmeric, oil and water. Blend until you achieve a nice, thick paste.

For the chicken, trim off any excess fat or gristle. Cut each thigh into 2" -inch strips, lengthwise. Add the chicken to the marinade and fold everything together. Allow to marinate for up to 4 hours.

This is a good time to soak the skewers, but it’s even better to soak them overnight.

Step 2: Cooking the Satays

Cooking the Satays
  • 48 skewers

Method

Soak the skewers in water for at least an hour, ideally overnight.

Thread the chicken onto the skewers prior to cooking. Once done, set the skewers aside while you heat the grill. Heat the grill to medium-high and lightly grease with oil. Cook the chicken on the first side until the meat starts to cook and turns white around the edges. Then lightly brush the top side with a bit more oil and flip. This should take about 5 to 7 minutes per side. Serve

Chef's Notes

These skewers make a great addition to any party! They cook quickly, they are the perfect balance of sweet and spicy and any food served on a stick is just plain fun!

These satays are great to make ahead of time and freeze. Just lay them out raw onto a baking tray, covered in plastic wrap and place into the freezer. Once frozen transfer to a large freezer-proof container. They will keep for quite a while in the freezer and they are quick to defrost for an impromptu barbeque with friends. If you don’t have a grill or barbeque, you can bake in a 375° degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

For a nice light meal, serve these delicious satays with Coconut Infused Pandan Rice and a Cucumber Sunomono Salad.

18 Comments

  • Alex N
    Alex N
    We all love the experience of being catered to at a good restaurant and not having to clean up. But what about the experience of creating a result like the one this recipe will give you...minor clean up, major taste and truly great cooking tips you can use in many other recipes. Let's not forget the cool music and how about the voice behind it all. Who is this amazing woman anyway? I wish she was the voicemail lady. Life would be more tasty. I am making this recipe right now. I hope you will take the time to find all the ingredients. Some recipes are easy when it comes to substituting ingredients. This one should be followed carefully. You'll be happy with the result. My place smells awesome already and I haven't started grilling! Now, can we get the Rouxbe lady to say "Just set them aside to let them cool" a few more times.....
  • Fatima V
    Fatima V
    I found this recipe very good my family loved it.
  • Kamal S
    Kamal S
    Davina made this for us she's the best cook!!!! ;)
  • Dee F
    Dee F
    We made these for a barbecue and they were really good. Made them in the morning and then just threw them onto the barbecue once the party got started. Thanks!
  • Abigail S
    Abigail S
    We made this today to serve two families (7 people total). I ended up with about forty chicken sticks and wondered what I was thinking. I should have saved this recipe for a bigger party. Well, turns out I should have made a third more. The 6- and 7- year olds went crazy over them and each had 9 sticks, and wanted more! The rest were gone in the blink of an eye. The cool thing about the sticks was you could see who was sneaking the most. :) The kids and grown-ups both said, "This is the best satay I've ever had!!" The cucumber salad was also a big hit and a great compliment to the satay. Next time we'll try the coconut rice as well. Mmm - thanks. Can't wait to make these again.
  • Refie R
    Refie R
    This Satays are delicious to eat with Malaysian Peanut sauce as dipping together with cucumbers, onion and cube sticky rice!
  • Khanh V
    Khanh V
    Great video and i like her voice too.
  • Chris C
    Chris C
    Made this for 6 people with the coconut rice and cucumber salad. Everyone loved it; as good as going out to eat. We ate it all.
  • Liz S
    Liz S
    These satays were delicious. The cucumbers complimented the chicken very well. Instead of cutting the thighs in strips, my husband flattened the thighs a bit and used bigger pieces using 2 skewers for each piece. This is one of the best satays we have made and highly recommend it.
  • Juzaila M
    Juzaila M
    this recipe is great. All the flavors combined ends up with amazing dish.
  • Tricia R
    Tricia R
    Wow! I just made these tonight as a practice run for dinner with friends tomorrow. These are amazing! I've never had such a unique combination of flavors. For the practice run, I skipped the skewers and just grilled these babies on my cast iron skillet and served it with brown rice. I loved the little bit of char that the sugar gives the chicken. Great smoky flavor! Now that I have all the spices I'll be making this time and time again. Yummo!
  • Rebecca B
    Rebecca B
    I made this last weekend for a BBQ. I admit I was a bit concerned with the flavor profile because the marinade seemed a little heavy in the shallot department. I usually make my marinades with finely minced sweet onion. The shallots seemed to impart a bitter taste to the marinade. I marinated for just 4 hours, as the recipe recommended. (When using other recipes, I frequently marinade for a much longer time.) The shorter marinade time may be why the bitter component did not carry through to the finished product. Overall, I quite liked this recipe. However, I would be wary of keeping the chicken in the marinade for much more than the recommended time.
  • Cintia A
    Cintia A
    Hi, can I make this recipe in the oven with a grill pan?
  • Eric W Rouxbe Staff
    Eric W
    Cintia, Yes, you sure can! ~Eric
  • Inbal F
    Inbal F
    Would you recommend using this marinade for either shrimp or tofu?
  • Char N Rouxbe Staff
    Char N
    Hi Inbal: Absolutely. It is delicious on either. I also use it for grilling vegetables. Thanks for writing! Cheers, Char
  • Inbal F
    Inbal F
    Thanks for your reply, how long do you think I can marinate the shrimp?
  • Char N Rouxbe Staff
    Char N
    Hello Inbal: Because this marinade is acid free, you can marinate more an hour or more in the refrigerator. However, not more than 8 hours. Hope this helps. -Char

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