This post Satay Chicken With Peanut Sauce (Indonesian/Bali), was last updated in 2022.
Satay Chicken is a popular South East Asian dish. This Indonesian version is the easiest, you can get everything you need from the supermarket and it is SO tasty. This peanut sauce makes a thick and creamy dip sauce, but not a thin one. Because I love to DOLOP the sauce!
Satay Chicken may be more popular than Thai or Malaysian. It actually comes from Indonesia. There are many variations of chicken satay, just like all other popular dishes. I’d like to share all the popular ones with you eventually – Thai, Malaysian and even the Singaporean version. It would be great to start with the original. It is the easiest – the Indonesian version.
When I was comparing the various satay chicken recipes I’ve used in the past, I realised that though they had some similarities, they are actually made very differently. Although none of them are difficult to make, many require multiple ingredients. What can I say? many, I’m not exaggerating. Malaysian Satay Chicken needs 25+ ingredients32 is the number I use. The Thai version doesn’t require quite as many, but not far off, especially if you make it using homemade red curry paste (worth every ounce of effort).
The Indonesian version however requires much less. Just as tasty as the other versions – just different. As my sister always says – “same, same…but DIFFERENT!”.
The Peanut Sauce I use in this recipe is not a 100% authentic Indonesian recipe, However, There are good reasons. The traditional Indonesian peanut paste is made with peanuts, sweet sauce (kecap manis), chillies and shallots. It is not cooked; it is simply ground into a thick paste.
My conviction is that Indonesian peanuts taste different from Australian peanuts. Because every single time I have tried the traditional recipe, the ground peanuts come out kind of “gritty”, like desiccated coconut. It is not as creamy as the sauce you find in Indonesian restaurants or in Indonesia. I think I ate satay almost every day while I was in Bali! I tried it numerous ways – using a mortar and pestle (the traditional way – it’s tiring!I tried it with a food processor, a blender stick and a food processor. None of these worked.
For the purpose of sharing this recipe with you, I tried the original yet again and it still didn’t work. I have a few peanut sauce recipes I use regularly – a Vietnamese one (I shared this in the Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls recipe), a Thai one (I’ll share this one day!This one, which I created myself, is a Malaysian version (which takes longer to prepare and is the most complicated). It is a mish mash of all these recipes!
This peanut sauce is made using store bought peanut butter. This peanut sauce is not original. But don’t be a snob! It’s flavoured with “real” Indonesian flavours so it doesn’t taste “westernised”. And it’s FAST and EASY to make.
I bet that Indonesian restaurants use at least some peanut butter in their satay sauce…..he he! 😉
– Nagi
Chicken on sticks is always a good thing!
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Pineapple Coconut Hawaiian Chicken Skewers
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Honey Sriracha Chicken Skewers
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Thai Chicken Satay With Peanut Sauce
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Chicken Souvlaki (Greek)
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Yakitori (Japanese skewers) – on my mother’s Japanese cooking website, RecipeTin Japan!
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Satay Chicken served with Restaurant Style Peanut Sauce (Indonesian/Bali Style)
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 lb /500g Chicken thigh fillets (skinless and bonesless)
- 2 1/2 tbsp Kecap Manis (thick sweet soy sauce – see Note 1)
- 1 tbsp Butter without salt , melted
- 12 – 14 Bamboo skewers for small hands Soak in water for at minimum 30 minutes
Peanut Sauce
- 1 tbsp Use cooking oil (peanut, canola, vegetable)
- 2 Garlic cloves , minced
- 1 small, 1/2 large Onion , diced red, brown, yellow, or wilted
- 3 Birds eye chillis , sliced (or sub- with hot sauce).
- 1/2 Cup Peanut butter (smoothed or crunchy)
- 1 Cup coconut milk (Full fat is better but it’s okay to eat light)
- 2 1/2 tbsp Kecap Manis (Note 1)
- 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 Cup Peanuts, roasted unsalted You can either buy crushed or chop it yourself
- 1 – 2 tbsp Fresh lime juice
Garnish (optional).
- Crushed peanuts
- Lime wedges
- Sliced shallots/scallions
Instructions
Chicken
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Cut the chicken into pieces of 1.5 cm/0.5 inch. Thread the chicken onto skewers, 4 to 5 pieces per piece
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Blend butter and kecapmanis, then apply to chicken.
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You can cook the skewers on a barbecue (outdoor grill), or on the stove in large nonstick fry pans. Make sure to add a bit of oil and that the skewers fit into the pan. You could also grill or broil them.
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Serve garnished with crushed peanuts, shallots, and lime wedges with Peanut Sauce.
Peanut Sauce
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In a small saucepan, heat oil on medium heat. Stir in the garlic, onion, and chillis. Cook for 3 minutes or until translucent.
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Heat heat to medium. Add peanut butter, coconut cream, kecapmanis, soy sauce, and salt. Let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Puree the onions and chilli using a stick. Blend in the crushed peanuts and lime juice. Let simmer for 2 minutes. Allow it to cool to room temperature before serving.
Notes for Recipes
2. Make sure to cool the sauce before you blend it in a blender. It will explode if you begin whizzing it, and the sauce will splash everywhere. This was my mistake. 🙂
3. The traditional Indonesian satay peanut recipe does not turn out as smooth and rich as you would expect. It comes out more like it has desiccated Coconut in it. It could be that peanuts from Australia are different. It takes a lot of effort to grind the peanuts into a paste. A food processor is not an option. This peanut butter recipe is my own creation. This recipe is richly flavoured with other ingredients, so it tastes exactly like the food you would get in a restaurant.
If you’re interested in trying this authentic Indonesian Peanut Sauce recipe, here it is: 100g roasted unsalted nuts, 3 to 5 birds eyes chillies, 50ml kecapmanis, 3 to 4 shallots/scallions sliced, and 1 tbsp lime. Combine all ingredients and season with salt. Then, serve.
4. This recipe makes a lot more Peanut Sauce than you need. It’s difficult to make a smaller batch. This sauce is delicious with rice and steamed vegetables. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can refresh any leftover peanut sauce by adding a few drops of fresh lime juice.
5. Below are the nutritional facts for chicken skewer (Peanut Sauce).
Nutrition for Peanut Sauce Based on my estimate that one batch will make 3 batches of chicken-skewers,
Nutrition Information:
