Chicken Satay
Turmeric-marinated grilled chicken skewers with peanut sauce.
Ingredients
- 600 g Chicken
- 1 tin Coconut milk
- 2 Lemongrass
- 1 tsp Ground turmeric
- 100 g Peanuts
- 2 tbsp Red curry paste
- 2 tbsp Fish sauce
- 2 tbsp Palm sugar (optional)
Method
- Slice the chicken into strips, crush the lemongrass with the flat of a knife to release its aroma, and stir together a marinade of half the coconut milk, the lemongrass, and the turmeric.
- Rest the chicken in the marinade for at least 20 minutes, then thread it onto skewers.
- While the chicken marinates, blend the peanuts to a paste with the red curry paste, the rest of the coconut milk, the fish sauce, and palm sugar, then warm through in a small pan over low heat until thick.
- Grill the skewers over high heat, turning, until charred at the edges and cooked through.
- Serve the satay with the warm peanut sauce.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Chicken Satay
Chicken satay is a Southeast Asian street-food staple of marinated, grilled meat threaded onto skewers, served here in its Thai form with a rich peanut sauce. The marinade is what gives the chicken its character: coconut milk for tenderness and richness, turmeric for color and earthy warmth, and crushed lemongrass for its citrusy, floral perfume. Grilled over high heat until the edges char, the strips take on a smoky bitterness that plays against their sweet, coconut-scented interior. The accompanying sauce, built from ground peanuts, red curry paste, more coconut milk, fish sauce, and palm sugar, is at once nutty, salty, sweet, and gently spiced.
Satay is classic party and appetizer food, meant to be picked up by the skewer and dipped, which makes it ideal for grilling season and gatherings. The chicken benefits from marinating for at least twenty minutes, and the sauce can be made while it rests, so the active work is minimal despite the impressive result. Traditionally it's served with cucumber relish or rice cakes alongside the peanut sauce to cut the richness. It scales easily for a crowd and works as a shared starter or, with rice and vegetables, a full meal.
Chicken Satay: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Chicken Satay?
A serving has about 506 calories — 24.6g protein, 17.4g carbs, 38.4g fat, 3.4g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Chicken Satay gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Chicken Satay has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
How long does Chicken Satay take to make?
About 40 minutes start to finish, but only around 26 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Chicken Satay?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out palm sugar — it's optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Chicken Satay make?
This recipe makes 6 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.