Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce and Quick Acar

Name: Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce and Quick Acar
Prep time: 75 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Malaysian
Ingredients: 600 g boneless skinless chicken breast; 200 ml coconut milk; 2 piece lemongrass stalks; 4 clove garlic; 3 piece shallots; 1 tbsp ground coriander; 1 tsp ground cumin; 0.5 tsp ground turmeric; 1 tbsp brown sugar; 1 tbsp light soy sauce; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 0.5 tsp salt; 0.25 tsp black pepper; 12 piece bamboo skewers; 140 g roasted peanuts; 120 ml coconut milk; 1 tbsp light soy sauce; 1 tbsp palm sugar; 1 tbsp tamarind paste; 1 tsp chili paste; 0.5 tsp salt; 1 tbsp lime juice; 15 ml water; 1 piece cucumber; 1 piece small red onion; 3 tbsp white vinegar; 1 tbsp sugar; 0.5 tsp salt; 2 cup cooked jasmine rice

Malaysian-style grilled chicken skewers (satay) marinated with lemongrass and coconut, served with a rich peanut sauce and a quick cucumber-onion acar — protein-forward and great for training meal prep.

1 hr 30 min

start to finish

1 hr 15 min

hands on

Some skill

difficulty

servings

4 servings

Ingredients

For the peanut sauce

140 g roasted peanutsunsalted
120 ml coconut milk
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp palm sugaror brown sugar
1 tbsp tamarind pastedissolved in 1 tbsp warm water
1 tsp chili pasteor 1 small bird's eye chili, minced (optional)(optional)
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp lime juicefresh
15 ml waterto thin, add more as needed

To serve (optional)

2 cup cooked jasmine riceor compressed rice cakes (ketupat)(optional)

Contains peanut, soy. Cooking for an allergy? Check the label on every packet you use — brands differ, and we can only tell you what the recipe calls for.

Roughly, per serving

480 kcal42g protein18g carbs28g fat

An estimate, not a lab analysis.

Method

Soak the bamboo skewers in water to prevent burning.
Make the marinade by combining coconut milk, minced lemongrass, garlic, shallots, ground coriander, cumin, turmeric, brown sugar, light soy sauce, vegetable oil, salt and pepper in a bowl; whisk until smooth.
Place the chicken strips in a large bowl or zip-top bag and pour the marinade over them; toss to coat all pieces evenly.
Marinate at least 1 hour in the fridge; up to 6 hours for deeper flavor.
Thread 3–4 chicken strips onto each soaked skewer, leaving a little space between pieces.
Prepare the peanut sauce: pulse the roasted peanuts in a food processor until coarse (small chunks remain).
Transfer crushed peanuts to a small saucepan with coconut milk, light soy sauce, palm sugar, dissolved tamarind, chili paste if using, and salt; stir to combine and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
Simmer the sauce, stirring frequently, until it thickens slightly (it should coat the back of a spoon); if the sauce is too thick, stir in 1–2 tbsp water.
Remove the peanut sauce from heat and stir in the lime juice; taste and adjust sugar, salt or lime as needed.
Make the quick acar by tossing the sliced cucumber and red onion with vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl; let rest to pickle briefly.
The vegetables don't need long—10 minutes gives brightness; you can refrigerate up to 2 hours.
Preheat a grill, grill pan, or broiler to high and lightly oil the grate or pan.
Grill the skewers, turning once, until chicken is cooked through and lightly charred at the edges (internal temperature 74°C / 165°F).
Cook times vary with heat; aim for 3–5 minutes per side on a hot grill.
Transfer the skewers to a plate and let rest for 3–5 minutes before serving.
Serve chicken satay with warm rice (optional), generous spoonfuls of peanut sauce, and the quick acar on the side.

Worth knowing

If you don't have roasted peanuts, roast raw peanuts in a dry pan until golden and let cool before processing.
Lemongrass can be substituted with 1 tbsp commercial lemongrass paste; trim tough outer layers if using stalks.
For meal prep, keep skewers, sauce and pickles in separate airtight containers in the fridge up to 3 days; reheat skewers briefly under a broiler or in a hot pan.
To make this gluten-free, use tamari in place of light soy sauce and check kecap manis substitutions.

Make it yours

Cooking without dairy, without an oven, for someone who won't touch chilli, or for six instead of four? Have the recipe rewritten around it — quantities, steps and all.

High proteinMeal prep

More Malaysian cooking

An original Restaurant Pro recipe — our own composition in the idiom of Malaysian cooking, not any restaurant's recipe.