Grilled Skewered Chicken with Peanut Sauce: Indonesian Style

Summary: Indonesian-style chicken satay is all about deeply marinated, smoky grilled chicken and a lush peanut sauce, styled to share. With a smart make-ahead marinade and a thoughtful platter, it turns an ordinary evening into a relaxed, resort-level supper.

The Essence of Indonesian Chicken Satay

Indonesian chicken satay, or sate ayam, is grilled, skewered chicken served with a peanut-based sauce and a splash of sweet soy. Writers from Food52 and Serious Eats trace its roots to Madura and Java, where charcoal smoke and kecap manis define the flavor.

Think of it as the “five S’s” in one bite: spiced, spicy, sweet, sour, and strong, as nutrition researchers at Colorado State describe Indonesian cuisine. The chicken brings savoriness, the marinade adds warm spices, and the peanut sauce finishes with gentle heat and tang.

For home entertaining, it behaves beautifully: skewers are easy to pass, eat, and style on a platter, yet hearty enough to be a main when paired with jasmine rice and crisp vegetables.

Smart Prep: Marinade, Skewers, and Safety

For tender, forgiving satay, choose boneless, skinless chicken thighs—about 2 lb—for their higher fat and juiciness. Serious Eats and The Curry Guy both favor dark meat because it stays succulent even when well charred.

Build a simple Indonesian-inspired marinade: sweet soy sauce (kecap manis), minced garlic, ground coriander and cumin, a little turmeric, a touch of white pepper, and a squeeze of lime or tamarind for acidity. Sources from Erwina And The Boys to Dan Toombs suggest at least 2 hours of marinating; overnight is ideal if you have the time.

Soak bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes, then thread 4–5 pieces of chicken per skewer, packed fairly snug so they self-baste. Grill over medium-high heat, turning often, and brush with extra kecap manis for a glossy, smoky finish.

For food safety, FoodSafety.gov recommends cooking all poultry to 165°F; use a thermometer rather than guessing by color. Discard any marinade that touched raw chicken, and make a fresh splash of sweet soy and lime for the table.

Quick grill cues:

• Aim for coals that are mostly gray and glowing, not flaming.
• If using gas, preheat well and close the lid for even heat.
• Pull skewers once the thickest piece hits 165°F and juices run clear.

Peanut Sauce, Two Ways

Traditional Indonesian peanut sauce often starts with raw or fried peanuts, garlic, chilies, palm sugar, tamarind, and sweet soy sauce, sometimes enriched with coconut milk. Erwina’s recipe and Dutch-Indonesian cooks on YouTube both emphasize blooming the spice paste in hot fat before thinning it.

For weeknights, several cooks (including The Curry Guy and Jess Pryles) use natural peanut butter as a shortcut. Look for a jar that lists only peanuts and perhaps salt. Warm it gently with coconut milk, kecap manis, a spoon of sambal or chili flakes, lime juice, and a pinch of sugar until it flows like heavy cream.

Nuance: purists argue whole peanuts give the best flavor, but in testing, a good natural peanut butter version was nearly as aromatic and far faster—worth it for busy evenings.

Make the sauce a day or two ahead, cool, and refrigerate. Before serving, loosen it with a splash of hot water or coconut milk so guests can easily dip without fighting a thick paste.

Plating the Perfect Satay Spread

For a table that feels quietly luxurious, choose a wide, low platter in matte white, charcoal, or soft stone; it gives the caramelized chicken and amber sauce room to shine. If you can, lay a trimmed banana leaf or a bed of dark greens underneath for a subtle resort cue.

Fan the skewers in a single layer, all handles pointing to one side like sunrays so guests can grab without crossing hands. Nestle a small bowl of peanut sauce at one corner, and another tiny dish of kecap manis with lime and sliced chilies—a nod to the sambal and sweet soy pairings you see in Indonesian homes.

Tabletop tips:

• Use shorter skewers for seated dinners so they fit comfortably on standard dinner plates.
• Offer small side bowls for sauce to keep plates tidy.
• Add a shallow bowl of sliced cucumbers and shallots for brightness and crunch.

Make It Weeknight-Friendly

Treat the marinade and sauce as your “prep day” pieces. Marinate chicken up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate; you can also freeze raw marinated skewers for later in the month, then thaw overnight in the fridge before grilling.

On the day you serve, you are mostly assembling: 10 minutes to preheat the grill and skewer the chicken if needed, about 15 minutes to cook, and 5 minutes to style the platter. You are looking at roughly 30 minutes of hands-on time for something that feels like a holiday cookout.

Round out the table with jasmine rice, a simple cucumber salad, and perhaps some grilled tempeh or vegetables for a nod to Indonesia’s plant-forward sides. For a calming finish, many cooks enjoy lemongrass tea; herbal educators at ACHS highlight its aromatic, soothing qualities—even if you are simply sipping it while the last skewers leave the grill.

References

1. https://www.academia.edu/37613092/The_Food_of_Indonesia
2. https://www.foodsafety.gov/blog/how-grill-safely-summer
3. https://achs.edu/blog/cooking-with-lemongrass-for-flavor-and-health/
4. https://apa.si.edu/picklesandtea/5-asian-secrets-to-tender-flavorful-grilled-meat/
5. https://www.chhs.colostate.edu/krnc/monthly-blog/global-cuisine-series-exploring-indonesian-cuisine/