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Grilled Chicken Satay

Malaysian chicken satay (satay ayam) features pieces of chicken coated in a deeply fragrant paste, skewered, and charred on the grill. This grilled chicken dish is deeply aromatic, gorgeously charred, fast to cook, and paired with a peanut sauce you'll want to eat by the spoonful.
Servings: 6
Author: America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients

Aromatic Paste:

  • 2 stalks lemongrass trimmed to bottom 6 inches
  • 3 shallots chopped (⅔ cup)
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
  • 3 cloves garlic chopped
  • 1 1-inch piece galangal peeled and minced
  • 1 1-inch piece ginger peeled and sliced into ⅛-inch-thick coins
  • 2 teaspoons table salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • ½ - ¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin

Peanut Sauce:

  • ⅓ cup dry-roasted peanuts
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • ¾ cup water plus extra as needed
  • 1 tablespoon tamarind juice concentrate
  • 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

Chicken:

  • 2 pounds boneless-skinless chicken thighs trimmed and cut crosswise into 1- to 1½-inch-wide strips
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Instructions

Make the aromatic paste:

  • Halve the lemongrass pieces lengthwise and, using meat pounder, lightly crush on cutting board to soften.
  • Mince the lemongrass and transfer to a food processor.
  • Add the shallots, water, oil, sugar, garlic, galangal, ginger, salt, turmeric, and pepper flakes and process until a uniform paste forms, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
  • Measure out ⅓ cup of paste and set aside.
  • Transfer the remaining paste to a bowl and stir in the coriander and cumin.
  • Cover the bowl and microwave the paste for 1½ minutes, stirring halfway through microwaving.
  • Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator and let the paste cool while preparing the sauce.

Prepare the peanut sauce:

  • Place the peanuts in the now-empty processor and process until coarsely ground, about 15 seconds.
  • Heat the oil and reserved ⅓ cup of paste in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until a fond begins to form on the bottom of the saucepan and the paste starts to darken, about 5 minutes.
  • Stir in the water, tamarind, sugar, and peanuts and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits.
  • Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is reduced to about 1 cup, 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Season with salt to taste, cover, and set aside.

Prepare the chicken:

  • Add the chicken to the cooled paste and toss to combine.
  • Thread the chicken onto 4 sets of two 12-inch metal skewers. (Hold 2 skewers 1 inch apart and thread chicken onto both skewers at once so strips of chicken are perpendicular to skewers.) Do not crowd skewers; each set of skewers should hold 6 to 8 pieces of chicken.
  • Transfer the kebabs to a large plate and refrigerate while preparing the grill. (Kebabs can be refrigerated for up to 4 hours.)

FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL:

  • Open the bottom vent completely.
  • Light a large chimney starter mounded with charcoal briquettes (7 quarts).
  • When the top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over the grill.
  • Set the cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely.
  • Heat the grill until hot, about 5 minutes.

FOR A GAS GRILL:

  • Turn all burners to high; cover; and heat the grill until hot, about 15 minutes.
  • Turn all burners to medium.

FOR THE BROILER:

  • The broiler should work. What you're really looking for is good char on the chicken so I'd recommend setting the oven rack to within about 6-8 inches of the broiler element, then place the chicken on a cooling rack set into a rimmed baking sheet so the underside of each piece stays dry and doesn't steam. Flip each piece once you see good charring on the top and continue to cook until they reach 175-180 degrees internal temperature.

Grill or broil the chicken:

  • Clean and oil the cooking grate.
  • Brush both sides of the kebabs with oil.
  • Place the kebabs on the grill, or under the broiler, and cook (covered if using gas) until browned and char marks appear on first side, about 5 minutes.
  • Using a large metal spatula, gently release the chicken from the grill; flip; and continue to cook until the chicken registers 175 to 180 degrees, 3 to 5 minutes longer.
  • Transfer to a large platter.

Finish the sauce and serve:

  • Gently reheat peanut sauce, thinning with extra water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to desired consistency.
  • Serve the chicken, passing the peanut sauce separately.

Notes

  • You will need eight 12-inch metal skewers for this recipe.
  • If galangal is unavailable, increase the ginger to one 1½-inch piece.
  • The aromatic paste can also be prepared using a mortar and pestle.
  • For a spicier dish, use the larger amount of red pepper flakes.
  • Use a Thai or Indonesian tamarind concentrate and not one from India, which is darker and has a more cooked flavor.
  • If you can't find tamarind concentrate substitute with equal parts lime juice.