Satay is marinated thin strips of meat, skewered and grilled over wood or charcoal. Often associated with Thai food, satay’s real origin is Indonesia. Skewered meat or shish kabob was introduced to Indonesia by the Arabs around the 19th century. Its popularity spread from Indonesia into other neighboring Southeast Asian countries. Beef and chicken were mainly used for satay. Nowadays, one can use just about anything that can be marinated and threaded onto skewers. If chicken is unavailable, substitute with pork, shrimp, or tofu. Satay gets its nice yellow tint from tumeric. Common spices used to make satay are turmeric, cumin, coriander, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, galanga, fish sauce, soy sauce, palm sugar, and lime juice. My recipe is Thai based satay infused with Indian spices.
The idea to serve chicken satay in a hotdog bun came from my friend Erik. While Erik was grilling the satay, I happened to glance over as he placed a hotdog bun on the grill and I blurted out, “You better put another bun on for me!” That’s how the chicken satay sandwich came about. I didn’t get a chance to garnish my sandwich because we were experimenting. Next time, I would add diced tomatoes, onions, cilantro and a squirt of Sriracha sauce. If satay is a dish you really like, then you’re not going to want to pass on trying this dish.
serves 6-8
| 2½ | lbs. boneless chicken thighs – slice into long bite-size pieces |
| 1½ | cups coconut milk |
| 4 | large cloves garlic – chopped, then pound using mortar & pestle or food processor |
| 1 | lemongrass (3 inch lower, light parts only) – sliced into thin rounds, then pound using mortar & pestle or food processor |
| 1 | tsp. fresh grated galanga |
| 1 | Tbsp. Madras curry powder |
| 1 | tsp. garam masala |
| 1½ | tsp. tamarind concentrate (or substitute with lime juice) |
| ½ | tsp. kosher salt |
| 1 | tsp. palm sugar (or substitute with brown sugar) |
| 1 | tsp. fish sauce |
| ¼ | raw peanuts – dry roasted, then ground |
1. chicken thighs
Slice chicken thighs into long bite-size pieces. Place sliced chicken into 1 gallon freezer bag (“marinade bag”).
2. remaining ingredients
Add remaining ingredients into marinade bag. Squeeze air out of freezer bag before closing. Shake bag well to make sure marinade evenly covers chicken. For best result, let marinade sit in refrigerator overnight before grilling.
3. final step
For grilling outdoors – soak skewers in water for 1 hour, thread chicken half way on skewers, grill chicken for 6-8 minutes on each side. The chicken should be slightly charred but not burnt. For grilling indoors using broiler – on high, cook each side for 6 minutes. Serve as is, with jasmine rice, or in a grilled hot dog bun!
16 Responses to “Chicken Satay Sandwich (with Indian spices)”
on May 31st, 2010 at 10:20 pm Said:
those skerwers look absolutely delicious! And the pics are stunning.
on May 31st, 2010 at 10:25 pm Said:
that is a great looking sandwich!!
on June 1st, 2010 at 12:02 am Said:
Thanks, Chef Dennis! What a wonderful mural your girls painted for you
on June 1st, 2010 at 4:59 am Said:
I’ll definitely make this for my boyfriend soon – he LOVES satay. The combination of spicies sounds absolutely wonderful!
on June 1st, 2010 at 5:58 am Said:
This looks so good!
on June 2nd, 2010 at 11:55 pm Said:
Cannellette – Thank you! I hope your boyfriend likes the recipe
on June 2nd, 2010 at 11:56 pm Said:
Thank you, Cherine!
on June 4th, 2010 at 5:12 pm Said:
Wow Linda, this looks ridiculously good. I’ve always loved Thai food and satay (we love pork satay the most), but I lived in Malaysia for four months when I was 19 and ate the most wonderful food there. When I came back to London I had a huge craving for REAL satay, served with rice cubes, cucumber, red onion and peanut sauce and luckily managed to find a good Malaysian restaurant to satisfy the urge.
Your chicken satay looks so moist and delicious that I’m going to have to try it out!
Jax x
on June 5th, 2010 at 1:29 am Said:
Many thanks, Jax! This is my twist on Thai satay. I usually make a peanut dipping sauce and cucumber salad to go along with the satay, but I decided to make it richer with more flavor so you wouldn’t need the dipping sauce.
Use chicken thighs if you want a moist satay
Hope you and your boyfriend enjoy it. Cheers to good food!
on June 6th, 2010 at 4:30 pm Said:
And it is lunch time here and now I am STARVING seeing this post. Great idea for serving to as a sandwich.
on June 7th, 2010 at 12:13 am Said:
thanks, Evelyne!
on June 11th, 2010 at 3:13 am Said:
this chicken satay looks amazing! I kind of want to make this and combine it with some pickled carrots (Vietnamese style) mmmm soo hungry now!
on June 13th, 2010 at 1:44 pm Said:
Thanks, Patrick. Yup, I bet it would be good pickled carrots.
on June 22nd, 2010 at 10:56 pm Said:
Those look delicious! I have very frequently been disappointed by satay in the US. Looking at the recipe I have a good guess as to why (a lot of ingredients that require some work to get). Thanks for sharing!
on September 17th, 2010 at 8:54 am Said:
Your chicken satay looks wonderful and I love all the Indian spices.
on September 22nd, 2010 at 11:40 pm Said:
Thank you
I hope you try the recipe.
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