Malaysian Chicken Satay

5 from 3 votes

Craving a taste of Malaysia's vibrant street food culture? This Malaysian chicken satay is calling your name! Imagine juicy, succulent, marinated chicken skewers paired with a creamy peanut sauce that'll make your mouth water. And guess what? You don't even need a grill to cook these beauties. Perfect for any occasion, this easy-to-make satay will have you feeling like a culinary rockstar. Let’s bring a little piece of Malaysia into your kitchen tonight!

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Marinate Time8

Servings: satays

Author: Bea & Marco

Ingredients

Paste

1 red onion , cut into chunks
6 garlic cloves
1 lemongrass , white part only, sliced
2 inches galangal , sliced
2 inches ginger , sliced

Spices

2 tablespoon coriander powder
1 tablespoon fennel powder
1 tablespoon cumin powder
3 tablespoon coconut sugar
2 tablespoon oil
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon turmeric powder

Main

2 lb (900 g) skinless boneless chicken thighs , cut into 1½-inch cubes

Instructions

Marinade

Add all the paste ingredients (onion, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, and ginger) to a chopper, and blend into a fine texture.
Pour into a big container together with all the spices ingredients (coconut sugar, oil, salt, turmeric, coriander, fennel, and cumin powder). Mix well. Add in the chicken pieces and mix everything until the chicken is well coated with the marinade.
Cover with a cling film and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Prepare The Chicken

Soak the wooden skewers in water for 10 minutes. Weave the chicken pieces through the skewers. Let the chicken come to room temperature before cooking.

Cook In Air-Fryer Or Oven

Using the Air-fry function, preheat the air-fryer to 400ºF (20ºC), or 430ºF (220ºC) for an oven. Place the satay, spray with some oil, and cook for 15 minutes. Flip them at minute 10.
Using the Grill function, preheat the air fryer to 360ºF (180ºC). Place the satay, spray with oil, and cook for 10 minutes. Flip them halfway through.

Cook In A Pan

Heat a pan on medium-high heat with a bit of oil. Place the chicken in, and cook for 8-10 minutes for whole chicken thighs, and 6-8 minutes for chicken pieces, flipping them halfway through.

Notes

Use chicken thighs. You'll get a more flavorful and juicy satay compared to chicken breasts.
Soak the wooden skewers. This will prevent them from getting burnt in the cooking process. 10 minutes in the water is enough.
Marinade. Give time for the spice blend to infuse into the chicken, to create delicious succulent satays. A minimum of 4 hours should do it, preferably overnight.
Doable without skewers. You can cook the chicken thighs whole or in smaller pieces without the skewers. Whole chicken thighs take a few minutes longer naturally. The chicken satay will still taste fantastic!
It is doable without a grill. You can cook this Malaysian chicken satay in an air-fryer, oven, or pan. They'll still have beautiful charred marks with succulent meat!

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