Satay Ayam (Chicken Satay)

Name: Satay Ayam (Chicken Satay)
Total time: PT0D0H0M
Yield: makes 30 Skewers
Ingredients: 1 ⁄ 3 cup peanut oil; 1 ⁄ 4 cup dark brown sugar; 1 tbsp. ground coriander; 2 1 ⁄ 2 tsp. ground turmeric; 1 1 ⁄ 2 tsp. ground fennel; 1 1 ⁄ 2 tsp. kosher salt; 6 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and chopped, plus 1 stalk, whole; 3 cloves garlic, peeled; 3 large shallots, chopped; 1 (5") piece ginger, sliced; 3 1 ⁄ 2 lb. skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1"-wide, ¼"-thick slices; 30 (8") bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes

Serves
makes 30 Skewers

TODD COLEMAN

Infused with traditional Indonesian spices—lemongrass, garlic, ginger—these fragrant chicken skewers are adapted from a recipe that appeared in SAVEUR No. 138 (May 2011). Most recently, this recipe ran in our Jan/Feb 2014 SAVEUR 100 issue with the article 20 Years of SAVEUR: The World of Satay.

Ingredients

¹⁄₃ cup peanut oil
¹⁄₄ cup dark brown sugar
1 tbsp. ground coriander
2 ¹⁄₂ tsp. ground turmeric
1 ¹⁄₂ tsp. ground fennel
1 ¹⁄₂ tsp. kosher salt
6 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and chopped, plus 1 stalk, whole
3 cloves garlic, peeled
3 large shallots, chopped
1 (5") piece ginger, sliced
3 ¹⁄₂ lb. skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1"-wide, ¼"-thick slices
30 (8") bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes

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Instructions

Step 1

Purée 2 tbsp. oil, the sugar, coriander, turmeric, fennel, salt, chopped lemongrass, garlic, shallots, and ginger in a food processor until smooth. Transfer paste to a bowl and add chicken; toss to combine. Cover with plastic wrap; chill 4 hours. Trim the root end of the stalk of lemongrass and using a meat mallet, smash until it splits into threads resembling a brush; place "brush" end in a bowl and pour in remaining oil.

Step 2

Heat a charcoal grill or set a gas grill to medium-high. (Alternatively, heat a grill pan over medium-high heat.) Thread 2 pieces of chicken onto each skewer; grill, turning once, and brushing often with oil using lemongrass brush, until charred, 5-6 minutes.

Purée 2 tbsp. oil, the sugar, coriander, turmeric, fennel, salt, chopped lemongrass, garlic, shallots, and ginger in a food processor until smooth. Transfer paste to a bowl and add chicken; toss to combine. Cover with plastic wrap; chill 4 hours. Trim the root end of the stalk of lemongrass and using a meat mallet, smash until it splits into threads resembling a brush; place "brush" end in a bowl and pour in remaining oil.
Heat a charcoal grill or set a gas grill to medium-high. (Alternatively, heat a grill pan over medium-high heat.) Thread 2 pieces of chicken onto each skewer; grill, turning once, and brushing often with oil using lemongrass brush, until charred, 5-6 minutes.