How to make chicken satay over stovetop using a grilling pan.

A stove top grilling pan recipe that will give you juicy, tender chicken satay skewers every single time with all the flavors locked in.

The chicken satay, chicken kebabs or chicken skewers as some of you might call it, are marinated in tamarind, cumin powder, coriander powder, garlic, onion that is blended to make a flavorful chicken marinade.

This satay marinade adds a unique taste and makes an ideal easy grilled chicken satay to serve at barbecue and picnic parties.

How to make chicken satay/chicken kebabs at home.

There are so many chicken satay recipes out there, varying from ingredients, to countries from South Eastasia to the middle east.

It’s worth exploring because each of these chicken skewers is different yet can have the same components, like using bamboo skewers, charcoal to grill and certain spices. 

Chicken satay is an ideal and popular street food in most south-east Asian countries.

You might have seen long rows of satay under a long grill with hot charcoals over which chicken satay is mass-produced in minutes to keep up with the demand.

Well, now you can recreate the same chicken satay kebabs you’ve tried at restaurants or at street food fairs.

They are easy to make and you can definitely make a big batch of these chicken satays at home to satisfy everyone’s craving because grilling a handful of these is just not going to be enough.

baking the chicken skewers instead of grilling them.

You can certainly use an oven grill to make these satays but there is a reason I’m using the stovetop method and that is,

1/ I can control the temperature, reducing and increasing the heat as I need, this helps me not to overcook them.

2/ The other reason I’m using the stovetop-grill pan method is that the chicken satay needs to be turned frequently so all sides get an equal amount of time to cook.

So making them over the stove, on a grill pan lets me do that instead of constantly opening the oven doors to check on the chicken.

Third, it’s easier than using the oven to grill since you actually see the meat grilling, you have control over how long each piece will need to cook and take out the ones that are already done. 

Utensils needed to make these grilled chicken satay.

You can use any type of stovetop grilling pan out there, I’m using an Ikea grilling pan, the advantage of using the latter is because I can do 6-8 chicken satays at the same time.

If you decide to use an IKEA grilling pan like mine, there’s one thing you should be aware of and that is,

Since the pan is rectangular in shape the heat from the stove is centered in the middle and the chicken skewers placed in the middle grill faster than the ones on the sides.

The easiest way to deal with this is to move the grilled skewers in the middle once they are halfway done and replace them with the ones that were on the sides.

Do this a couple of times and you should be fine.

How many pieces of chicken cubes in a bamboo stick?

4 is the amount.

If the chicken cubes are smaller you can thread in 5 but the ideal amount would be 4.

Keep in mind, that you should leave enough of the bamboo to hold as well.

What size should I cut the chicken cubes for the satay?

Try to cut them in the exact size and cut them into 1-inch-1 and 1/2 inch pieces.

Preparing the bamboo sticks to make the chicken satay.

This is crucial, you need to soak the bamboo at least 20-30 minutes.

SAVE THE RECIPE TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!

Tips on how to grill the BEST chicken satays.

• before you start grilling the chicken, they need to be at room temperature.
  
• having the correct grilling temperature is key– you know you have the correct grilling temperature when you hear that sizzle once the chicken skewers hit the surface of the pan.
  
• Once you place the grill over the pan, let the pan heat over medium heat for 2 minutes, hold your palm facing down just above the pan. if you feel the heat on your palm then the grill pan is ready. it now needs to be brushed with a light coating of oil to avoid the meat sticking to the pan.
  
• oiling the grill pan– lightly coat the pan with oil, you need to be careful here, even the slightest drop of oil tends to splatter due to the sizzling heat.
  
• 4/a minute into placing the chicken satays on the grill, turn it over to avoid the chicken sticking to the pan.
  
• control the temperature as you grill the chicken, by this I mean, you might have to increase or reduce heat as you grill the chicken skewers.
  
• long-handled tongs become your best cooking buddy, use them to shape the chicken while turning them.

How long should I marinate the chicken cubes for the satay?

5-6 hours would be ideal but you can get away with marinating them for 2 hours.

before adding the chicken cubes to the marinade make sure the taste of tamarind and salt are coming through.

Can I make the chicken satays a bit early and serve them 2-3 hours later?

If you are planning on making the chicken satays early then make the chicken satays and then wrap them in foil.

30 minutes into serving time, open the foil, lightly brush the satays with any leftover marinade or oil, wrap them up again and warm them in the oven for a few minutes.

How to make thick tamarind juice for the chicken satay.

Into 1/4 cup of water add 1 tablespoon of tamarind and let it soak for 5 minutes.

strain the juice to a cup and you’ll have thick tamarind juice for the marinade.

Or simply use some store bough tamarind paste.

How to make stove-top/grill pan chicken satay.

Please make sure to read the recipe instructions carefully to avoid mistakes.

Ingredients

Ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.

700g boneless chicken

Bamboo skewers(keep them submerged in water until use)

1/4 cup thick tamarind pulp(if using paste 2 teaspoons, see notes how to make tamarind juice with pulp and water)

4 cloves garlic

5 shallots(substitute with 1 large onion)

2 teaspoons of coriander seeds or powder

2 teaspoon cumin seed or powder

1 teaspoon of honey(substitute with 1 teaspoon of sugar)

Salt to season

1/3 cup oil to be used as needed

Method

Place the bamboo skewers in a bowl of water to soak and set aside(see notes above).

Clean, wash and cut the boneless chicken(700g)into cubes and set aside(see notes above).

Satay marinade for the chicken.

Place garlic(4 cloves), shallots(substitute with 1 large onion), honey(1 tsp, substitute with sugar),coriander seed or powder(2 tsp), cumin seeds or powder(1 tsp), tamarind juice(if using paste 2 teaspoons, see notes how to make tamarind juice with pulp and water), salt to season.

Place all ingredients in a food processor(use the spice blender attachment)and make a smooth liquid paste. 

My paste is a little coarse as I used a mortar and pestle to crush all the ingredients.

Once you make the marinade paste, transfer it to a large bowl that can later hold the chicken cubes as well.

Mix in oil(2 tbsp)oil to the marinade and add the chicken cubes to the bowl.

Coat the chicken with the marinade, make sure there is enough salt to the marinade.

Cover with cling film, refrigerate and let the chicken marinate for 4 hours(longer the better, please see notes above if you are planning to marinate the chicken for less time).

Once the chicken is marinated for a few hours, remove the bowl from the refrigerator and let it reach room temperature.

Thread the chicken cubes into the bamboo skewers and set aside. you can thread 4 pieces of chicken per stick.

Don’t throw away the marinade. add rest of the oil into the remaining marinade in the bowl add a pinch of extra salt and set aside.

Grilling the chicken satays on a stovetop grill pan.

Place the grilling pan(see notes on what type of pan I’m using and why above)over medium heat and let it heat for a minute or until the grilling pan surface is hot.

Gradually place the chicken skewers in the pan. if the temperature is right, you’ll hear the unmistakable sound of sizzling which is what you want when the chicken is placed on the grill.

Make sure you turn them so the chicken satay grill evenly on all sides. each side will probably take about 12-15 minutes.

As you grill the chicken skewers(satay), use a heavy spoon(I’m using a wooden spoon here)to press down on the kebabs so they flatten out as well as grill evenly.

After every 10 minutes check the chicken sayay side that is facing the heat and then turn over. you’ll probably turn the chicken skewers 4-5 times for an even golden brown grilled chicken satay.

Before you flip the chicken skewers brush the leftover marinate on them.

Continue to press down with a wooden spoon.

Turn them on their sides as will so the edges grill as well.

Serve the chicken satay(chicken kebabs)while they are still warm with your favorite dipping sauce.

How to clean your stove-top grilling pan.

Once you’ve made the chicken satay, cleaning that grilling pan will be a tastk.

Avoid scrubbing it vigorously, first drain all the oil from the grilling pan. then use some paper kitchen towels to wipe out all the pieces of charred marinade from the pan.

Mix 2 tablespoons of dish washing liquid to 1/2 a cup of water.

Pour into the grilliing pan and soak it for a few hours before washin with a little warm water.

5 minutes into grilling, baste the chicken satay with the leftover marinade once or twice while turning them to grill evenly.

Serve while they are still warm. see notes if you want to keep them made 2-3 hours early.

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