Grilled Chicken Satay (Sate Gai)
Chicken strips marinated in coconut milk, turmeric and curry spices, grilled over charcoal until smoky and lightly charred, then served with rich peanut sauce and a bright, tangy cucumber relish.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Pound the paste
In a mortar, pound the garlic, and white pepper into a smooth paste (or mince very finely and mash with the flat of a knife). Stir in the turmeric, curry powder, palm sugar, fish sauce, salt and the 160 ml coconut milk until smooth.
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 coriander roots
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tbsp palm sugar
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 160 ml coconut milk
✅ Done when: the paste is smooth and the spices are fully blended into the coconut milk
Marinate the chicken
Add the chicken strips to the paste and turn to coat every piece well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight, so the flavour goes all the way through. Meanwhile, soak the bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes so they don't scorch on the grill.
- 600 g chicken strips
- 16–18 bamboo skewers
✅ Done when: the chicken has sat in the marinade for at least 2 hours and looks evenly yellow-golden
Thread the skewers
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Make the peanut sauce
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Make the cucumber relish
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Grill the skewers
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Serve
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Pound the paste
In a mortar, pound the garlic, and white pepper into a smooth paste (or mince very finely and mash with the flat of a knife). Stir in the turmeric, curry powder, palm sugar, fish sauce, salt and the 160 ml coconut milk until smooth.
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 coriander roots
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tbsp palm sugar
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 160 ml coconut milk
✅ Done when: the paste is smooth and the spices are fully blended into the coconut milk
Marinate the chicken
Add the chicken strips to the paste and turn to coat every piece well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight, so the flavour goes all the way through. Meanwhile, soak the bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes so they don't scorch on the grill.
- 600 g chicken strips
- 16–18 bamboo skewers
✅ Done when: the chicken has sat in the marinade for at least 2 hours and looks evenly yellow-golden
Thread the skewers
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Make the peanut sauce
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Make the cucumber relish
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Grill the skewers
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Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Satay reached Thailand through the Malay Peninsula, carried by Muslim traders and communities in the south who grilled skewered, spiced meat over charcoal. Thai cooks in Bangkok and beyond adapted the idea, folding in coconut milk, turmeric and curry powder for the marinade, and building their own version of peanut sauce enriched with tamarind and palm sugar.
Today sate gai is found at night markets and roadside charcoal grills all over the country, often sold alongside grilled pork satay and slices of toasted bread, with the cool cucumber relish always close by to cut the richness.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It's the balance that makes it unforgettable: smoky, slightly sweet chicken, a thick peanut sauce rounded out with tamarind, and a sharp, cooling cucumber relish that resets the palate after every bite.
💡 Fun Fact
The word "satay" is believed to have travelled through several languages across the Malay Peninsula and southern China before settling into the word used across Southeast Asia today, a small trace of the long trade history behind the dish.
Southern Thailand
7.01°N, 100.48°E
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