How to cook chicken satay so it stays juicy and doesn't dry out when grilled, guaranteed to be tender and addictive!

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You definitely want to enjoy chicken satay that is tender, juicy, and the spices are perfectly absorbed. You have to know the right way when cooking.

Brilio.net - Chicken satay is a very popular and beloved dish in Indonesia. Diced, skewered, and grilled chicken with delicious peanut sauce is always appetizing. However, people are often disappointed because the chicken satay they make tastes dry and not juicy enough. In fact, people want to enjoy chicken satay that is tender, juicy, and the spices are perfectly absorbed.

You may have tried various ways to keep chicken satay juicy, from choosing quality meat to smearing it with oil when grilled. However, the results are still less than satisfactory. So, how do you make chicken satay that remains juicy and does not dry out when grilled, even after a while?

Relax, there is a simple food hack that can be a magical solution to your problem. The secret lies in soaking the chicken in a mixture of coconut milk and soy sauce for at least 1 hour before grilling. Curious about how and why this combination can give amazing results? Check out the full explanation below as summarized by BrilioFood from various sources.

Before we get into the coconut milk and soy sauce trick, its important to understand why chicken satay tends to dry out when grilled. Here are some contributing factors:

- Low Fat Content: Chicken meat, especially the breast, has a relatively low fat content. Fat plays an important role in keeping the meat moist when cooked. Without enough fat, chicken will lose water and become dry when grilled.

- Too Long Burning Process: Too long a roasting process will cause the water in the chicken to evaporate excessively, so the meat becomes dry and tough.

- Too High Roasting Temperature: Roasting temperatures that are too high can also cause chicken meat to dry out quickly. High temperatures will cause the protein in chicken meat to denature and shrink, thus releasing water.

The combination of coconut milk and soy sauce provides several important benefits that keep chicken satay juicy when grilled:

- Coconut Milk as a Natural Moisturizer: Coconut milk contains high fat. This fat will penetrate the chicken meat and act as a natural moisturizer. The fat will coat the fibers of the chicken meat and prevent it from losing water when grilled.

- Soy Sauce as a Flavor and Color Provider: Soy sauce gives a sweet, savory taste, and a distinctive aroma to chicken satay. In addition, soy sauce also gives a beautiful color to chicken meat when grilled.

- Marinating Process Helps Absorption of Seasonings: The soaking process (marination) in a mixture of coconut milk and soy sauce allows the spices to penetrate deeper into the chicken meat. These spices not only provide flavor, but also help maintain the moisture of the meat.

Here are the steps to make chicken satay that remains juicy and not dry when grilled:

1. Prepare the ingredients:
- Chicken fillet (thigh or breast, diced)
- Thick coconut milk
- Sweet soy sauce
- Red onion (mashed)
- Garlic (mashed)
- Coriander powder
- Pepper powder
- Salt
- Brown sugar (finely grated)
- Skewers

2. Marinate Chicken: Mix thick coconut milk, sweet soy sauce, finely chopped shallots, finely chopped garlic, ground coriander, ground pepper, salt, and brown sugar. Stir well until all ingredients are perfectly mixed.

3. Marinate the Chicken: Put the chicken pieces into the marinade mixture. Stir well until all the chicken pieces are coated with the marinade. Let stand for at least 1 hour or longer (the longer the better) in the refrigerator.

4. Satay Skewers: Skewer the marinated chicken pieces onto the satay skewers.

5. Prepare the Grill: Prepare the grill with charcoal or other grilling tools. Make sure the grill is hot enough before using it.

6. Grill Chicken Satay: Grill the chicken satay on the grill while turning it over and brushing it with the remaining marinade periodically. Grill until cooked and golden brown.

7. Serve: Juicy chicken satay is ready to be served with peanut sauce, rice cakes, and other accompaniments.

In addition to soaking the chicken in coconut milk and soy sauce, there are some additional tips you can try to make your chicken satay even more perfect:

- Choose Quality Chicken Meat: Use fresh chicken meat with good quality. Fresh chicken meat will produce more delicious and juicy satay.

- Don't Cut Meat Too Small: Cuts of meat that are too small will dry out faster when grilled. Cut the chicken into medium-sized pieces to keep it juicy.

- Use Quality Charcoal: If you are using charcoal as fuel, use good quality charcoal. Good quality charcoal will produce stable heat and will not produce excessive smoke.

- Don't grill the satay for too long: Grill the chicken satay until cooked, but not too long so it doesn't dry out.

- Brush with Oil While Grilling: Brush the chicken satay with a little oil while grilling to help maintain moisture and give it a shiny appearance.

After mastering the basic recipe for juicy chicken satay with coconut milk and soy sauce, you can try various variations of more creative and innovative chicken satay recipes. Here are some examples:

- Madura Chicken Satay: Chicken satay grilled with special Madura spices made from peanuts, shrimp paste, shallots, garlic and chilies.

- Taichan Chicken Satay: Grilled chicken satay without seasoning, served with chili sauce, lime juice, and a sprinkling of salt.

- Chicken Wrapped Satay: Minced chicken wrapped around lemongrass stalks, then grilled.

- Chicken Buntel Satay: Minced chicken wrapped in fat, then grilled.

(brl/tin)