Apr 09, 2024

Chicken Satay pairs best with which wine?

For the love of exploring and having fun figuring which wines from the UMAMU range pair with a particular dish. This search for the best pairs of UMAMU with satay showed us how versatile satay as a dish is! Watch our cooking pairing video below. Here is a satay recipe creation by Clarissa Feildel, thank you Clarissa for sharing this recipe!

Chicken Satay Recipe & Wine Pairing – With Clarissa Feildel

Grilled chicken skewers marinated with traditional spices and peanut sauce…this easy chicken satay recipe is one of the best you’ll find online.

For this chicken satay recipe we are blessed with the presence of author, television presenter and Malaysian-born chef Clarissa Feildel. Her husband Manu Feildel, of My Kitchen Rules fame, also makes an appearance with a bottle of UMAMU Estate wine!

Chicken Satay: Malaysia’s National Dish?

It’s tough to think of chicken satay without making your mouth water…

The perfectly grilled and charred chicken skewers with rich, spiced peanut sauce is perhaps Malaysia’s most popular culinary export. Chicken satay works wonders as an appetiser and as its own dish alongside rice and cucumbers...Who at your barbeque or dinner party can refuse?

No one with taste buds can refuse, that’s who!

You can find chicken satay from many other south-east Asian countries, like Indonesia and Thailand.

But Thai and Indonesian satay tends to be sweeter and richer. Meanwhile the Malaysian version has more savoury flavours thanks to heavier use of herbs and spices like lemongrass and fresh turmeric.

Malaysian chicken satay also tends to have a thicker peanut sauce. It’s also more common to eat Malaysian chicken satay with cucumber and a steamed rice cake called ketupat.

In this chicken satay recipe, Clarissa Feildel shares the ingredients her family use back in Malaysia.

Introducing…Clarissa Feildel

For those who don’t know, Clarissa Feildel is a Malaysian-born chef who moved to Australia in her 20s. She became engaged to popular French-Australia TV chef Manu Feildel in 2012. Together they wrote a cookbook, More Please, which is an eclectic collection of both Manu and Clarissa’s family recipes.

Clarissa has appeared on Asia Unplated (SBS Food) as well as presenting at the Good Food & Wine Show. She is now starring in the Channel 7 show Better Homes and Gardens.

In this post, Clarissa shares her family’s chicken satay recipe with all the authentic ingredients.

You can watch the video of Clarissa walking me through it below.

Other Asian-Inspired Food and Wine Pairings to Try

If you’re as excited for this chicken satay recipe as we are…then you might like to see the other recipes Clarissa has shared with us.

Click below to find out more:

Can You Make this Authentic Chicken Satay Recipe at Home?

Yes, you can make authentic chicken satay at home.

For this chicken satay recipe you will get the best results by allowing the chicken to marinate in the spices for 24 hours. Cooking the chicken over a barbeque will add to the charred flavours.

But you can cook chicken satay over a grill pan or gas-powered grill too.

The most important elements are the ingredients. Find the recipe below and look online or in a local Asian grocer to find them!

Chicken Satay Wine Pairing

Does chicken satay have a wine pairing?

At UMAMU Estate, we consider ourselves pioneers in Asian food and wine pairing. It’s my passion to experiment with new flavours – the results are always a surprise!

In the video, I pair chicken satay with:

All our wines at UMAMU Estate are aged – including the white wines. The added time in barrel and bottle gives a roundness and richness to the wines. This is essential to have a wine which can ‘hold up’ to charred, grilled and umami flavours.

As a result we love all the white wines as a chicken satay wine pairing.

But the real winner was the sparkling wine.

Sparkling wines are particularly known to be full of umami flavours. This is why they are the traditional pairing to an umami-rich dish like oysters. Alongside the rich, marinated and charred chicken satay the 2019 MacAnn Sparkling was divine!

Want to try a chicken satay wine pairing for yourself? You can purchase xxxx here for xxxx total, with Australia-wide shipping. The wine is made in the traditional method and will cellar for years to come.

Satay Recipe

500 grams boneless chicken thighs with skin on cuts into ½ inch or small bite size cubes

Skewers soaked in water for at least an hour

Spice paste for Chicken marinade:

1tbs coriander seeds
2 stalks lemongrass white part only
1 inch galangal
2 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp turmeric powder or 1 inch fresh turmeric
½ tsp chilli powder (optional)
2 tbs sugar
2 medium red onions or 5 shallots
2 garlic cloves
1tsp salt and pepper to taste
Splash of soy sauce
2 tbs oil

Satay Sauce:

4 tbs oil
1 cup roasted peanuts skin discarded then founded roughly
2 tbs concentrated tamarind pulp
½ cup water
1 tablespoon sugar or palm sugar
½ tsp salt

Spice Paste:

2 stalks lemongrass
2 tsp chilli powder
1 tbs turmeric powder
4 shallots
1 inch galangal
¼ water

Cucumber and red onions to serve with Satay.

Method Chicken Satay:

Grind the space paste in a blender, adding oil to keep the blades turning.

Mix paste and seasoning into cut chicken and marinade for 12-24 hrs.

Thread 4-5 pieces of chicken cubes into each skewer until all chicken is used up.

Grill chicken on a BBQ grill. Constantly brushing them with oil so it doesn't stick.

Method Satay Sauce:

Grind spice paste in a blender adding oil or water if necessary to keep bladers turning.

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat to high heat and add spice paste. Cook until oil splits. Keep stirring so as to not burn the spices.

Add grounded peanuts, tamarind paste, water and seasoning . Reduce heat to low abd cook for around 5-6 mins stirring constantly. Consistency should be chunky thick, enough to coat your satay sticks without the sauce dripping everywhere.

Chicken Satay pairs best with Sauvignon Blanc, SBS, SSB that have had time in the bottle, Chardonnay and Sparkling MacAnn from the UMAMU range.