A takeaway dinner favourite for the whole family, Chinese Satay Chicken is a delicious, quick stir-fry made with a satay sauce and a handful of fresh ingredients. Try it with this Chicken Fried Rice and watch everyone take seconds!
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🍲 What is Chinese Satay Chicken?
Chinese Satay Chicken is not to be confused with Chicken Satay, a traditional Thai starter dish consisting of tender chicken skewers served with a peanut dipping sauce. Chinese satay chicken is a stir-fry dish popularised by traditional Chinese takeaway restaurants. It is chicken strips, onion and often other vegetables like carrot, stir-fried in a creamy, spicy satay sauce. Served with steamed rice, it makes a super delicious and quick weeknight meal.
I only tried it a few months ago when we recently ordered takeaway from our local Chinese restaurant. The deliciously creamy, spicy sauce with a hint of sweetness, tossed with juicy chicken, onion and carrot, was enough to make me want to recreate the recipe and cook it every week. After a few weeks of testing and cooking this insanely delicious stir-fry at least a dozen times, I am ready to share this recipe with you and know it will become an instant favourite.
📋 Ingredients & Substitutions
Chicken - Boneless chicken thigh is best for this recipe. This cut is particularly tender and juicy after cooking. For a healthier option, opt for chicken breast. Bicarbonate of soda is used to tenderise chicken, a common "velveting" technique used in all Chinese and Asian restaurants.
Vegetables - In traditional restaurant versions of Chinese Satay Chicken, onion is a staple in the stir-fry. Use brown onion as it has an inherent sweetness which is delicious in Asian dishes. My local Chinese takeaway place also uses carrot and red capsicum. So that is what I have used for this recipe. You can add a bit of freshness by including some green stir-fry vegetables like snow peas or broccoli.
Soy sauce - Use light soy sauce for this recipe. I like Lee Kum Lee and Kikkoman brands.
Shaoxing wine - This is a fermented rice wine used in Chinese cooking. It is different from rice wine vinegar as it is sweeter with a slightly floral taste. A good substitute for Shaoxing wine is dry sherry or Japanese cooking sake.
Satay sauce - Jimmy's Sate sauce is one of the most delicious satay sauces used for Chinese Satay Chicken. It is commonly used in restaurants and produces a restaurant-quality stir-fry every single time. You can find it at Harris Farms, specialty grocers or Amazon Australia.
Corn starch - Corn starch, also known as cornflour here in Australia, is a white fine powder used to thicken Asian sauces and soups. It is widely available in supermarkets and Asian stores.
🔪 How to make Chinese Satay Chicken?
- Velvet (tenderise) the chicken - Add chicken and bicarbonate of soda to a bowl with a tablespoon of water.
- Set aside for 20 minutes.
3. Rinse chicken with cold water.
4. Drain thoroughly. Pat dry with a paper towel to mop up excess liquid.
5. Add soy sauce and cornstarch. Mix well and set aside for at least 10 minutes.
6. Heat oil in a wok on high. Add the onion and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until starting to soften.
7. Add chicken and garlic. Stir-fry for 4-5 minutes until fragrant and chicken is starting to brown.
8. Add carrot and capsicum. Mix well and stir-fry for 2 minutes until vegetables are glazed.
9. Add satay sauce, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and sugar. Mix well and cook for a minute.
10. Add cornstarch slurry, mix well and cook for 1-2 minutes until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat, garnish with spring onion and serve.
🔪 Serving Suggestions & Storage
Storage - Chinese Satay Chicken keeps well in the fridge for up to two days in a lidded glass container. To eat, simply reheat in the microwave. This stir-fry can be frozen in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to a month and reheated in the microwave before serving.
Serving - The easiest thing to serve this Chinese Satay Chicken for a weeknight meal is steamed rice. For a more exciting and complete meal, try serving this Veg Fried Rice along with this Smashed Cucumber Salad and Scallion Pancakes.
❓ Recipe Questions
You don't have to velvet (tenderise) chicken before making this dish, but it is recommended as it makes the chicken extra tender and juicy, just like at your local Chinese restaurant. It is especially useful if you are using chicken breast instead of chicken thigh.
I have tried this stir-fry recipe with many satay sauces, and I believe Jimmy's Sate sauce is superior, authentic and truly delicious. The best of the best! You can find it at Harris Farms and on Amazon in Australia. But if you can't, try Ayam satay sauce or Yeo's satay sauce for a similar flavour.
🥡 More Chinese Recipes
Recipe
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Chinese Satay Chicken
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 500 g boneless chicken thigh, cut into strips
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
For the stir fry
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 brown onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 carrot, peeled halved and thinly sliced
- 1 red capsicum, deseeded halved and thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons Jimmy’s Sate sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 2 teaspoons raw sugar
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 spring onion, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Mix chicken and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl and set aside for 20 mins. Rinse in cold water and drain thoroughly. Add soy sauce and corn starch. Mix well and set aside for 10 minutes.
- Heat oil in a large wok on high heat. Add onion. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes until starting to soften. Add chicken and garlic. Stir fry for for 4-5 minutes until chicken is golden and almost cooked through. Add capsicum and carrot and cook for a 2-3 minutes until vegetables are glazed.
- Add satay sauce, mix well and stir fry for a minute until fragrant. Add Shaoxing wine, sugar and soy sauce. Mix well. Make a slurry with cornstarch and ½ cup water. Add to the wok and cook stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Remove from heat, garnish with spring onion and serve hot with steamed rice.
Notes
- Chicken - Use boneless chicken thigh with the fat trimmed off. Cut into thin stir-fry strips about 0.5cm wide. For a healthier option, choose chicken breast.
- "Velveting" the chicken - The step of rubbing the chicken with bicarbonate of soda to tenderise it can be skipped. But if you want a truly luscious, melt-in-your-mouth chicken, don't skip this step. Believe me, it is worth it!
- Soy sauce and Shaoxing wine - Use light soy sauce. Shaoxing wine is a slightly sweet, fermented rice wine. It can be substituted with dry sherry.
- Vegetables - I have used onion, carrot and capsicum in this recipe. The onion is a must, but you can switch up the other vegetables for a variety of stir-fry vegetables such as snow peas, broccoli or gai lan.
- Satay sauce - Jimmy's sate sauce is widely used in restaurants and produces a truly authentic takeaway version of this Chinese satay chicken. You can substitute with other brands like Ayam.
- Storage - This stir-fry keeps well in the fridge in a lidded air-tight container for up to two days. It can also be frozen for up to a month.
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