Malaysian Chicken Satay Wraps

About This Recipe

This wrap draws on Malaysian satay, skewered meat marinated in turmeric and lemongrass, grilled until charred, adapted here into a portable lunch rolled in flatbread with the classic accompanying peanut sauce. The chicken marinates in a paste of turmeric, lemongrass, coriander and a touch of sugar, giving it its distinctive golden color before it's grilled hot and fast for a good char on the outside. Rolled with cucumber and a generous drizzle of peanut sauce, this wrap captures satay's essential flavors — smoky char, warm spice and rich, nutty sauce — in an easy-to-eat handheld format.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 500 gboneless chicken thigh(cut into strips)
• 2shallots(for marinade)
• 1 stalklemongrass(for marinade)
• 1 tspturmeric(for marinade)
• 1 tspground coriander(for marinade)
• 1 tbspbrown sugar(for marinade)
• 2 tbspvegetable oil(for marinade)
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 cuproasted peanuts(for sauce)
• 2 clovesgarlic(for sauce)
• 2red chiles(for sauce)
• 2 tbsptamarind paste(for sauce)
• 1 tbsppalm sugar or brown sugar(for sauce)
• 3/4 cupwater(for sauce)
• 4large flatbreads or roti
• 1cucumber(sliced)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the marinade

   Blend shallots, lemongrass, turmeric, coriander, brown sugar, oil and salt into a smooth paste.

2. 2

   Marinate the chicken

   Toss chicken strips in the marinade and refrigerate at least 3 hours, ideally overnight.

   Marinate for as long as possible — the turmeric-lemongrass paste needs real time to penetrate and color the chicken fully.

3. 3

   Make the peanut sauce

   Blend peanuts, garlic and chiles into a coarse paste, then simmer with tamarind paste, palm sugar and water for 8-10 minutes until thickened.

4. 4

   Grill the chicken

   Grill or sear the chicken over medium-high heat, turning, 8-10 minutes until charred and cooked through.

5. 5

   Warm the flatbread

   Warm the flatbread briefly on a dry skillet.

6. 6

   Assemble

   Layer the grilled chicken and cucumber onto the flatbread, then drizzle generously with peanut sauce.

7. 7

   Serve

   Roll tightly and serve immediately.

Variations

• •

  Beef or lamb satay follows the same marinade and technique with a different protein.

• •

  A spicier peanut sauce increases the fresh chile for those who enjoy more heat.

• •

  Adding pickled onion (similar to Indonesian acar) gives extra crunch and tang.

Storage

Cooked chicken keeps refrigerated up to 3 days; the peanut sauce keeps well for up to 4 days, both reheating gently before assembling fresh wraps.

Frequently Asked Questions