This Chicken Satay Burger combines all the flavors of Chicken Satay in a yummy burger. Juicy chicken burgers topped with as-spicy-as-you-like peanut sauce and quick pickled veggies for crunch.

Whenever we have a summer party chicken satay skewers with spicy peanut sauce is on the menu–mostly because we’re all obsessed with peanut sauce, and my husband makes a pretty mean peanut sauce.

I recorded the recipe by following along and measuring the ingredients as he made a batch of his famous peanut sauce.

He usually makes it a little hotter, so feel free to amp up the chili paste or even add fresh chopped chiles if you’re a chile-head like he is.

Tips for making amazing Chicken Stay Burgers with Peanut Sauce:

There are some specialty ingredients used in this dish, but I have given alternatives when possible. If you like Asian food I think it’s worth buying the ingredients. But the alternatives will work in the dish.
I made the burgers using boneless, skinless chicken thighs that I ground myself using the food grinder attachment for my Kitchen Aid Mixer.
I used thighs because they’re more flavorful than chicken breasts and the higher fat content is a good thing in a burger.
If you don’t have a food grinder or food processor available you could buy pre-ground chicken meat from the market.
If your pre-ground meat is very lean and you want a richer burger you can add a little melted butter to the burger mix, a teaspoon or two for 2 pounds of ground meat.
The pickled slaw was inspired by one of my favorite Indonesian dishes, atjar tjampoer. The pickled veggies add a needed crunch and freshness to the burger.
The only thing that can make this burger even better is to put it on homemade Burger Buns or if you’ve got a Sourdough Starter make these Sourdough Burger Buns.

After I grilled and photographed the test burger we portioned it out and tasted it. Nothing but nodding heads and “mmmms” all around.

This recipe is now on regular summer rotation at our house. I hope it will be at your house as well.

If you love this recipe as much as I do, I would really appreciate a 5-star review.

Chicken Satay Burgers with Peanut Sauce

Name: Chicken Satay Burgers with Peanut Sauce
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 2 h 8 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 teaspoons vegetable oil; 1/2 medium onion, minced; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled & minced; 2 teaspoons sambal oelek or to taste; 1 teaspoon trassi or 2 teaspoons fish sauce; 2 heaping tablespoons smooth peanut butter; 5 tablespoons coconut milk; 5 tablespoons heavy cream; 1 tablespoon ketjap manis (Sweet Soy Sauce) (see note); 2 teaspoons brown sugar (or to taste); 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into 2" matchsticks; 1/2 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into 2" matchsticks; 1 large carrot peeled and cut into 2" matchsticks; 1 tablespoon sugar; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 3 tablespoons cider vinegar; 1 tablespoon water; 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger; 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric; 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, ground coarsely with meat grinder or food processor (see note); 1 tablespoon sambal Oelek chili paste; 1 tablespoon Ketjap Manis (sweet soy sauce); 3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 6 hamburger buns

Yield: 6 burgers

Prep Time: 1 hour

Chilling Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 8 minutes

Juicy chicken burgers topped with as-spicy-as-you-like peanut sauce and quick pickled veggies for crunch. This Chicken Satay Burger with Peanut Sauce combines all the flavors of Chicken Satay in a yummy burger.

Ingredients

Peanut Sauce

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 medium onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled & minced
2 teaspoons sambal oelek or to taste
1 teaspoon trassi or 2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 heaping tablespoons smooth peanut butter
5 tablespoons coconut milk
5 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon ketjap manis (Sweet Soy Sauce) (see note)
2 teaspoons brown sugar (or to taste)

Pickled Vegetables

1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into 2" matchsticks
1/2 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into 2" matchsticks
1 large carrot peeled and cut into 2" matchsticks
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

Chicken Satay Burgers

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, ground coarsely with meat grinder or food processor (see note)
1 tablespoon sambal Oelek chili paste
1 tablespoon Ketjap Manis (sweet soy sauce)
3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 hamburger buns

Instructions

Make the Peanut Sauce

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan, Add the onions, garlic, ginger and saute until softened, Add the sambal and saute 1 minute. Add the trassi and saute 1 minute. Add the peanut butter and saute 1 minute,
Add the sweet soy sauce, coconut milk and heavy cream and brown sugar. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Make the Pickled Vegetables

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Refrigerate at least 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally.

Make the Chicken Satay Burgers

Combine the chicken, sweet soy sauce, sambal, salt and bread crumbs.
Form into 6 patties. Refrigerate at least 1-2 hours before grilling.
Grill over medium-high flame until cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. The burger should feel firm when pressed in the middle.
To assemble the burgers put a dollop of peanut sauce on the top and bottom of the bun, put the burger on the bun and another dollop of peanut sauce on the burger. Top the burger with a pile of pickled veggies. Enjoy!

Notes

If you buy pre-ground chicken meat check the fat percentage on the label. If the fat percent is less than 8-10% you can add a teaspoon or two of melted butter to the ground meat to enrich the burger.

In place of sweet soy you can use regular soy sauce and increase brown sugar to 2 tablespoons or to taste.