Thai Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
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An incredibly flavorful marinade, ridiculously tender chicken and sweet, creamy Thai peanut sauce, makes this THE BEST Chicken Satay recipe ever! These grilled skewers are easy to make in under an hour and one of my all-time favorite recipes!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Vons. All opinions are 100% mine.
I originally created this chicken satay recipe as a copycat from one of my favorite Thai restaurants in San Diego. But, guess what? Turns out, this recipe is EVEN BETTER than any chicken satay I’ve ever had at a restaurant!
The incredible coconut curry marinade makes the chicken both tender and flavorful, with just a quick 30 minute marinade. And no chicken satay would be complete without a delicious side of Thai Peanut Sauce for dipping.
Luckily, I have the world’s BEST Thai Peanut Sauce recipe for you, to go right along with the BEST chicken satay! I’m not kidding when I say this recipe will blow you away! Out of over 1100 recipes on the blog, this is one of my all-time favorites, so that’s saying a lot!
Table of contents
I paired the chicken satay with a Premium Veggie Tray from Vons and extra peanut sauce for dipping the veggies. The veggie tray was delivered, along with fresh chicken breasts and other ingredients needed to make this recipe from Vons Grocery Delivery service. I’ve become totally hooked on this service and now use it every week to get my groceries delivered!
What you’ll need
- Coconut Milk – full fat, canned coconut milk is best for tenderizing the chicken in the marinade.
- Soy Sauce – I prefer a low sodium soy sauce to cut back on the salt, but this is a personal preference. Either low sodium or traditional soy sauce can be used to make this recipe.
- Brown Sugar
- Lime Juice – preferably fresh squeezed, for the best flavor!
- Curry Powder – this is what gives chicken satay it’s signature yellow color!
- Ground Coriander
- Ground Ginger
- Garlic Cloves
- Sriracha
- Fish Sauce
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Thai Peanut Sauce – click the link for an easy 10 minute recipe. While this is an optional dipping sauce, I highly recommend it!
Step by step instructions
It only takes 4 simple steps to reach satay perfection!
- Make the marinade. Combine coconut milk, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, curry powder, ground coriander, ground ginger, minced garlic, sriracha and fish sauce in a bowl.
- Marinate the chicken. Add two pounds of cubed boneless, skinless chicken breasts to the marinade, toss the chicken in the marinade until it’s well coated. Place in the refrigerator to marinate for 30 minutes. This chicken is honestly so flavorful and tender after just a 30 minute marinade, but if you want to make it earlier, you can leave the chicken in the marinade for up to 4 hours.
- Skewer the chicken. If using wooden skewers, soak the skewers in water for 30 minutes before preparing the skewers. This will prevent the skewers from catching fire on the grill, pretty important stuff! Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinating liquid. Skewer 4-5 pieces of marinated chicken onto skewers. You’ll need 10-12 metal skewers or soaked wooden skewers.
- Grill the chicken. Turn on a grill to high heat. Cooking these skewers quickly over high heat will give them a wonderful sear on the outside, while keeping them juicy and tender in the middle! Place the skewers on the grill over high heat for 3-4 minutes, flip and grill for an additional 3-4 minutes. Remove from the grill and top with fresh cilantro, if you’d like.
What should I serve with it?
- Thai Peanut Sauce – while this is optional, it’s also pretty standard to find chicken satay paired with peanut sauce. They really are a match made in heaven!
- Lettuce Leaves – chicken satay is delicious served as a lettuce wrap. Simply use a fork to remove the chicken from the skewers and place it right in an iceberg, butter or romaine lettuce leaf. Drizzle with a little peanut sauce and you’ve got a light, healthy meal!
- Fresh Veggies – as I mentioned above, I served the chicken satay with a fresh veggie tray from Vons and extra Thai peanut sauce for dipping the veggies. The chicken and veggie combo was light, yet still filling enough for a meal and it gave me the opportunity to dip two things into that absolutely delicious peanut sauce!
- Stir Fried Veggies – while the chicken is marinating, you can take that time to stir fry up your favorite veggies, like broccoli, bell peppers, onions and sugar snap peas.
- Asian Salad – for an easy side, grab a bagged Asian chopped salad in the produce section at your local Vons, to pair with the chicken skewers.
- Cooked Rice or Quinoa – for a more filling side, serve the chicken satay with a side of cooked white rice, brown rice, coconut rice or quinoa.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I make chicken satay in the oven? Yes, instead of grilling the chicken satay skewers, you can bake them in the oven. To do so, preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the skewers on two baking sheets, either lined with foil or sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure there is at least one inch between each of the skewers so that they cook evenly. Bake for 10 minutes, flip and bake for an additional 7-10 minutes, or to an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts? Yes, chicken thighs will need to cook longer than chicken breasts though. If using chicken thighs, grill the skewers for 6-7 minutes on each side.
- Is this recipe gluten free? As is, this recipe is not gluten free because of the soy sauce used in the marinade. But it’s very easy to make the recipe gluten free by substituting in tamari, or gluten free soy sauce. Always be sure to check the label on the fish sauce to make sure it’s gluten free.
- Is this recipe dairy free? Yes, the chicken satay and peanut sauce recipes are both free of dairy products.
Quick tips
- If using wooden skewers, always remember to start soaking them before preparing the recipe. They need to soak for at least 30 minutes, so this guarantees they’ll be ready to go when you’re ready to skewer!
- The recipe for Thai Peanut Sauce makes 3 cups of peanut sauce and you’ll only need about 1/2 cup of sauce for serving with the chicken satay. Use the rest of the peanut sauce to make these popular Thai Peanut Sweet Potato Bowls or this Thai Peanut Chicken Stir Fry!
- The Peanut sauce will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, so feel free to make it ahead of time!
- The marinade can also be made up to 3 days ahead of time.
- You’ll want to make these skewers year-round, because they’re that good! In the winter, I recommend cooking them on an indoor grill or using a grill pan on the stove over medium-high heat.
More Thai recipes to try
This Thai Chicken Satay recipe can be served as an entree with sides, like I mentioned above, or as an appetizer, along with your favorite Thai food. Try it with these other incredible Thai recipes, tested and perfected in my kitchen!
- Yellow Curry
- Drunken Noodles
- Thai Coconut Soup
- Vegetarian Pad Thai
- Thai Beef Noodles
- Vegetarian Massaman Curry
Chicken Satay
Ingredients
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons yellow curry powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
- ½ cup Thai peanut sauce, click link for recipe
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the coconut milk, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, yellow curry powder, ground coriander, ground ginger, minced garlic, sriracha and fish sauce.
- Add the diced chicken breasts to the marinade and toss to coat.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator, for at least 30 minutes, up to 4 hours.
- After the chicken has marinated, remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinating liquid.
- Place 4-5 pieces of chicken on 12 skewers.
- Heat a grill to high heat.
- Grill the chicken satay for 3-4 minutes per side.
- Remove from the grill and serve with Thai peanut sauce on the side for dipping.
Notes
- Gluten Free – to make this recipe gluten free, replace the soy sauce with tamari, or gluten free soy sauce.
- Make Ahead – the marinade can be made up to 3 days in advance and the Thai Peanut Sauce can be made up to 2 weeks in advance.
Nutrition Facts
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