Serve up Thai chicken satay with peanut sauce as a delicious appetizer or meal. The meat is briefly soaked in a coconut curry marinade for maximum flavor, then grilled until tender and juicy.

Table of Contents

1. What is chicken satay?
2. Poultry selection
3. Prepare the chicken
4. Make the satay marinade
5. Marinate the meat
6. Grilling tips
7. Make the peanut dipping sauce
8. Serve this with
9. FAQ
10. Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce Recipe

Chicken skewers are a popular handheld appetizer for parties, or you can easily pair them with steamed rice and veggies for a heartier meal. I have a Thai-inspired marinade for this recipe that completely transforms the taste of the chicken in just 15 minutes of soaking. Grilling on the barbecue or a grill pan is quick and adds flavorful char marks to the meat.

To complement the chicken, I have a creamy peanut dipping sauce. Using a blender makes the texture super smooth. Just grab your favorite jar of peanut butter, and combine it with some of the ingredients in the marinade. Then add spicy chili sauce for a little kick of heat.

What is chicken satay?

Satay is a Southeast Asian dish prepared in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, with each region having its version of marinated grilled chicken. The meat can be cut into bite-sized pieces or long strips placed on skewers and barbecued. 

You can usually find this dish served with a condiment like a spiced peanut sauce and small pieces of pickled vegetables or cucumber salad.

Poultry selection

Boneless skinless breast is a delicious lean protein option that quickly absorbs the marinade’s flavor. It’s also easy to cut into thick strips or chunks for hearty portions on each skewer. If you prefer thigh meat, you can use that as well. However, you will have to cut it into smaller pieces since they are not as thick.

Prepare the chicken

I prefer to cut the chicken breast into long, lengthwise strips following the grain, about ¾ to 1-inch thickness. Slicing it this way also makes it easy to lay flat on the grill for even cooking. The lean chicken protein is very tender, making it easy to bite and chew. 

Alternatively, you can cut the chicken into smaller pieces and thread them onto each skewer individually. I recommend cutting them into similar widths as the slices. Adjust the cooking time to prevent the meat from drying out.

Make the satay marinade

I created a chicken marinade to highlight the characteristic flavor profile of South East Asian cuisine; umami, spicy, and sweet. I use a combination of creamy coconut milk, honey, lime juice, curry powder, fish sauce, minced garlic, and olive oil. The coconut and honey help balance the savory fish sauce while adding a fragrant tropical nutty aroma. Other sweeteners like pure maple syrup, granulated sugar, or brown sugar can be used. 

The lime juice gives a citrusy taste without being too sour. The citric acid also helps tenderize the chicken, weakening the surface proteins so they aren’t tough when cooked. The curry powder adds warm, earthy, fragrant spices. It often contains a mixture of turmeric, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, pepper, ginger, nutmeg, and clove.

Marinate the meat

You only need 15 minutes of marinating time for the chicken. Cutting the poultry into slices provides more surface area for the marinade to adhere to and season. Since lime juice is added, I recommend not letting the meat soak in the acidulated marinade for longer than one hour. Otherwise, the meat’s texture will turn mushy and get dried out.

If you’d like to marinate overnight, wait to add the lime juice until the last 15 to 60 minutes before grilling. 

Grilling tips

Preheat your barbecue grill to medium heat. Since the chicken is sliced thin, it will cook very quickly. Too high of heat will dry them out. As long as the grill grates are hot and greased, stunning char marks will form, and the meat will thoroughly cook in just a few minutes.

You can also cook the skewers on the stovetop if desired. A grill pan works well to give similar sear marks but with a less smokey taste than the barbecue. You could also broil the chicken on a greased foil-lined baking pan until the surface lightly browns and the meat is fully cooked.

Make the peanut dipping sauce

Use a blender or food processor for the smoothest and quickest peanut sauce. Processed in a minute or less, the peanut butter, coconut milk, minced ginger and garlic, soy sauce, lime, honey, and spicy sriracha make for a hard to resist dipping sauce for the chicken satay.

Don’t worry if you don’t have a blender. The sauce can be whisked by hand. I recommend finely mincing the garlic and ginger to reduce the size of the pieces or using a microplane to make them into a puree. Add chopped pieces of roasted peanut to give contrast to the creamy sauce.

Serve this with

FAQ