Juicy and tender chicken satay skewers with peanut sauce is savoury, sweet, tangy, and nutty. These skewers are packed with bright bold flavours from the easy to make coconut marinade and the homemade tangy peanut dipping sauce. It tastes just like what you would order at a fancy restaurant, if not better, and you won't believe how easy it is to make at home. All you need is a few minutes to prep, let the chicken marinate for an hour and then spend about 15 minutes grilling. So so easy, and so so delicious!
Ingredients in Grilled Chicken Satay Skewers
- chicken breasts - 2 lbs of boneless and skinless cut into 1-inch cubes. This will make 10-12 skewers, with 4-5 pieces per skewer.
- coconut milk
- soy sauce
- fish sauce
- yellow curry powder
- brown sugar
- garlic
- ginger
- vegetable oil
- lime wedges - for serving
- roasted peanuts - for serving
- fresh parsley - for serving
You will also need skewers, tongs for grilling, and an indoor grill pan (if you are not using an outdoor grill).
Ingredients in Thai Peanut Dipping Sauce
- hoisin sauce (or dark soy sauce)
- peanut butter
- red curry paste (optional)
- lime juice - freshly squeezed is best, but you can use packaged juice as well.
- honey - or granulated sugar
- boiling water - helps to dissolve the ingredients into a smooth sauce.
- roasted peanuts - chopped and sprinkled on top.
How to Make the Best Chicken Satay Skewers with Peanut Sauce
- Marinate the chicken: Place cubed chicken into a zip-loc bag. Add in all the marinade ingredients (coconut milk, soy sauce, fish sauce, yellow curry powder, brown sugar, minced garlic, ginger and vegetable oil). Stir well to combine. Press the air out of the bag and seal tightly. Press the marinade around the cubed chicken to coat. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Make the peanut sauce: Combine all the ingredients (hoisin sauce, peanut butter, red curry paste (optional), lime juice, honey and water). Stir well with a spoon to mix until the mixture is smooth and uniform. Sprinkle chopped roasted peanuts on top.
- Grill the chicken satay skewers: Thread the chicken onto skewers (about 4 to 5 pieces per skewer). Gently dab with paper towel to remove excess marinade off the chicken. Heat a grill pan over medium high heat for 4-5 minutes and lightly brush the grill with some vegetable oil. You should notice the oil shimmer and sizzle when it's hot and ready. Grill the chicken skewers for 8-10 minutes on each side or until the internal temperature reaches 165 F and grill marks are clearly visible. Do not overlap the skewers at any time but you can turn the skewers occasionally to achieve even cooking and grill marks on both sides.
- Serve. Serve the skewers on a plate with peanut sauce and lime wedges. Sprinkle roasted peanuts and chopped parsley on top.
Tips for Making Satay Chicken Skewers
- Space the skewers evenly. Do not overlap the skewers at any time when grilling. You can turn them occasionally to achieve even cooking and grill marks on both sides.
- Use a digital thermometer. A digital meat thermometer is very useful when grilling skewers for checking doneness. Simply insert halfway inside the meat to get a quick reading so that you never end up with undercooked or overcooked meat.
- How to cook skewers in the oven. To cook satay skewers in the oven, place them on a baking tray and roast at 480 F for 12-13 minutes, or when the internal temperature reaches 165 F. You can add some charring by then placing under the broiler on high for 1 minute. Keep a close eye on them, because they can burn quickly.
- How to cook chicken satay in the air fryer. You can cook this chicken in the air fryer as well. Do not thread them and place about 10 cubed chicken pieces in the air fryer basket at a time. Cook at 350 F for 25 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through. You won't get the charred grill marks but they taste amazing and so tender.
- How to serve chicken satay skewers. Serve these skewers on their own with the delicious peanut dipping sauce. They also pair really nicely with a side of easy coconut rice or even incorporated into fried rice.
More Skewer Recipes
- Easy Greek Chicken Souvlaki Skewers
- Souvlaki Beef Shish Kebabs
- Teriyaki Chicken Skewers with Pineapple
- Greek Souvlaki Lamb Skewers
- Spicy Cumin Lamb Skewers
- Persian Saffron Chicken Kebabs (Joojeh Kabob)
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Recipe
Chicken Satay Skewers with Peanut Sauce
- Total Time: 1 hour 31 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 skewers
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Better than takeout, easy to make tender chicken satay skewers with coconut marinade and homemade peanut dipping sauce is savoury, sweet, tangy, and nutty.
Ingredients
Satay Chicken:
- 2 lbs. chicken breasts, boneless and skinless cut into 1-inch cubes
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, freshly grated
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Peanut Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce (or dark soy sauce)
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon red curry paste (optional)
- ½ tablespoon fresh lime juice
- ½ tablespoon honey (or white sugar)
- ¼ cup boiling water
- 1 tablespoon roasted peanuts, chopped
For Serving:
- lime wedges
- 1 tablespoon roasted peanuts, chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken: Place cubed chicken into a zip-loc bag. Add in all the marinade ingredients (coconut milk, soy sauce, fish sauce, yellow curry powder, brown sugar, minced garlic, ginger and vegetable oil). Stir well to combine. Press the air out of the bag and seal tightly. Press the marinade around the cubed chicken to coat. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Make the peanut sauce: Combine all the ingredients (hoisin sauce, peanut butter, red curry paste (optional), lime juice, honey and water). Stir well with a spoon to mix until the mixture is smooth and uniform. Sprinkle chopped roasted peanuts on top.
- Grill the chicken satay skewers: Thread the chicken onto skewers (about 4 to 5 pieces per skewer). Gently dab with paper towel to remove excess marinade off the chicken. Heat a grill pan over medium high heat for 4-5 minutes and lightly brush the grill with some vegetable oil. You should notice the oil shimmer and sizzle when it's hot and ready. Grill the chicken skewers for 8-10 minutes on each side or until the internal temperature reaches 165 F and grill marks are clearly visible. Do not overlap the skewers at any time but you can turn the skewers occasionally to achieve even cooking and grill marks on both sides.
- Serve. Serve the skewers on a plate with peanut sauce and lime wedges. Sprinkle roasted peanuts and chopped parsley on top.
Notes
Equipment used: skewers, tongs for grilling, an indoor grill pan, and a digital meat thermometer.
Use a digital thermometer. A digital meat thermometer is very useful when grilling skewers for checking doneness. Simply insert halfway inside the meat to get a quick reading so that you never end up with undercooked or overcooked meat.
How to cook skewers in the oven. To cook satay skewers in the oven, place them on a baking tray and roast at 480 F for 12-13 minutes, or when the internal temperature reaches 165 F. You can add some charring by then placing under the broiler on high for 1 minute. Keep a close eye on them, because they can burn quickly.
How to cook chicken satay in the air fryer. You can cook this chicken in the air fryer as well. Do not thread them and place about 10 cubed chicken pieces in the air fryer basket at a time. Cook at 350 F for 25 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through. You won't get the charred grill marks but they taste amazing and so tender.
How to serve chicken satay skewers. Serve these skewers on their own with the delicious peanut dipping sauce. They also pair really nicely with a side of easy coconut rice or even incorporated into fried rice.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes (+1 hour time to marinate)
- Cook Time: 16 minutes
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: Asian
Keywords: chicken satay skewers with peanut dipping sauce, chicken satay, satay skewers, chicken skewers, peanut sauce
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Barbara B Williams says
This is a great recipe! I would like to use it for a large birthday dinner party I am planning for my husband. Do you think it would work if I made the dish the day before and pull the meat out a few minutes early? The next day I would then warm them up in the oven and serve with the sauce I also made the day before. Do you think this would work? Or, can this dish be served cold?
Thanks for your help!
★★★★★
KC says
This is delicious! One of my favorite meals- made enough for leftovers. My husband loved it, I loved it, my littles loved it. We have dipped it in the peanut sauce and we have tossed all the chicken in the peanut sauce. Both ways were amazing for different reasons- almost tasted like two different dishes. Highly recommend serving with the coconut rice too!
★★★★★
David says
Mmm, this does look restaurant quality if not better! I can almost taste the vibrant flavors here. Been a long time since I've had this kind of peanut sauce, thanks for the inspiration!
★★★★★
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Wow, thank you so much David!
Marcel says
I simply love your natural approach to cooking this dish. It's so easy to make at home and I bet it's delicious ... wait, you've said it's amazingly delicious 🙂 Love it!
Thanks for sharing!
Marcek
★★★★★
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you! I hope you try it!