Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
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Perfectly grilled chicken satay skewers in the most flavorful marinade. Served with THE BEST creamy peanut sauce ever!!!
I’m going to be completely honest with you guys.
These chicken satay skewers could taste like shoe leather. And if they did, that would be okay. Because this peanut-lime sauce will make anything and everything taste so much better.
But don’t worry. It absolutely does not taste like shoe leather. Promise.
Instead, it’s the most perfectly grilled, golden-brown chicken bites with just the right amount of charred, smoky goodness. The marinade takes the chicken to the next level of flavor town with the help of a simple coconut milk marinade and some pantry spices.
And I know I say this all the time, but really, this creamy, zesty peanut-lime sauce is the best peanut sauce of your lives. SO SO SO good.
Tools For This Recipe
Metal skewers or wooden skewers
Cast iron grill pan or large cast iron skillet
Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce: Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! But because ground ginger is often more potent/concentrated than freshly grated ginger, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger to 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger.
Yes, chicken breasts can absolutely be used here but chicken thighs have more dark meat and a higher fat content which will yield juicier, more flavorful chicken when thrown on the grill.
Metal skewers are sturdy and reusable but note that they will retain heat so please be careful when serving. Wooden skewers can also be used but can burn over a hot grill. I recommend soaking them overnight in water (or at least 30 minutes) prior to using.
No grill, no problem. A cast iron grill pan or a large cast iron skillet will work beautifully here, especially during those winter month when it’s too cold to grill out!
Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 2 ½ teaspoons yellow curry powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons turmeric
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the peanut sauce
- 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce, or more, to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine coconut milk, soy sauce, curry powder, turmeric, garlic, ginger, brown sugar and fish sauce.
- In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine chicken and coconut milk mixture; marinate for at least 2 hours to overnight, turning the bag occasionally.
- Drain the chicken from the marinade, discarding the marinade.
- Preheat grill to medium high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers. Brush with canola oil; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Add skewers to grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until the chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 12-15 minutes.
- Serve immediately with peanut sauce.
For the peanut sauce
- Whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, chili garlic sauce and ginger in a small bowl. Whisk in 2-3 tablespoons water until desired consistency is reached.
Video
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I had too many things in the oven, so I used the marinade to boil my drumsticks on the gas, and it turned into the most delicious chicken curry soup you could imagine <3 But I was left with the Satay Sauce and not sure how to use it haha
I haven’t made this yet, but it’s winter and I don’t have access to a grill. Will this turn out as yummy in the oven?
Is there a way to convert this to a freezer meal and would you cook it first or freeze it raw? How would I cook it in the oven? Thanks!!
I haven’t been able to find yellow curry powder. I found yellow curry paste, does anyone know what the measurement should convert to. Thx!
“Yellow curry powder” is basically the regular ol’ “curry powder” you find in the spices section at the grocery store. McCormick and Spice Island both make it, but I prefer Penzey’s (online).
Loved it!! For me, I would add some extra heat to the sauce, but this was DAMN DELICIOUS!!
omg the best recipe EVER. so simple to make and tastes even better the day after. this will certainly be on my menu list for the month.
This marinade is so simple and delicious! I feel like it made my chicken more tender as well. We already had peanut sauce from a jar but next time I will try that recipe too, I am sure it will be equally outstanding. Thank you!
I’m trying to figure out how to adapt for a non-grilling family (i.e. city dwellers) because it looks delicious
I just put them in a pan without skewers and they were perfect! No need to grill
The original receipt!
We had a restaurant that served these that we went to until it closed years ago. My eleven year old asked me to make it and this recipe looked the closest. It was awesome. I couldn’t easily get the yellow curry and chili garlic sauce so I used the boxed Golden Curry and chili oil with minced garlic. It ended up working rather well. I also put scallions on at the end. My whole family loved it. Thank you!
The chicken satay marinade is seriously so good. I marinated for about 24 hours and it was to die for. highly recommend!!
Making this tonight and serving with a side of white rice. Marinade already smells great.
This was fantastic. The marinade was so good that it can stand by itself without the sauce.
Good Lord….this recipe is unbelievable! My family devoured it in not time flat. Honestly, I can say that of all the recipes of yours I’ve tried (and I have tried many…..) this is a solid 15 out of 10. This was equally fantastic with chicken AND with shrimp…(I had a bag of shrimp on hand and it was worth it!) I made coconut rice to go with it and it was DIVINE! This will be added to our rotation. Thanks for this absolute winner!! PS – I really have loved all of your recipes. 🙂
Pretty much my go to satay recipe First time I made it at a party people stood around in the kitchen macking this down. 5 stars
HOLY COW! SO DAMN GOOD. I will say, I ran out of skewers, so I decided just to whip up some simple asian rice in the instant pot, and I put this chicken and sauce on top and oh. my. god. I think it may be the most delicious thing ever. The peanut lime sauce soaked into that rice and mixed with the awesome chicken marinade, I WAS IN HEAVEN. My THREE year old said, “Mmmm this is so NOMMY!” Nommy is right, folks .
I found this recipe a few weeks ago and I’ve already made it three times. The marinade leaves the chicken moist and packed with flavor while the peanut sauce is just delicious! We have this with brown rice and some carrots and broccoli. Thanks for an awesome recipe!
I love this marinade! The only change I made was swapping sour cream for coconut milk It makes the chicken stay so moist and flavorful . I really like the curry .Instead of having lo mein noodles as a side, I made spaghetti squash to keep the calories in check. I will be making this weekly. I absolutely love these flavors! Thank you for your recipes!
I grilled this over an open wood fire. The best chicken satay I have ever has by far, my girlfriend agrees.
Really love this recipe! Paired it with coconut rice and it was delicious!
Do you happen to know if it freezes well while in the marinade? Thanks!
Freezing sounds like an amazing idea but unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself. Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
I made the marinade and froze the chicken in it, then after thawing in the fridge for a day, I grilled it on the BBQ. It came out delicious! I didn’t have any issues with freezing it in the marinade.
Excellent dish! I didn’t have coconut milk, so I used unsweetened almond milk. Thanks for giving me an easy but exotic meal I could make for my family dinner. 🙂