Thai Chicken Satay Skewers

These Thai chicken skewers are so flavorful and easy to make. Marinated in a sauce with red curry paste and coconut milk, then threaded onto skewers. You can grill or broil these, so you can easily fit these into your schedule. 

Then serve them with an amazing creamy peanut sauce for a meal that is full of complex flavors, colors, and textures but is also entirely kid friendly. It’s a foodie family dream come true.

Serve these tasty skewers with instant pot coconut rice and Thai cucumber salad for a complete meal that is weeknight easy but oh so delicious! 

How to make these chicken satay skewers with peanut sauce

This recipe is simple to make! For the full set of directions, please scroll down to the recipe card below. This is just a general overview on how to make it to help you plan.

Chicken Satay Marinade

1. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup of coconut milk with the remaining ingredients for the marinade. Reserve the remainder of the coconut milk for the peanut sauce.
2. Cut the chicken into pieces about 4” wide.
3. Toss the chicken pieces into the marinade. Allow to sit for 20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Note: If you are using wooden skewers, place them in a pan of water at this time so they can soak and won’t burn.

Peanut Satay Sauce

1. To a medium sized saucepan, add the remainder of the can of coconut milk with the rest of the sauce ingredients. 
2. Place on the stovetop over medium heat and simmer, whisking very frequently, for 5 minutes. The sauce should come together into a smooth sauce that is thicker than when you started. Do not overheat or the sauce will break.
3. Turn off the heat and place a lid on the pan. Allow to sit while you cook the chicken skewers.

Note: This will make more peanut sauce than you probably need. You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for a week. Use leftovers as a salad dressing for Kale Chicken Salad or on Chicken Pad Thai. 

Assembling and Cooking the Skewers

1. Preheat the grill or broiler to high.
2. If broiling, line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.
3. Place the chicken pieces on the skewers. You want to really squish the chicken together so that they help retain the moisture and don’t dry out. Get like 5-7 pieces of chicken on each skewer if you can.
4. Grill or broil the chicken about 5 minutes per side over medium-high heat, or until an internal temperature probe reads 165 F. 

What kind of chicken should I use in this recipe? 

I prefer using chicken thighs with this recipe because the meat stays really moist and flavorful and its a lot harder to dry the chicken out. However, I have tested this recipe with chicken breasts as well, and it works equally well.  You can use either!

Storage Tips

Leftovers can be stored and enjoyed for up to 4 days. Remove the chicken from the skewers and place in an airtight container in the fridge. The peanut sauce should be stored in a separate air tight container in the fridge.

To reheat the chicken, warm in the oven or microwave until warm. To reheat the peanut sauce, spoon the desired quantity into a bowl and reheat in the microwave and then stir to bring the sauce back together. 

Other family friend Thai inspired recipes:

• Thai Stir Fry with Pork and Broccolini
• Thai Chicken and Quinoa Casserole
• Thai Turkey Zucchini Meatballs
• Thai Basil Chicken