Satay skewers: the benchmark of authentic Thai food! Think deeply marinated chicken with a peanut sauce that’s so good, everyone will be begging for the recipe. Serve this with steamed jasmine or Coconut Rice. Or go all out with a Thai restaurant banquet complete with Thai Fried Rice , Pad See Ew or Thai Chilli Basil Stir Fry!
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!

Thai Chicken Satay skewers
At the risk of sounding totally obnoxious – this is a recipe for Chicken Satay skewers with Thai Peanut Sauce that truly stacks up to your favourite Thai restaurant.
When it hits the stove, the smell is SO GOOD you will just know they are going to taste amazing.
Then you have a taste of the peanut dipping sauce…… and you’ll just shake your head, wondering how the heck can something so simple taste so good??!!
Or you might be thinking – OMG, I finally cracked it, this tastes EXACTLY like the authentic Chicken Satay I had in Thailand!!! Oh wait, maybe that’s just in my head. 😂

What goes in Chicken Satay and Thai Peanut Sauce
It might surprise you how few ingredients go in Chicken Satay and the peanut sauce! Here’s what you need:

The BEST Thai Red Curry Paste
Thai Red Curry paste is a “secret ingredient” in both the marinade and the sauce. You just need about 2.5 tbsp which doesn’t sound like much, but we don’t want this to taste of red curry. We’re just using it as a flavour enhancer.
While I’m an advocate of homemade curry paste for Thai Red Curry and Green Curry, for recipes like this that use a smaller quantity, I use store bought.
I use Maesri Thai Red Curry Paste which I think is the best by a long shot. I also use this same brand for Green Curry and Red Curry for quick midweek curries.
It also happens to be the cheapest, at around $1.30 per can at major supermarkets like Coles, Woolies and Harris Farms.

How to make Thai Peanut Sauce
Thai Peanut Sauce is almost unbelievably simple to make. It’s literally just a 5 minute plonk-and-simmer job:
coconut milk
red curry paste
cider or white vinegar (not lime juice!)
pure peanut butter (see below for more info)
soy sauce
sugar
cooking salt / kosher salt (halve the quantity if you only have table salt which is finer. So 1 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt = 1/2 tsp table salt).

For the BEST Thai Peanut Sauce, use natural peanut butter
While commercial peanut butter spread is ok, if you want a really great authentic Thai Peanut Sauce that truly stacks up to your favourite Thai restaurant, use pure peanut butter. You’ll find it in the health food section of most supermarket nowadays.
Pure peanut butter is made with JUST peanuts – no sugar, oil or other additives – so the peanut flavour is stronger.
Also, natural peanut butter is thinner than commercial peanut butter spreads (see below) which means you need less water to thin the sauce = better peanut flavour in Thai Peanut Sauce!
Ahead of publishing this recipe, I tried the Thai Peanut Sauce with natural pure peanut butter vs commercial peanut butter (Kraft, now Bega) side by side to confirm this!

I’m a firm believer that Chicken Satay skewers should be tasty enough to eat on their own and the peanut sauce just takes it over the top. So I like to marinade the chicken to make it extra tasty.
Chicken Satay Marinade
Here’s what you need for the Thai Chicken Satay Marinade:
Chicken pieces – chicken thighs yield the juiciest chicken skewers but breast or tenderloin are fine
Red curry paste – see above for my recommended brand Maesri
Curry powder – any is fine here
Coconut milk
sugar
cooking salt / kosher salt – halve the quantity if you only have table salt which is finer. So 1 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt = 1/2 tsp table salt.
It’s best to marinade for at least 3 hours but even 20 minutes is long enough.

Cooking the Chicken Skewers
Chicken satay is a summertime favourite to cook on the BBQ. But I usually cook it on the stove for convenience.
For a really authentic Thai experience, cook the Chicken Satay over charcoal like it’s done in Thailand!

Thai Chicken Satay is a popular starter on Thai restaurants menus along with Thai Fish Cakes. But it’s also ideal served as a main. Serve it with steamed jasmine rice – or with fluffy Asian Coconut Rice (it’s amazing!). Or go all out with Thai Fried Rice or Pineapple Fried Rice!
For a fresh side salad, try this Asian Slaw, or use this Asian Sesame Dressing for a fresh salad or steamed vegetables.
If you want to go all out with a homemade Thai Banquet, serve this Chicken Satay as the starter with Thai Chilli Basil Stir Fry, a curry (Massaman Curry, Green Curry or Red Curry) with Coconut Rice as the mains. Or Pad See Ew! ~ Nagi x
Recipe source: An original creation but the roots of this recipe are from various Thai cookbooks and renowned Thai food experts like David Thompson and Sujet Saenkham (owner of the famous Spice I Am restaurants). Except I’ve made this recipe so it’s accessible to everyday cooks – without compromising! 🙂


Watch how to make it
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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Thai Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
- 400 g/14oz coconut milk (1 can), full fat
- 13-16 bamboo skewers , 16cm / 6.5″ long (Note 1)
Marinade:
- 600 g / 1.2lb chicken thighs , boneless skinless, cut into 2cm/4/5″ pieces (Note 2)
- 1 tbsp curry powder (Note 3)
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 2 tsp red curry paste (Note 4)
- 1 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (sub 1/2 tsp table salt)
Thai Peanut Sauce:
- 2 tbsp red curry paste (Note 4)
- 3/4 cup natural peanut butter, smooth (Note 5)
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 2 tsp dark soy sauce (Note 6)
- 1 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (sub 1/2 tsp table salt)
- 2 tbsp cider vinegar (Note 7)
- 3/4 cup water
Serving:
- 2 tbsp peanuts finely chopped
- Lime wedges (optional)
- Coriander / cilantro leaves and sliced red chilli (optional)
Instructions
- If cooking on a BBQ or over charcoal, soak skewers for 2 hours in water.
Thai Chicken Satay Skewers:
- Mix together the chicken and Marinade with 1/4 cup of coconut milk, then set aside for at least 20 minutes, or overnight.
- Thread onto skewers – I do 4 to 5 pieces each.
- Heat 1.5 tbsp oil in a large non stick pan over medium high heat.
- Cook skewers in batches for 3 minutes on each side until golden.
Thai Peanut Sauce:
- Place remaining coconut milk and Peanut Sauce ingredients in a saucepan over medium low heat.
- Stir to combine then simmer, stirring every now and then, for 5 minutes.
- Adjust consistency with water – it should be a pourable but thickish sauce.
- Cover with lid and keep warm while cooking skewers.
Serving:
- Pour some sauce into a bowl. Sprinkle with some peanuts – stir some through if you want.
- Pile satay skewers onto a platter, sprinkle with remaining peanuts, coriander and chilli.
- Serve with sauce on the side for dipping. Add a side of Jasmine Rice or Thai Fried Rice to complete the meal!
Recipe Notes:
- Sauce for for rice, noodles, veggies (raw or steamed)
- Make a simple Gado Gado with steam veg, hard boiled eggs and rice
- Dip for prawn crackers and vegetables
- As the dressing for this Chinese Chicken Salad, Satay Noodle Salad, Peanut Noodle Salad or Sesame Noodles
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
He thought I said PELICAN satay……

Too salty. Pinch of salt would be enough. Maybe it was my salt
Crowd pleaser! Best satay I’ve ever had & hubby loved it! Will definitely go into our family favourites! Definitely serve with a sprinkle of coriander, fresh chilli & lime and chopped peanuts to garnish.
I waited weeks to cook your Thai Chicken Satay for our Christmas dinner. So happy I did, we loved it. I used lime juice (instead of cider vinegar). I’ve been asked to make this every Christmas.
Amazing recipe!! Made this as a gluten free option for Xmas for one guest (just need to use gluten free soy sauce) and the whole family loved it. Several of the kids are now just wanting your satay sauce and rice (and I’ve shared this fab recipe). I reduced the amount of curry paste in the marinade and sauce to suit kids, and also added less sugar and salt in the sauce. Thanks Nagi – will definitely try out lots more of your recipes
I pan fry chicken pieces,a chunky sliced brown onion, add finely sliced red chilli, and serve with boiled rice.not authentic anything but reminds of a chinese takeaway, post the pub, from many years ago
I am making this for Christmas Day. Is cider vinegar the same as apple cider vinegar? Thanks.
Is cider vinegar in the peanut sauce apple cider vinegar? Thanks!
Yes that’s the one Penny 🙂 N x
BEST SATAY SAUCE EVER! I never jad such good one and I tried many recipes with fail. THANK YOUU 😍
Making it right now, everything tastes so delicious must try!! Super authentic
My 12 year old son said this is the best satay sauce recipe evah!! Add lime juice at table. Genuinely delicious. Makes a satisfyingly generous quantity.
Hey Nagi – LUV this receipe! can I marinate and then freeze them b4 cooking?
Yum yum yum if I could give you more stars I would👍as a Thai Aussie have to say this is the best satay ever it’s so good my Husband told me to write a review straight after we ate. All your recipes are best and thank you for making my dinners special.
You are my everyday gourmet chief. You make everything simple to understand and absolutely yummy.
Almost every recipe I try from your website becomes an instant family favourite. The chicken satay has got to be one of the very best/easiest I have ever tried. I can not wait to make it again for friends! Way better than take out!! Deserves 10 stars!
Absolutely delicious.
Loveeeeeee this site so much.
I have tried many of the recipes and always perfect.
How is the 253cal calculated in the nutritional info, is it per serve, if so how much is the serve size…just a bit confused. Thanks, love this recipe, been making it a while now – just on a diet now so counting calories!
Nick
Nutrition is calculated on the total amount of sauce divided by 15 (and 15 chicken skewers) 🙂 N x
Wow! This recipe is soooo good!! Can’t thank you enough for sharing!!!
Ah ok great. Thanks for that. We decided to do it a little different tonight and did away with the skewers and just had them in a bowl with rice and veg, was amazing! THE best sauce!
Thanks again
Perfect Nick – the sauce is great on top or anything to be honest! N x
This recipe is nice and easy and with a yummy result.I cook quite a bit of satays but so much work this is by far the best and very easy.Thank you for sharing! xx
Hi Nagi, excited about this recipe!! Just wondering how spicy is it? I would love to do this for the kids but experience with the maesri res paste tells me it will be quite spicy! Any alternatives to suggest?? Thank you!!
Jennifer I just made this for kids who are not used to spicy food. I used about 3/4 – 1 tsp of curry paste in the marinade and around 1/2 tbl in the sauce – just taste the sauce as you make it and add more if needed (I also reduced sugar and salt). Had a subtle flavour of spice and was a huge hit with the kids. Definitely recommend trying it
I stumbled upon this recipe maybe 2wks ago and have made it at least 4 times! Never leave reviews but have to tell ya how much my son & I love this dish! The flavors are amazing and the aromas though the house are mouthwatering! Made exactly as written, thx for a great find!
HOLY MOLY, THAT’S GOOD!
The sauce is 10/10 🏆
Nagi, as for the MAesri red curry paste (i found in Canada so super happy about that), once you open the can and take your 2 tablespoons out, how long is the open can good for and how do you store it?
Thank you kindly 🙂
Hi Julie – freeze for up to 3 months 🙂 N x
Thank you so much! Trying the peanut satay tonight!