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!
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
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……
So, I cheated a bit on this recipe and used ready-made Ayam Thai Satay sauce instead of making the peanut sauce from scratch. I did make the marinade exactly per the recipe. The marinade was great and the everyone loved it. Definitely a keeper. (And, if you are feeling lazy, the Ayam Thai Satay sauce was pretty tasty as well!)
This was soooooo good, thank you. However can you freeze the sauce as I have lots left over
Yes 100% Nicola!! N x
Can anyone confirm if this is spicy? Trying to decide if I can give it to the kids or not!
I used the Ayam red curry paste, and is not spicy at all! Would be perfect for kids as it may be less than mild! Super yummy
Hi I’ve loved every one of your recipes that I’ve tried to date. Is it safe to cook these skewers ahead of time and then thaw and reheat in microwave on the day?
Hi Annie, you can definitely do that – just reheat gently in the microwave and cover them so they don’t dry out. N x
Absolutely delicious! Everyone loved this. Easy to make and as good as a restaurant. Thanks for the recipe!
I don’t do skewers. I use the this as a sauce on boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I dredge the thighs thru the sauce (to which I also add shredded coconut), then coat with peanut bits by placing them in a plastic bag, adding the chicken, and shaking. Bake at 400F for 30 minutes. Just a variation on a theme,
Perfect Kevin – that sauce is amazing no matter how it’s done! N x
So very tasty – made this last night and very. Excellent recipe.
Wahoo, that’s awesome Celia! N x
Hi there! Does anyone have a substitute suggestion for coconut milk?
Hi Michelle, nothing really compares with the same flavour, however you could use evaporated milk if you like. N x
Cooked this for the first time tonight as we would usually order as a takeaway. Can I just say that this is so amazing, so much so that my husband said it was the best chicken satay starter he’d ever had and considering we’ve had quite a few here in the UK this was a good sign. So easy to make as well. Thanks Nagi, like I said in previous comments expect more good ones x
No mater how many times l make this the coconut milk throws me of…the recipe needs to be changed as its not clear in using it…But it is a great recipe.
Hi Addi, I’m unsure what you mean – the recipe calls for a 400g tin – 1/4 of this is added to the chicken marinade as per step 1 (when making the skewers). The rest of the coconut milk is used in the sauce – I hope this clears it up for you. Try watching the video for reference too 🙂 N x
l watch the o the look at engrediant…in yr instructions yes you have it but under marinate you should have it broken down as 1/4 and saute sauce 3/4 as l have made it a few times l just look at ingredients and always muck it up..( its my bad )
sorry my key on phone is bad and it kept closing..hope it made sense.🤦
U need a new phone Addi. LOLOL.
This is outstanding. You will not use the bottled rubbish ever again. What a hit this has been with my family.
Can I oven bake the chicken instead of stovetop? if so how long and what temp ? thanks !! cant wait to make you dish today!!
I use the this as a sauce on boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I dredge the thighs thru the sauce (to which I also add shredded coconut), then coat with peanut bits by placing them in a plastic bag, adding the chicken, and shaking. Bake at 400F for 30 minutes.
Outstanding! I have made this with both thighs and breasts and it is amazing either way. My husband does not eat chicken, and loves to drizzle this peanut sauce over steak. Thank you!
Yum! Yum! Yum! Out of this world recipe..thank you.
Just as good as our Thai restaurant (maybe even better)!! Yum!!
WOW this recipe is delicious. The peanut sauce is SO GOOD. Thank you for another amazing recipe Nagi!
This was spot on. I used the marinade on beef as well, and they were also great.
Amazing! Have been wanting to cook this for a while and I’m so glad it finally did
Was absolutely delicious
Thank you for this amazing recipe, It was delicious!!
For how long can the peanut sauce be frozen ?
Thank you 🙂
I have made lots of your recipes and the chicken sate was one of the best.
This was INSANELY good… I have no words. Don’t even bother looking for another satay recipe, people! This is it.
Nagi, you are a goddess. <3