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……
This recipe was really tasty. The peanut sauce is better than shop bought or takeaway. Nagi i have tried your baked sweet and sour chicken also which was lovely.
I’m so glad you loved it Bonnie!!
Hi Nagi! How long do you store left over curry paste for in the fridge?
A week or so usually – N x
Great Recipe! Thank you for sharing Nagi!
This was so tasty with my hubby declaring it one of the best chicken dishes ever!
Winner winner chicken dinner!
The video and recipe do not match. EX there is no coconut milk listed in the peanut sauce.
Hi Francois – it’s the first ingredient listed. It is split across both the chicken marinade and the sauce 🙂
How much coconut milk goes in the sauce and how much goes in the marinade?
OMG! This was amazing Nagi! I’m allergic to peanuts so I used cashew nut butter instead and it was delicious. I’ve already called my mother and sister to rave about how good it was – so yum I can’t believe it!
Oh that’s so great Jen!!
Have made these several times to rave reviews. Oh my goodness these are out of this world. The only problem is now my family won’t eat them from anywhere else cause yours taste better lol. Thank you so much for sharing.
Woah that’s awesome to hear!
I didn’t have any chili paste so I subsrituted sriracha sauce. Maybe not authentic but ir worked quite well and is easier to find at mist atoes around here
That’s great to hear John!!
I have just made the sauce and the chicken is marinating. I cannot wait for dinner as the sauce is exactly the sauce we had at a vegan Thai restaurant! Delicious and thank you for the red curry paste tip! Spot on!!
I hope you love it Jo!
It was amazing! Cooked chicken on BBQ and it was perfect!
Is there any chance of a substitution for the coconut milk? I can’t tolerate coconut, but this recipe sounds delicious!
Hi Kristin, you could use normal cream if you prefer – N x
Hi Nagi,
This recipe was a big hit with my family. I have a question to ask though. I’m not a fan of anything spicy… my family would laugh and say that this wasn’t spicey, but it was for me. Is there a way I could recreate the sauce without the spicey taste? I used mild curry paste and the red curry paste from the tin as you suggested.
Thank you!
I’d love to make this but would like to try and reduce the sugar quantity – any chance you have a substitute for the white sugar?
Hi Ana, you could possibly make this with a sugar substitute like Stevia, however I haven’t tried so couldn’t give you an accurate amount – N x
I made this dish for my co workers family and they like it so much they asked me to make it a second time that week. I sprinkled some chopped mango on top as well, gave it a little sweet kicker to it. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Sounds divine Troy, great idea!
Have tried many satay recipes but this one hit the nail on the head. Really simple to make too!!
I doubled the satay sauce ingredients and added some chilli to give an extra kick. Will definitely be saving this recipe and passing it on.
Yum!!!
I made this recipe today. I barbecued the marinated chicken. And then we had the peanut sauce on top with rice and a salad. This was very good. My family loved it. I will definitely make this again.
Oh the BBQ would have given this a great flavour! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it – N x
Hi Nagi,
I’m doing an assessment and I need a smart sustainable packaging for those delicious Thai chicken satay skewers.
Any idea’s?
Thanks ❤
Hi Timothy, I’ll have to think about this one, I never package (I just eat!) 😂
this dish is to die for I made it for my kids and they loved it! but they got really itchy afterwards…But I loved it
Itchy?! 😂 I’ve never had that complaint before! – N x
This recipe looks amazing!! I’m planning on making this on Sunday for a potluck, but am trying to think of a vegetarian option to accommodate for some friends coming over. Would shrimp work for this recipe too in addition to the chicken? Or tofu? Thanks in advance!
Hi Joelle, sorry for the late reply! Anything would be great covered in this satay sauce, tofu and prawns would be amazing!
Listen….
This. recipe… OMG!!
I had a good feeling about this so I made a double batch-so glad I did! ate it as a rice bowl with an asian quick pickle and some cooked carrots.
Felt lazy, so didnt skewer anything-just laid strips on my grill pan.
Will be a new go-to for this celiac & dairy free gal!!
Woot!! The sauce is to die for right?!??!
Oh my! The pictures are so GORGEOUS! I’ve just been pinning one recipe after another – can’t wait to try! Thank you, Nagi! 😊
I hope you try them Natasha!
Nagi, this recipe is absolutely delicious!!! We are including your recipe link in our Thai Round up with a direct link back to your site for all the details to go out next Monday. Our readers are going to love this one. Pinning to all of our favorite boards. Take Care
Wahoo, thanks so much!