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……

Finally I have found the Holy Grail of peanut sauce! I make it all the time.
Couple of points though. I don’t add water. Adding water made it a soup which I still devoured but none the less. I also added a bit more red curry paste to give it a bit more zing.
This sauce is one of the best recipes on the website (and it has huge competition!). If you haven’t tried it yet you’re missing out big time!
I also don’t bother with skewers. I use Maesri paste, Ayam coconut milk and Mayvers smooth peanut butter.
The Mayvers peanut butter is also perfect for the muesli bars (crunchy version)
Love this recipe Nagi! One question though….can you freeze the leftover peanut sauce for later use?
SO GOOD! I’m so excited to have found your site. This recipe was perfect
I’m obsessed with this recipe! I use Assam red curry paste and a plant based chicken alternative – an amazing recipe now turned vegan!
This dish turned out fantastic! I used chicken tenders and gochuchang chili paste. Marinated the chicken 3ish hours. Amazing! Thank you for this!
Hi Nagi just finished dinner WOW!!! You’re Thai chicken satay was through the roof. Marinated chicken for about 24 hours so tender. Boss says must have again and I agree. Your quesadilla beef recipe is also a great hit with family and friends. thanks for the great recipes. John
I just would like to make the peanut sauce, but can’t quite figure out how much Coconut Milk to add… a can less 1/4 cup I gather?
If you haven’t made this recipe yet, what are you waiting for??? It is just.so.good! Everyone loves it!
* I can’t be bothered putting meat on a skewer only to take it off again 15 mins later! So we cut the boneless chicken thighs into larger pieces/chunky strips, and cook on the cast iron grill pan.
* I use maesri paste, ayam coconut milk, and quality natural peanut butter.
* i always halve the sauce and still have lots leftover. Pop into mini ziplock bags in freezer to address sudden cravings. It defrosts perfectly.
* If halving the sauce i seem to end up with spare maesri paste, the right amount for another batch of chicken. And so the cycle begins again…
What can I sub for Thai red curry paste? Can I use tomato paste? I do not have the ingredients to make the paste at home either.
The BEST!! Made twice now and it’d perfect!! I make my own curry power – and just used the same amount in this, we also use a dark roasted smooth pure penut butter .. drool, the dark roast adds so much depth to sauce, we also use apple cider vinegar 😋 x ENJOY!!!!
Loved, loved these. Did some porterhouse as well. Added onion, capsicum and pineapple to skewers. Chicken melt in mouth. My husband
just said “thank you love, that was beautiful”. What else can I say?
So good!! I could easily drink the rest of the sauce , just wanna dunk everything into it. This is such an easy and so delicious recipe, amazzinnngg, must try !!
Extremely easy beautiful peanut satay sauce, very well balanced. Increase the number of chicken skewers if not wanting to waste any sauce although it freezes fine. Great recipe
10/10! OMG this satay sauce is just so tasty. I nearly drank the left over in the dipping bowl.
Keep ’em coming Nagi.
Husband said it was one of his favourite meals I’ve ever cooked! High praise for Nagi! Will reduce spice in sauce for the kids, but husband and I though it was perfect!
This is possibly the best Nagi recipe I have cooked…..and I’ve cooked a lot of them. Amazing.
Absolutely delicious couldn’t stop taste checking the peanut sauce. There is heaps left so will be making again soon!!!
This dressing is simply amazing. It makes any vegetables taste delicious!
Nagi you are a magician!!! This satay chicken recipe is THE BEST!!!!