Thai Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
What Is Thai Chicken Satay
With Thai chicken satay, you’ll be quick to notice it has a vibrant yellow/orange color that’s bright and enticing. On top of that, you’ll likely notice the aroma before you even taste it. Chicken satay tastes as delicious as it smells and looks!
The ingredients of the chicken marinade are what make it so remarkably good. Those flavorful, bold ingredients include all sorts of traditional spices and herbs that can be found in many Thai recipes! Coconut milk, fish sauce, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, cumin, turmeric, cilantro, coriander, and more make this easy chicken appetizer one of the most flavorful ones that will grace your grill.
If you’ve never heard of it before, chicken satay is influenced by Thai, Malaysian, and Indonesian cuisines, but it originated in Indonesia. “Satay” refers to the skewered pieces of meat that are marinated and then grilled.
It’s most commonly served with peanut sauce, which is also included in this easy recipe. Trust me – serving this already mouthwatering grilled chicken with the sweet and savory homemade peanut sauce is something you will want to make over and over.
Important Ingredients Notes and Substitutions
Unsweetened Coconut Milk – Make sure you’re using unsweetened coconut milk. (Thai unsweetened coconut milk is meant for cooking, while the sweet kind is meant for blended cocktails.)
Lemongrass Stalks – use fresh lemongrass and the white parts only. These parts are way more tender than green. (If you only have excess to dried, you will need to use half the amount and rehydrate them in warm water for about 20 minutes.)
Gluten free option – to make this recipe gluten free, you will need to substitute soy sauce for gluten free soy sauce or tamari.
How to Make Thai Chicken Satay
- Blend all of the marinade ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
- Cut the chicken into 1-1.5 inch pieces and marinate in the refrigerator for 6-12 hours.
- Soak the wooden skewers and skewer 3-4 pieces of the chicken onto each.
- Grill each chicken skewer for 2-3 minutes per side, on all 4 sides.
- Combine all ingredients for the homemade peanut sauce. whisk it, and bring to a simmer. Turn off as soon as it starts to simmer.
How to Serve Thai Chicken Satay?
The traditional way to serve Thai chicken satay is as an appetizer, although I’ve served it as a dinner dish on many occasions! Serve it with peanut sauce and sliced cucumbers, or a fresh cucumber salad.
If you want to make it a meal for dinner, you can also serve it along side of sticky coconut rice.
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Chicken Satay Recipe with Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
- 2-2.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Marinade:
- 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 shallots
- 3 lemongrass stalks – white part only
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tbsp white granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce use gluten free if needed
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
Peanut Sauce:
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tbsp white granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 garlic clove
Instructions
Marinate Chicken (note, it will need 6-12 hours to marinate):
- Combine all of the ingredients for the marinade in a food processor or a blender and pulse until smooth.
- Cut chicken thigh meat into pieces that are about 1-1.5 inches and cut of excess fat if you wish. Place chicken pieces into a metal or glass mixing bowl.
- Pour the marinade into the bowl and mix the chicken with the marinade. Cover the bowl air-tight and refrigerate for 6-12 hours.
Cook the chicken:
- Make sure to let the skewers soak in water for 30-45 minutes before cooking.
- When ready to cook the chicken, skewer 3-4 pieces onto each skewer. (Exact amount will depend on how big the chicken pieces are and how many skewers you wish to have.) When skewering the chicken, you can gently shake off excess marinade but don't shake it all off or squeeze it off.
- Grill chicken skewers for 2-3 minutes per side, turning them 1/4 of the way when that side gets golden brown.
- Serve cooked chicken satay skewers with peanut sauce and cucumber slices or a cucumber salad.
Peanut Sauce:
- Combine all of the ingredients for the peanut sauce in a small sauce pot. Set the pot over medium to medium-low heat and start to whisk slowly.
- Whisk until the sauce is smooth and keep slowly whisking as it heats through to a simmer. As soon as the sauce starts to simmer, take it off heat and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
More Thai Chicken Recipes To Try
Categories:
Appetizer Recipes, Asian Recipes, Chicken Dinner Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Snack Ideas, Thai Recipes,All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
Thanks for the recipe it was really good!