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……
The smells from this is devine, even my husband who doesn’t eat anything like it commented on the smell. It was a lot spicier than I anticipated though, and I tried to add cream to help but it was still a 4/5 on the spice scale for me.
Delicious! Lovely, tasty, rich and spicy. Had this tonight as a fakeaway dinner and it really hit the spot with my family. Next time I’ll cook it on the BBQ for an extra flavour dimension.
We use this as an all-purpose curry dipping sauce! Tonight we had it over leftover raosted veggies and chickpeas on rice.
Yum yum yum!
I made a double batch of sauce so we can do a vegetarian version using tempeh as well as a regular chicken one. I steamed the tempeh to remove the bitterness, and marinated the both proteins separately. In the interest of time, we baked the tempeh and chicken, because we also made your pad Thai, green curry, smashed cucumber salad and green papaya salad. Our guests gorged themselves…lol
I could drink the dipping sauce.
Thank you for making me look like an amazing, versatile chef 😁
What can I say, yet another delicious recipe Nagi, very easy to make. delish💗
Love these! I would like to know how you would bake them. It’s easier for me to bake chicken than pan fry. I really like how you bake your doner kebabs, could I use that method here?
Best satay recipe I have ever cooked, I froze the leftovers in the sauce and they re heated beautifully….Another winner from Nagi !!
Like all your recipes, Nagi, Thai chicken satay is excellent. Leftover sauce freezes well and sometimes used over roasted veggies. Yum! 🇨🇦
This recipe is firm favourite in our household.
The only change I make is that I don’t put the chicken onto skewers, I simply cook it as is………….sooooooo good!
Yes we’ve tried this!!
The sauce…you could bottle that stuff! This gets used pretty often.
I’ve been making your recipe for quite a while now, it’s a fabulous recipe. I have always got some in the freezer.
Thanks
I’ve made this several times, usually alongside the beef satay skewers.
I recently made it as a buid-your-own-bowl meal for a gathering, alongside roasted veggies for the vegetarians, steamed rice and smashed cucumber salad. This is great.
I did this dish on a girls weekend, share platter. It was so easy and AMAZING! Comments were – best satay sauce they ever had
I am a huge fan of your work, and I love your recipes in general, because they work so well. This Thai chicken satay is even better than the one my indonesian ex girlfriend used to prepare! My kids requested so often that I have gotten to the point of making it as a stir fry – and honestly, it tastes just as delicious, and only takes about half the time.
This is my favourite Nagi recipe of all. I don’t bother about the skewers, just serve in half thigh size pieces. The sauce is incredible. My partner even had it on ice cream 🤣
Made it. Loved it. Made it again…and again!
Oh I have tried this….. 1000x!
It is THAT good!!!!
Quick, easy, flavorful. What more needs to be said?!
I have lost count of the number of times I have used this recipe. It’s mostly to impress guests as part of a Thai banquet meal (I also do a Thai slow cooked beef cheeks) and your pineapple fried rice Nagi. I have also lost count of the number of times I have had draw on all my might and willpower not to just give up on the prepping for guests and sit on the couch with the saucepan of sauce and just spoon it all in my mouth. It’s just the best.
Oh yes! This is a favorite in our house for sure! The flavor is thru the roof! Better than any restaurant. It makes a lot of peanut sauce, so I freeze the extra for the next time.
Definitely the BEST peanut sauce !!!