This Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce recipe features juicy marinated chicken that's grilled to perfection and served with Thai-style peanut sauce. No grill? No problem. Instructions for stove-top cooking and baking also included!
Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce Recipe
If you're looking for a fun and spicy recipe for the game day table this year, or maybe an interesting appetizer for the holidays, consider making chicken satay. It's a spicy food lover's dream recipe.
It's pretty easy to make and you can really play with the spice levels to adjust it to your own preference. I make these frequently for parties and gatherings, and they always disappear pretty quickly. Everyone loves food on a stick!
Chicken satay can also be the STAR of your meal. Either serve up a few of them to fill up your plate, or use extra long skewers like I did and serve individually. I love them for a quick and easy dinner.
Ingredients in Chicken Satay with Thai Peanut Sauce
There are two key components to this recipe - the Marinade and the Thai Peanut Sauce.
For the chicken and marinade:
- Chicken
- Thai peppers chopped (or use spicy red peppers available to you)
- Shallot
- Lemongrass stalks (or use 1 teaspoon lemongrass paste)
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Fish sauce
- Brown sugar
- Soy sauce
- Sriracha
- Turmeric
- Cumin
- Cilantro
- Spicy chili flakes
- Bamboo skewers soaked in water for at least 20 minutes
For the Thai peanut sauce:
- Peanut butter
- Soy sauce
- Rice wine vinegar
- Chili-garlic sauce
- Sesame oil
- Honey
- Lime juice
- Seasonings - Use cayenne (or paprika for a milder heat), garlic powder (or fresh grated garlic), ginger powder (or fresh grated ginger). Curry powder is a nice addition for extra flavor.
How to Make Chicken Satay
Marinate the chicken. Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl or a baggie. Mix until the chicken is evenly coated with the flavors. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Skewer the chicken. Pierce the chicken pieces onto skewers when you’re ready to cook.
Cook the chicken. Heat a grill to medium heat and lightly oil the grates. Grill the chicken skewers 4-5 minutes per side, until the chicken is cooked through. It should measure 165°F. internally.
Enjoy! Garnish with fresh cilantro and spicy chili flakes. Serve with the spicy Thai peanut sauce.
How to Make Thai Peanut Sauce
Whisk it all. Whisk all of the ingredients together, except for the water, in a small bowl until well combined and the sauce is nice and smooth.
Thin it out if needed. Add water a teaspoon at a time until you achieve your desired consistency.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Marinate the chicken. You’ll get more flavor with a longer marinade. 12 hours or overnight is best. I like to start the marinade in the morning so the chicken is ready by dinnertime.
- Add other ingredients. There are a number of different ingredients you can use to make this recipe your own, particularly for the spicy peanut sauce. Try a tablespoon of red curry paste or a bit of sriracha, or even chili-garlic sauce. Try it with gochujang as well. Coconut milk is a nice addition for the marinade.
- Turn up the heat! This recipe is a touch spicy, but you can dial that back by going easy on the sriracha and skipping the addition of spicy chili flakes or powders. However, if you're looking the really up that heat, you have several options - add in more sriracha, add in another hot sauce, sprinkle in spicy chili flakes or use your favorite hot and spicy chili powder. You can also chop or grind up some spicy fresh peppers for the marinade. Ghost pepper chicken satay, anyone?
Serving Suggestions
Here are a few different ways you can serve up this Thai chicken satay recipe:
- Game day food table - set them up alongside extra spicy Thai peanut sauce.
- Holiday appetizers - just make smaller skewers so they can be served as hand held apps.
- Summer grilling dinner - make them the star of the meal.
Alternate Cooking Methods
This recipe calls for grilling the chicken satay skewers on the grill, but you can also cook them in a pan or hot skillet, or in the oven. Here are instructions for cook them:
- SKILLET. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet or pan over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes per side, or until the chicken is cooked through. The internal temperature should read 165°F. You may need to work in batches.
- OVEN. Heat your oven to 350°F. Bake the skewers for 15 minutes to 20 minutes on lightly oiled baking sheets, or until the chicken is cooked through. The internal temperature should read 165°F.
Storage
Once cooled to room temperature, you can store your chicken skewers in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3-4 days. I recommend reheating either in the air fryer, skillet, or oven until warmed through.
Thai peanut sauce will last a week in the refrigerator or longer. It is not ideal for freezing, and best use right away. Use it as a dipping sauce, drizzling sauce, or you can heat it in a pan with cooked vegetables and/or chicken for a meal.
Try Some of My Other Popular Spicy Chicken Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Chicken Satay Recipe with Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN
- 1-1/2 pounds chicken cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3-4 Thai peppers chopped (or use spicy red peppers available to you)
- 1 shallot chopped
- 2 stalks lemongrass trimmed and chopped (or use 1 teaspoon lemongrass paste)
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger chopped
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sriracha
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro + more for garnish
- Spicy chili flakes as desired
- Bamboo skewers soaked in water for at least 20 minutes
FOR THE EASY THAI PEANUT SAUCE
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter use ½ cup for more peanut flavor
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon cayenne powder or use paprika for a milder heat
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder or use 1 clove garlic, finely minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder or use 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon water or more as needed for thinning
Instructions
FOR THE CHICKEN
- Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl or a baggie. Mix until the chicken is evenly coated with the flavors. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
- Pierce the chicken pieces onto skewers when you’re ready to cook.
- Next, heat a grill to medium heat and lightly oil the grates. Grill the chicken skewers 4-5 minutes per side, until the chicken is cooked through. It should measure 165 degrees F. internally.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro and spicy chili flakes. Serve with the spicy Thai peanut sauce.
FOR THE THAI PEANUT SAUCE
- Whisk all of the ingredients together, except for the water, in a small bowl until well combined and the sauce is nice and smooth.
- Add water a teaspoon at a time until you achieve your desired consistency.
- Serve!
Notes
- SKILLET. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet or pan over medium high heat. Cook for 4-5 minutes per side, or until the chicken is cooked through. The internal temperature should read 165 degrees F. You may need to work in batches.
- OVEN. Heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the skewers for 15-20 minutes on lightly oiled baking sheets, or until the chicken is cooked through. The internal temperature should read 165 degrees F.
Nutrition Information
Therese says
We enjoyed this and the guests raved! One note on the peanut sauce. Mike calls for 1/4-1/2 cup peanut butter. I used the full 1/2 cup and thought it tasted too much like just peanut butter, with the other ingredients not very apparent. I added back some additional soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili garlic sauce and got closer to where I wanted it. Wound up using quite a lot of water to thin it down. Served with a spicy cucumber salad and grilled rice cakes. Delicious meal!
Mike Hultquist says
Yes, best to adjust to your taste.
Irene says
Best recipe ive found in a long time. Very quick and easy to prepare, will definitely be making again.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks so much, Irene!
Karrie says
The chicken turned out amazing as did the sauce! My family loved it. I made homemade naan to have with it and garlic hummus
Mike H. says
Very happy to hear it, Karrie.
Erick Johnston says
Super recipe, a big hit with my family and friends. Quick and easy to prepare. Many thanks
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Erick! Glad it was a hit! Nice.