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Chunks of chicken are marinated in a creamy coconut curry sauce, grilled on skewers, and served with a simple, spicy peanut sauce.
Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: This savory, spiced coconut curry chicken is served with a gingery peanut sauce with just a touch of lime.
- Prep Note: Chicken satay can be assembled a day ahead and grilled when ready.
- Time-Saving Tip: The peanut dip can be prepared two days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. To save time, you can also buy precut chicken!
- Recommended Tools: A meat thermometer is the best way to check if your chicken is cooked properly. It will read 165°F when fully cooked.
Ingredient Tips for Chicken Satay
- Chicken: Use strips of boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
- Marinade: Soy sauce tenderizes the chicken, and the perfect blend of coconut milk, brown sugar, garlic, and curry powder infuses the meat with flavor. Look for full-fat coconut milk and not coconut cream. Be sure to discard leftover marinade.
- Peanut Sauce: Use smooth or chunky peanut butter, and adjust the amount of Sambal (or sriracha) to suit your preference. Ground ginger and a splash of fresh lime juice add an extra bright flavor to the peanut sauce.
Variations
- Before threading the chicken onto the skewers, alternate chunks of red bell pepper, yellow onion, zucchini coins, or whole mushrooms to make a complete meal on a stick.
- Swap the chicken breasts for cubes of pork or large shrimp.
- Brown sugar can be swapped out for honey, maple syrup, or a sugar-free substitute.
Favorite Way to Serve
- Double up on the peanut sauce and use it for grilled shrimp, ramen noodles, or a cold Ramen noodle salad.
- Serve chicken satay skewers with jasmine rice, coconut rice, zucchini noodles, or over a bed of garlic bok choy.
Leftovers
Keep the chicken in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat briefly in the microwave or the air fryer. Peanut sauce will last for up to a week in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.
To freeze, remove chicken from the skewers and place in zippered bags. Freeze for up to 4 months and thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Asian-Inspired Recipes to Savor
Did you make this Chicken Satay recipe? Leave a comment and rating below!
Chicken Satay
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut lengthwise into thin strips
- ½ cup coconut milk not low fat
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
Peanut Sauce
- ½ cup peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons Sambal oelek or sriracha
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 3 tablespoons coconut milk or as needed for consistency
- chopped peanuts and chopped fresh cilantro, for serving, optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together coconut milk, soy sauce, brown sugar, curry powder, and garlic. Add chicken strips to the marinade and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.
- In a medium bowl, combine peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, Sambal, and ground ginger. Whisk in coconut milk, adding more as needed until the sauce reaches desired consistency. Refrigerate for serving.
- If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and thread onto the soaked skewers. Discard the remaining marinade.
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Grill the skewers for 3-4 minutes per side, or until fully cooked and nicely charred.
- Serve chicken satay hot with peanut dipping sauce on the side. Garnish with chopped peanuts and cilantro if desired.
Notes
- Don’t skip soaking the skewers; it keeps them from burning on the grill.
- The peanut sauce can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for a few days.
- Nutrition information is calculated without optional garnish.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine Asian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
The chicken was very good. I added orange pepper and red onion on the skewers. I did not make the peanut sauce as I already had some but will try this recipe next time.
I’m saving this! It looks delicious and the peanut sauce has sambal oelek in it. Thats’s a winner by itself.
Hi Gail, let us know how it turns out.
Just made this tonight and very tasty and peanut sauce is so creamy and delicious. I marinated the chicken for only 3 hours due to time constraints but still flavorful, will do so for longer next time though. Thank you for sharing!
So glad you loved it Erin!