Satay skewers: the benchmark of authentic Thai food! Think deeply marinated chicken with a peanut sauce thatโs 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 Riceย , Pad See Ew or Thai Chilli Basil Stir Fry!
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook โDinnerโ!
Thai Chicken Satay skewers
At the risk of sounding totally obnoxious โ 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 willย just know they are going to taste amazing.
Then you have a taste of the peanut dipping sauceโฆโฆ and youโll just shake your head, wonderingย how the heck can something so simple taste so good??!!
Or you might be thinking โย OMG, I finally cracked it, this tastes EXACTLY like the authentic Chicken Satay I had in Thailand!!! Oh wait, maybe thatโs just in my head. ๐
What goes in Chicken Satay and Thai Peanut Sauce
It might surprise you how few ingredients go in Chicken Satay and the peanut sauce! Hereโs what you need:
The BEST Thai Red Curry Paste
Thai Red Curry paste is a โsecret ingredientโ in both the marinade and the sauce. You just need about 2.5 tbsp which doesnโt sound like much, but we donโt want this to taste of red curry. Weโre just using it as a flavour enhancer.
While Iโm 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, atย around $1.30 per can at major supermarketsย like Coles, Woolies and Harris Farms.
How to make Thai Peanut Sauce
Thai Peanut Sauce is almost unbelievably simple to make. Itโs 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 aย really great authentic Thai Peanut Sauce that truly stacks up to your favourite Thai restaurant, useย pure peanut butter.ย Youโll find it in the health food section of most supermarket nowadays.
Pure peanut butter is made with JUST peanuts โ no sugar, oil or other additives โ so theย peanut flavour is stronger.
Also, natural peanut butter is thinner than commercial peanut butter spreads (see below) which means you needย less water to thin the sauce =ย better peanutย 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 confirmย this!
Iโm 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
Hereโs what you need for the Thai Chicken Satay Marinade:
Chicken pieces โย chicken thighs yield the juiciest chicken skewers but breast or tenderloin are fine
Red curry paste โ see above for my recommended brandย Maesri
Curry powder โ any is fine here
Coconut milk
sugar
cooking salt / kosher salt โ halve the quantity if you only have table salt which is finer. So 1 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt = 1/2 tsp table salt.
Itโs 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 itโs done in Thailand!
Thai Chicken Satay is a popular starter on Thai restaurants menus along with Thai Fish Cakes. But itโs also ideal served as a main. Serve it with steamed jasmine rice โ or with fluffy Asian Coconut Riceย (itโs amazing!). Or go all out withย Thai Fried Riceย orย Pineapple Fried Rice!
For aย fresh side salad, try this Asian Slaw, or use this Asian Sesame Dressing for a fresh saladย 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,ย 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 Iโve made this recipe so itโs accessible to everyday cooks โ without compromising! ๐
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 / 6.5โณ long (Note 1)
Marinade:
- 600 g / 1.2lb chicken thighs , boneless skinless, cut into 2cm/4/5โณ 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 โ 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 โ 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 โ 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,ย Peanut Noodle Saladย or Sesame Noodles
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
He thought I said PELICAN satayโฆโฆ
Everything you show us how to do is excellent you have reinvented the cook book
You make everything look so doable thank you so much
Recipetineats is the only recipe page I use these days for anything asian. Your recipes are always bang on the flavour and your explain alternatives and short cuts really well.
This is a family favourite, the sauce freezes really well which makes for a really quick dinner. Thank you for another great recipe
I have my chicken in the fridge marinating, my skewers soaking and the sauce on the stove to be reheated at dinner time. The sauce is delicious. I canโt wait for dinner tonight!
Delicious! The best! I have been craving a really good Satay dish and this was it!
Just keep stirring that satay until is gets smooth and creamy. Just the right texture and flavor, it was a big hit and I had plenty left over for another night.
Delicious!! Since I used store bought processed peanut butter I reduced the sugar and didnโt add water and the flavor and consistency was wonderful. A keeper for sure.
OMG Nagiโฆ..just made your peanut sauce!! Ridiculously good! I just stumbled across your site when I Googled best satay peanut sauce recipe and boy is that the truth!! Thanks so much! Iโve bookmarked a bunch of your recipes to try and canโt wait to give them a go!
Forgot to give the 5 star rating!
I made this as an entree for guests on the weekend โ everyone loved it and there were no left-overs even though Iโd made extra skewers! The peanut sauce is next level โ very authentic! Iโm making it again tonight for a quick family dinner but Iโm cheating by buying butcher-made satay sticks and using pre-cooked Jasmine packet rice (lol). I just have to heat the left-over peanut sauce and dinnerโs done! Thanks for another winner Nagi! ๐
Amazing ๐ thank you for another fabulous recipe which was so easy to follow.
I was so proud when 6 friends commented on these awesome skewers made exactly to your recipe.
The flatbread were too easy to make and they worked a treat.
Your beautiful book is full of inspiration and I love reading it daily from cover to cover.
Nagi for PM!
Nagi again you have nailed it Satay Sauce absolutely delish and easy to make. Winner ๐
I just tried this. The whole family loved it. I had to cook the sauce down much longer than the recipe said to get the consistency I wanted, but the result was as great as promised. And THANK YOU for including the information that I can freeze the leftover sauce. So many sites donโt mention that. Good thinking.
Had this for dinner last night and it was delicious! Saving the left over peanut sauce for another night. I want to drink it.!
Making this tonight, how long did the sauce keep in the fridge?
I kept my sauce for 3 days and it was still amazing โ didnโt last much longer than that. But I imagine you would freeze the sauce if you have alot left:)
This was my first time trying chicken satay and itโs AWESOME!!! Thanks for a recipe Iโll be making again and again, a great warming dinner at the end of a long day
So easy & much more flavour than take away satay!
I just want to comment one thing.
Satay is Malaysian dish, not Thai. Do ur research. The recipes that u do here is also not the true representation of our satay. name it Thai chicken skewer grill instead.
Amazing! Made it pretty much to the recipe and itโs so so good, exactly like take away but minus all the oil โ will be making again for sure.
OMG that Thai Peanut Sauce is to die for!!! You have done it again Nagi!
This was absolutely delicious! Nagi, thank you so much for all of your recipes! I tried so many of them. All of them are amazing! ๐
I am really confused reading this. It says to use the remainder of the can of coconut milk, but I donโt see any other instructions for using coconut milk in the recipe. It reads as if we are suppose to use the whole can in the sauce. The ingredient for the Beef Satay with Thai Peanut Sauce, say only 2/3 cup coconut milk. Which recipe is correct?
I see now where it says to use 1/4 cup in the marinade. Woops, I already dumped the whole can in the sauce! Directions were never my strong suit.