Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

by Sabrina Snyder

Last Update:

30 Comments

5 from 11 votes
6 Servings
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Jump to Recipe
Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Chicken Satay skewers with the easiest peanut sauce is both authentic and kid-friendly. So delicious you’ll skip the Thai food delivery!

Thai recipes are a huge hit in our house including the fan favorites Easy Pad Thai and Pad See Ew (Thai Stir Fried Noodles).

chicken on skewers on a plate with peanut dipping sauce with garnish

Sabrina’s Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce Recipe

Satay is sweet, salty, savory, and tangy. The peanut butter is creamy, slightly spicy, and citrusy, with lime juice and zest in the peanut sauce. We’ve created many different versions of peanut sauce, including the sauce with coconut milk, but this version is genuinely the easiest peanut sauce ever, without even needing coconut milk.

Recipe Card

Dinner, then Dessert

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce Recipe

Chicken Satay skewers with the easiest peanut sauce is both authentic and kid-friendly. So delicious you'll skip the Thai food delivery!
Yield 6 Servings
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine Asian
Author Sabrina Snyder
chicken on skewers on a plate with peanut dipping sauce with garnish
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

CHICKEN SATAY

  • 1/4 cup dried lemongrass
  • 1/4 yellow onion
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 teaspoon Sriracha
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger , 1 inch piece
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 2 tablespoons ground coriander
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 cup dark soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 pounds chicken breast , cut into 1 inch cubes
  • wooden skewers

PEANUT SAUCE

  • 1 cup peanut butter , smooth/creamy
  • 1/3 cup lite soy sauce
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1 inch piece fresh ginger
  • 1 teaspoon Sriracha
  • 2 limes , juiced and zested

Instructions

  • Soak your wooden skewers in water.
  • Add all the ingredients for the marinade (except for the chicken breast) in the food processor and puree until smooth.
  • Add the marinade to the chicken pieces and let marinate for as long as possible (30 minutes minimum but ideally one day).
  • Thread each piece of chicken onto a wooden skewer (about 6-8 pieces on each one).
  • Cook on a grill or grill pan over high heat for 2-3 minutes per side.
  • To make the peanut sauce add all the ingredients of the sauce together in a small food processor and puree until smooth.

Notes

  • Looking for a fun presentation, I dressed them up with chopped cilantro, crushed peanuts and a swirl of Sriracha in the dipping bowl.

Nutrition

Calories: 508kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 2124mg | Potassium: 984mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 112IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 3mg

Want to save this recipe? Create a free account to easily save your favorite recipes

Pin this recipe now to remember it later

Pin Recipe

Table of Contents

Back to Table of Contents

About this Recipe

I use chicken breasts in this recipe because we’re grilling on skewers and it’s quick with high heat. If you’d prefer to bake this recipe or use thighs just make sure you’re cooking long enough to cook through the chicken. Often when putting chicken on a skewer people will overload the skewer and push the pieces of chicken together. Add only a small amount of chicken to the skewer, and make sure there is a small space between the pieces.

Essential Ingredients

  • Dried Lemongrass: All the flavor with all the convenience.
  • Fish Sauce: Great flavors, but for our family, I actually use the fish-free version (tastes JUST as good)
  • Dark Soy Sauce: Brewed longer and with a thicker texture the flavors are not saltier than soy sauce, they’re more like a marinade.
  • Dried Lemongrass: I use dried lemongrass in this recipe and it works PERFECTLY. You can of course use fresh, I’d say about a 2-inch piece of fresh lemongrass would be plenty.

Tips & Tricks

  • Soak the wooden skewers before grilling them. I start soaking before doing anything else, then thread the chicken on. There is no need to dry them.
  • If you have found this recipe in time, the longer you marinate the chicken, the better the flavors. I try to give it a full 24 hours.
  • Looking for a fun presentation, I dressed them up with chopped cilantro, crushed peanuts and a swirl of Sriracha in the dipping bowl.

What to Pair with Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Serve these skewers by themselves as an appetizer or make a meal out of them! We love to serve with roasted or grilled vegetables, Steamed Coconut Rice and Healthy Thai Peanut Chicken Zucchini Noodles. You can also use them with leftover rice and veggies, or a frozen veggie mix you have stored.

Baked Variation

  • Marinade the chicken as described for at least 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  • Bake the chicken for 18-20 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking time.
  • Serve with peanut sauce.

Looking for the slow cooker version? Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken

More Thai Recipes

Chicken Satay skewers with peanut sauce on a platter

These photos were used in a previous version of this post

Chicken skewers and peanut sauce on a white platter
The best peanut dipping sauce EVER with easy Chicken Satay!

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

Categories

Leave a comment & rating

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Maximum file size: 10 MB.
Allowed formats: JPG, JPEG, PNG, WebP, AVIF. Drop images here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. Why would you not use crunchy peanut butter if you want crushed peanuts on top anyway?
    Thanks! LOVE your recipes!!

    Reply

    1. It’ll last up to a week if kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Just make sure to take it out 30 minutes prior to serving to allow it to come to room temperature due to the peanut butter. Hope this helps!

      Reply

  4. Would love to make this for a party. How many skewers can you fill with 2 pounds of chicken? I am planning to use tenderloins to reduce chopping required, so curious how many multiples I’d need to do about 60 skewers?

    Reply

  5. Love most of your recipes, but this one was just okay. Our family of spice-lovers found the flavors in this one to be off-balance. The coriander in particular seemed really strong. We did like the peanut sauce though. I’ll probably try again, tweaking the seasonings a bit.

    Reply

  7. Really delicious! Made double batch of marinade for 6lb chicken, then cooked in instant pot. Substituted 1Tbsp ea lemon & lime zest for lemongrass (per batch marinade) “sauce” left after cooking this way good on rice/salad.

    Reply

  14. AMAZING!! Loved it, left out a few items like fish sauce, cumin, and coriander but it was still awesome

    Reply

  18. This is one of my favorite meals to get at restaurants. This looks so easy and delicious to make at home!

    Reply