• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

RecipeTin Eats

Fast Prep, Big Flavours

  • My RecipeTin
  • Recipes
  • Recipes By Category
    • Mains
      • Chicken
        • Chicken mince
      • Beef Recipes
        • Ground Beef (Mince)
      • Pork
      • Lamb
      • Turkey
      • Shrimp / Prawns
      • Salmon
      • Fish
      • Salad Meals
    • Quick and Easy
    • Soups
    • One Pot
    • Stews
    • Slow Cooker
    • Sides
      • All
      • Vegetables
      • Show Off Salads
      • Rice
      • Potato
    • Pasta
      • All
      • Pasta bakes
      • Pasta salads
    • Sweet
      • Cake recipes
      • Cupcakes & Muffins
      • Cookies
      • Puddings & Cosy Desserts
      • Bite Size
      • Pies
      • Slices & Bars
      • Frosting & Icing
    • Cuisine
      • Asian
        • All
        • Stir fries
        • Noodles
        • Soups
        • Chinese
        • Japanese
        • Korean
        • Thai
        • Vietnamese
      • French
      • Greek
      • Indian
      • Italian
      • Mediterranean
      • Mexican
      • Middle Eastern
      • South American
    • Dietary
      • Gluten Free
      • Low Calorie
      • Vegetarian
    • Other Categories
      • BBQ
      • Breakfast
      • Burgers
      • Cocktails
      • Party Foods
      • Rice Recipes
      • Roasts
      • Sandwiches & Sliders
  • ✨Special✨
  • Collections
  • About
    • Me
    • RecipeTin Meals
    • Free Recipe Books
    • Contact
    • eBooks
      • The Food Photography Book
      • Chicken Wings Cookbook
    • Food Bloggers Central
    • Nitty Gritty
      • Policy: Use of Recipes & Images
      • Privacy & Disclosure
Home Cuisines Thai Recipes

Thai Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

By:Nagi
Published:1 Mar '19Updated:28 Jun '20
826 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Thai Chicken Satay skewers with Thai Peanut Sauce – the gold standard of authentic Thai food! Marinated chicken with a peanut sauce that’s so good, everyone will be begging for the recipe – and will be astonished how EASY it is!

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!

Close up of Thai Chicken Satay being dipped into Thai Peanut Sauce

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. 😂

Overhead photo of Thai Chicken Satay with Thai Peanut Sauce on a plate with rice and cucumbers

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:

Ingredients in Thai Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

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.

Best Thai red curry paste Maesri

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 and salt

How to make Thai peanut sauce

“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!

Spoon scooping pure, natural peanut butter from jar

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

  • Salt and sugar

It’s best to marinade for at least 3 hours but even 20 minutes is long enough.

How to make Thai chicken satay skewers

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 Skewers cooking in skillet

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! 🙂

Chicken Satay skewers with Thai Peanut Sauce on a plate, ready to be eaten

Close up of Chicken Satay with Thai Peanut Sauce

Thai Chicken Satay
Watch how to make it

Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Close up of Thai Chicken Satay being dipped into Thai Peanut Sauce

Thai Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Author: Nagi
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Marinating: 20 mins
Total: 30 mins
Mains, Starter
Thai
4.97 from 271 votes
Servings15
Tap or hover to scale
Print
  • 1813
Recipe video above. Thai Chicken Satay Skewers are tasty enough to eat plain but we'd never skip Thai Peanut Sauce for dipping! The essential ingredient for a really great peanut sauce is natural peanut butter with no added sugar or oil. But normal peanut butter will work fine too.

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 salt

Thai Peanut Sauce:

  • 2 tbsp red curry paste (Note 4)
  • 3/4 cup (180g) natural peanut butter, smooth (Note 5)
  • 1/4 cup (50g) white sugar
  • 2 tsp dark soy sauce (Note 6)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp cider vinegar (Note 7)
  • 3/4 cup (185ml) 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:

1. Skewers used for Asian chicken satay tend to be shorter than Western skewers. I like them because they fit in skillets! Feel free to make giant ones with longer skewers.
2. Chicken - can be substituted with breast or tenderloin but thigh is best for juiciest chicken. Can also sub with beef or pork - use a good, nicely marbled cut suitable for quick cooking.
3. Curry powder - any is fine here. I use Clives or Keens.
4. Red curry paste - The best Thai red curry paste (in my opinion) is Maesri which comes in small cans and also happens to be the cheapest. Sold at large supermarkets (Coles, Woolies, Harris), Asian stores. But any brand will do because it's an enhancer rather than key flavouring.
If using homemade Thai red curry paste, double the curry paste, add 1 tsp fish sauce + 1 tsp sugar into chicken marinade, and 2 tsp fish sauce + 2 tsp sugar into Peanut Sauce (homemade doesn't have the seasonings jar paste does).
5. Natural peanut butter is 100% peanuts and has a stronger peanut flavour than commercial peanut butter which has sugar and other additives. It is also thinner so less water is required to achieve the right consistency. Pretty widely available nowadays in the health food section of supermarkets.
Can use normal peanut butter spread but the peanut flavour is not as good and sauce will be thicker. Do not be tempted to dilute with too much water - it will dilute the flavour.
Sub: 1 cup raw unsalted peanuts blitzed until smooth with 1/2 cup or so coconut milk called for in the peanut sauce (helps make it super smooth).
6. Dark soy sauce adds seasoning and deepens colour of sauce. Can sub with light or all purpose soy sauce but sauce colour will be lighter.
7. Cider vinegar can be subbed with plain white vinegar. Lime juice, rice vinegar or other clear vinegars are an ok substitute but not 100% authentic.
8. Peanut Sauce - makes more than you will need, probably only use 1/3.  Hard to make less, also this recipe uses a whole can of coconut milk. Lasts 1 week in the fridge - or freeze.
Use leftover for:
  • 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
9. Nutrition is VERY overstated. It assumes all the peanut sauce is consumed but only realistically, only 1/3 or so is likely.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 235cal (12%)Carbohydrates: 7g (2%)Protein: 10g (20%)Fat: 19g (29%)Saturated Fat: 8g (50%)Cholesterol: 39mg (13%)Sodium: 448mg (19%)Potassium: 230mg (7%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 5g (6%)Vitamin A: 455IU (9%)Vitamin C: 0.5mg (1%)Calcium: 19mg (2%)Iron: 1.6mg (9%)
Keywords: Chicken satay skewers, Thai chicken satay, Thai peanut sauce
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

Life of Dozer

He thought I said PELICAN satay……

Dozer the golden retriever dog torturing pelican on street light

Previous Post
Beef Stroganoff
Next Post
Schnitzel

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

Read More

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Related Posts

Chopsticks pulling up Pad See Ew

Pad See Ew (Thai Stir Fried Noodles)

Close up of spoon scooping up Thai Black Sticky Rice Pudding

Thai Black Sticky Rice Pudding

Green Papaya Salad (Thai) piled on a plate

Green Papaya Salad

More Thai Recipes

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

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

Cooked this? Rate this recipe!




826 Comments

  1. Anne says

    July 19, 2022 at 9:41 am

    5 stars
    Great recipe, a family favourite. Have made it many times and it always turns out great. I freeze the excess peanut sauce which works out really well.

    Reply
  2. Sophia says

    July 14, 2022 at 10:12 pm

    5 stars
    I was only looking for the sauce recipe as I had already bought satay chicken skewers from Coles. I only made half the portion, and I used Valcom red curry paste. The sauce turned out so good! Everyone enjoyed it. It was just slightly spicier than what we usually get from takeaways, I wonder if I could use massaman curry paste to dial down the heat. But overall it was so successful, I might use the rest for noodles tomorrow. Thank you, Nagi!

    Reply
  3. Irene says

    July 11, 2022 at 2:10 am

    5 stars
    Cooked this for the first time today and it was delicious! I used a flat, wide frying pan to fry all the skewers in one go and noticed that the excess marinade started to burn on the surface. Should I have wiped off the excess marinade when threading the pieces of chicken onto sticks? I didn’t, because I liked the look of the spicy crust on the chicken pieces in the pictures. Your advice would be much appreciated as I will definitely be returning to this recipe!

    Reply
  4. chickeninthekitchen says

    July 6, 2022 at 7:14 am

    So, you just take the chicken thighs and hack at them to try to get chunks of meat off of them big enough to marinade?

    Reply
  5. Anne says

    July 5, 2022 at 2:36 pm

    5 stars
    I make this all the time and it is a family favourite. Thank you for all your recipes, they always work out great.

    Reply
  6. Lyn says

    July 3, 2022 at 4:11 pm

    Nagi, this is now a firm favorite!
    On high rotation in our house. I cook many of your recipes and they always turn out fabulously. Thank You

    Reply
  7. Chris says

    June 30, 2022 at 11:33 pm

    5 stars
    This was honestly incredible!! Can’t wait to try out more recipes. Only thing is that in the instructions on the printed version, it doesn’t say when to put the chicken back into the curry.

    Reply
  8. Ashlee says

    June 29, 2022 at 5:31 pm

    5 stars
    I have lost count of the number of times I’ve cooked this. It never disappoints and always hits the peanut satay craving! The leftover sauce is always such a win for making the weekly meal prep for lunches. We love serving it with coconut rice and stir fry veggies too.

    Reply
  9. Bindu says

    June 27, 2022 at 5:49 am

    Hi Nagi. I love your recipes! They are always full of flavour.
    I’m a vegetarian so I usually sub chicken for tofu.
    I’m wondering if you could make tofu skewers? And if so, any recommendations? I made the peanut sauce which was delicious by the way! However my tofu was a bit of a disaster!

    Reply
  10. Paul says

    June 26, 2022 at 6:57 pm

    Finally a satay recipe which replicates that Darwin market flavour!!

    Reply
  11. Amir says

    June 26, 2022 at 5:22 pm

    5 stars
    Great recipe! I keep doing it every few weeks.

    I was wondering, how long can I keep the sauce stay at the refrigerator and it will be safe for eating?

    Reply
  12. Umesh says

    June 21, 2022 at 3:28 am

    5 stars
    The problem with this recipe is trying your best not to eat all of the sauce before the meal! SOOOOOO GOOD.

    Reply
  13. Colleen Schneider says

    June 15, 2022 at 9:20 am

    5 stars
    This is a great peanut sauce! I have been making a different recipe for a beef peanut satay for 20 years. I wanted to try a recipe using chicken. This did not disappoint. This sauce was so good we kepty sneaking tastes. The marinade is wonderful. Fantastically tasty dish!

    Reply
  14. Bee says

    June 14, 2022 at 4:16 pm

    5 stars
    To die for! 🤤made these today. Amazing and easy recipe, the whole family(even the picky eaters) devoured the platter in no time 😄 Already started sharing this recipe.

    Reply
  15. Emma says

    June 12, 2022 at 5:30 am

    Just made this for dinner and it was soooo good. I have cooked many of your receipes and every single one I’ve tried have turned out absolutely delicious. Never disappointed! Big thanks

    Reply
  16. Troy Smith says

    May 22, 2022 at 8:08 pm

    Thank you for your great recipes. Made this tonight for the second time and everyone was sooooo happy.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 23, 2022 at 2:33 pm

      Woo hoo that’s amazing Troy!! Enjoy! N x

      Reply
  17. Jade says

    May 22, 2022 at 6:08 pm

    Delicious 🤤 child loved it , I set a little sauce aside for her without the chilli and adults chilli. We all loved it !

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 23, 2022 at 3:16 pm

      That’s great Jade – I am glad the whole family liked it! N x

      Reply
Older Comments

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Meet Dozer

Official taste tester of RecipeTin Eats! Meet Dozer
As Featured On

What's for Dinner?

Close up of beef enchiladas in a baking dish, fresh out of the oven

Beef Enchiladas

Butter Chicken served over basmati rice in a bowl, ready to be served

Butter Chicken

Overhead photo of 2 black bowls with Chinese Chicken Salad with Asian Dressing, ready to be eaten

Chinese Chicken Salad

Salisbury Steak recipe in skillet.

Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy

Vietnamese Coconut Caramel Chicken - 7 ingredient magic. The coconut fragrance is heavenly! recipetineats.com

Vietnamese Coconut Caramel Chicken

Fast prep. Big flavours!

Never miss a recipe

Back to Top
  • Related
  • RecipeTin Japan
  • Food Bloggers Center
  • Help
  • Contact Us
  • Image Use
  • Privacy Policy & Terms
Site Credits Maintained by Zao Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled © RecipeTin Eats 2022 · All Rights Reserved Back to Top