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white serving platter with cooked chicken skewers and small bowl of peanut sauce

Chicken Satay

By Jennifer Segal
Whether you're serving it as a main course or an appetizer, this chicken satay delivers big flavor with minimal effort.
Servings: 8 as an appetizer or 4 as a main course
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes , plus at least 4 hours for marinating

Ingredients

For the Chicken Skewers

  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup (packed) dark brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons ketchup
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, breasts, or tenderloins, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
  • Skewers, for grilling (see note)

For the Peanut Sauce

  • ¾ cup unsweetened coconut milk
  • ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
  • 3 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
  • 1 tablespoon sriracha
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce or fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 1 lime)
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the Chicken

  • In a large bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, oil, brown sugar, ketchup, garlic, turmeric, and coriander. Add the chicken and toss until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
  • When ready to cook, preheat the grill to medium-high heat and clean and oil the grates. Thread the chicken onto skewers (be sure not to cram the skewers) and arrange them on the grill. Cook, covered, until the chicken is charred around the edges and just cooked through—3 to 5 minutes per side for chicken breasts or tenderloins, and 5 to 6 minutes per side for chicken thighs. Transfer to a platter and serve with the peanut sauce.

For the Peanut Sauce

  • In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together the coconut milk, peanut butter, brown sugar, curry paste, sriracha, soy sauce (or fish sauce), and lime juice. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and let cool slightly—the sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.

Notes

You can use wooden or metal skewers. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes to prevent them from burning on the grill.
Make-Ahead Instructions: The peanut sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead of time. Reheat before serving. 

Nutrition Information

Calories: 687kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 51gFat: 41gSaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 214mgSodium: 1555mgFiber: 2gSugar: 24g
Nutritional Data Disclaimer

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.