Thai Marinated Grilled Chicken Skewers with Peanut Sauce
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Fire up the grill for marinated Thai chicken skewers served with a creamy peanut dipping sauce that’ll keep everyone reaching for more!
I first discovered this wonderful recipe in the Costco magazine, but it comes from Alice Currah, the talented voice behind the blog and book Savory Sweet Life. The marinade—a blend of soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and spices—perfectly seasons the grilled chicken. Yet, it’s the rich peanut sauce that truly steals the show. When I first served this dish to my family about ten years ago, the reaction from my then-young son was memorable. After he went for seconds of the steamed broccoli I served alongside, and seeing my surprised look, he simply said, “Mom, this sauce would make anything taste good.” Honestly, I couldn’t agree more—I am always half-tempted to skip the chicken entirely and just slurp up the sauce like soup!
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Make Thai Marinated Grilled Chicken Skewers With Peanut Sauce
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by pounding the chicken breasts to an even 1/2-inch thickness. This both tenderizes the meat and ensures it cooks evenly.
Cut the chicken into chunks.
Make the marinade by combining the soy sauce, brown sugar, lime zest, vegetable oil, garlic, curry powder, ginger, cardamom and salt in a bowl. Add the chicken to the marinade, then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Meanwhile, make the sauce by combining the coconut milk, peanut butter, dark brown sugar, soy sauce and red curry paste in a medium saucepan. Bring the sauce to a boil, then turn the heat down and cook a few minutes more. Finish the sauce with freshly squeezed lime juice.
Once the chicken has marinated, thread the chunks onto skewers.
Grill the chicken about 5 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Serve with the peanut sauce and lime wedges. If you have leftovers, try serving the chicken over a salad; the chilled sauce makes an excellent dressing.
Video Tutorial
You May Also Like
Thai Marinated Grilled Chicken Skewers with Peanut Sauce
Fire up the grill for marinated Thai chicken skewers served with a creamy peanut dipping sauce that’ll keep everyone reaching for more!
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed
- Zest of one lime
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
For the Peanut Sauce
- 1 (13-oz) can coconut milk (do not use low fat)
- ⅓ cup peanut butter
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon red curry paste
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from 2 limes
For Serving
- 1 lime, cut into wedges (optional)
Instructions
- Prep the Chicken: Pound the chicken breasts to an even ½-inch thickness between two pieces of wax or parchment paper. Cut the breasts into 1½-inch pieces and set aside.
- Marinate the Chicken: Make the marinade by combining the soy sauce, dark brown sugar, lime zest, vegetable oil, garlic, curry powder, ginger, cardamom and salt in a large bowl. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix until chicken is evenly coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Make the Peanut Sauce: In a medium saucepan, whisk the coconut milk, peanut butter, brown sugar, soy sauce and red curry paste until evenly combined. Bring to a simmer, then cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes. Stir in the fresh lime juice and set aside.
- Grill the Chicken: Preheat the grill to high heat. Meanwhile, thread the chicken pieces onto skewers. Grease the grill. Place the skewers on the grill and cook for about 10 minutes, turning once, or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve the chicken skewers with the peanut sauce and lime wedges, if desired.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Calories: 547
- Fat: 29 g
- Saturated fat: 14 g
- Carbohydrates: 21 g
- Sugar: 14 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 52 g
- Sodium: 1106 mg
- Cholesterol: 152 mg
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.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
My family loves this recipe! I have tried many peanut sauces before, but this one is my favorite and so easy to make. We always have some left over and we have used it as a sauce for flatbread creations. Instead of cutting the chicken and putting it on skewers, I find it easier to just use chicken thighs.
I love this recipe! I make it on our boat in the summer very often. Delish! In the winter I’ll make it and endure the cold to grill it outside, it’s worth it!!
I’m not much of a recipe repeater but this is a dish makes a regular appearance on our summer menu, we love it! It’s quick to pull together with ingredients we usually have. I use the leftover peanut sauce as a salad dressing or make a slaw with it. Just watch the spice level on your curry powder, some brands can be spicier than others!
This is absolutely the best kebab recipe I have ever made and the peanut sauce takes it over the top! My family is crazy about this dish! I make it exactly as the recipe is written (I’m not a cook who likes to make substitutions) and it is perfect every single time I make it. I also serve it with the cucumber salad that Jen suggested as a good side dish. The combination of the cool cucumbers, chicken and peanut sauce is a perfect dinner. I also serve the kebabs over saffron rice.
This may be one of my family’s favorite of all of Jenn’s recipes. Along with many others! This recipe I like to prep the day before and pair it with Thai crunch salad and white rice. I like to double the recipe so that we can have left overs. We love to make this for friends because its easy to prep the day before so you are not stuck in the kitchen and can enjoy your company.
This recipe is simply amazing.
I usually make it with whole boneless, skinless chicken thighs and broil them in the oven. The marinade is so incredible that my husband and I make them weekly, and eat the whole pack of thighs in one sitting. I recommend this to everyone who needs a new and impressive chicken recipe for the grill. Fantastic way to make a humdrum protein interesting again.
This recipe turns out restaurant perfect every time. My husband and I love this recipe and make it fairly regularly. We were however surprised when my brother-in-law LOVED this chicken and sauce. He is a fast-food and blue box mac-n-cheese only kind of guy; he won’t eat fruit or veggies. But somehow he can’t get enough of this real food. Please don’t tell him!
Another excellent recipe, which I followed exactly as instructed. My family loved it and I look forward to making it when we are able to entertain again. There was plenty of peanut sauce left for the next time I make this.
Loved this!! I followed your recipe to a T and it was delicious. The peanut sauce was especially good and really liked that it wasn’t very thick. I told my husband that I would definitely make this for guests. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes. I have your beef stew with carrots & potatoes to try next!
Another winner! The flavor of the sauce was amazing. I will certainly make this recipe again.