Thai Marinated Grilled Chicken Skewers with Peanut Sauce
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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
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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
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- 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.
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Yum!! I used thigh instead of breast and cookied on the BBQ and my husband said they were the best chicken skewers he hasever tasted! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
You did not list the nutritional information for this recipe, are you able to send it or list it?
Hi Merv, I just updated the recipe with the nutritional info. Thanks!
I made this for the first time and it was delicious! Definitely adding to my regular rotation and for company. My husband is begging me to make again!
This recipe was FANTASTIC! I would put a little less lemon juice in the peanut sauce next time (actually, I only put two tablespoons but I’d put even less) and I left the cardamom out because I couldn’t find it at the grocery store but otherwise it was according to the recipe and tasted perfect. I used thin sliced chicken breast (because I was feeling lazy about skewering the chicken) and marinated some mushrooms and red bell peppers in the same marinade as the chicken and cooked it all on the grill. We had jasmine rice and green beans as a side and we (my husband and two adult children) were literally pouring the peanut sauce on everything! Loved it!
Hi, I love your recipes! Your white chicken chili has been in heavy rotation since the fall and I’m excited to try this one! I had two quick questions: have you ever tried this recipe with shrimp and would you recommend doing so? Secondly, I have some Bok choy on hand that I thought might make a good side for this along with jasmine rice and wanted to know if you knew of a recipe that might go well with this one for the baby bok choy?
Thanks so much and happy new year!
Glad you like the chili! Yes, I think you could prepare this with shrimp; just be careful not to overcook them. And I don’t have a recipe on the site for bok choy, but I think if you sautéed the bok choy (maybe with some sesame oil, garlic and soy sauce), it would be delicious as a side here!
Made these for company and everyone loved! My 13 yr old says it’s one of her new favorites! We didn’t find them to be overly spicy, perfect. I added a chicken breast to the skewers- you’re right, thighs taste better for this recipe.
I followed this recipe to the tee and would not change anything. This was fabulous and will definitely make this again.
OMG!! So delicious!! We doubled the recipe for the marinade & added 3 x Thai Chilies since we love spicy food. We served the chicken & peanut sauce over basmati rice 🙂 This is my new favourite recipe!!!
This looks absolutely amazing! I do have a question though. Can you suggest another sauce or can the peanut butter be omitted for someone with allergies? Thanks!
Hi Robin, Almond butter should work if he/she can have that.
Robin, I always use sunbutter (sunflower seed butter) & it works great!
Fantastic! It’s very similar to my favorite Thai restaurant’s chicken satay but better with bigger, juicier pieces of chicken breast. Thanks for perfecting and sharing your recipes, Jenn!