The marinade for these chicken satay skewers takes this recipe to a whole other level with the help of a simple coconut milk marinade mixed with a couple of pantry spices. My easy homemade version of Chicken Satay Skewers involves marinating chopped boneless skinless chicken thighs in a coconut milk-based marinade with spices, followed by threading onto skewers. The chicken is then broiled on high in the oven.
Chicken Satay is a popular dish in Southeast Asian usually made with chopped chicken that’s seasoned, and typically grilled. However, sometimes lighting up the grill just takes too much time, so you can definitely broil them in the oven to give them a nice char like I typically do. It’s served most commonly with a peanut sauce. If you’re not crazy about peanut butter then you could skip the sauce and go with more of a Sweet Thai chili sauce which will also taste amazing!
Peanut sauce is often called satay sauce because it’s so frequently paired with chicken satay skewers. I’ve experimented with about 5 different versions of homemade peanut sauce and I’ve found that sauces without water or coconut milk work best.
TIPS FOR COOKING CHICKEN SATAY SKEWERS:
- If you use wooden skewers, soak them in water about 30 minutes before using. Wooden skewers can easily burn on the grill or in the oven, so soaking them beforehand will definitely help.
- Don’t overfill the skewers with chicken. It makes it easy to handle and turn the skewers while cooking.
- You can cook these chicken satay skewers however you like. Grilling, baking or broiling will all work perfectly fine.
- If you use the oven to cook the chicken, you can use a roasting rack on top of a foil lined sheet tray so that when the chicken cooks, all of the excess liquid can drop below to the pan.
- Depending on the cooking method you decide to go with, thickness of the chicken, your cooking time may vary. If you have a thermometer the internal temperature must read 165 degrees. You could also cut open one of your chicken skewers to check for doneness If you don’t have a thermometer.
- Use low sodium soy sauce, but the regular kind of soy sauce will work fine as well.
Chicken Satay Skewers
Ingredients
- 1/4 Cup Coconut milk
- 2-3 Tablespoons Low sodium soy sauce
- 1-2 Tablespoons Curry powder
- 1/2 Tablespoon Turmeric
- 4-5 Cloves Minced garlic
- 1 Tablespoon Freshly grated ginger
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic powder (optional, I like the flavor of garlic so I tend to add more)
- 2 Tablespoons Brown sugar
- 2 lbs Boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 Tablespoon Canola oil
- Kosher salth and black pepper to taste
For the Peanut Sauce
- 3-4 Tablespoons Peanut butter (add more if needed)
- 1-2 Tablespoons Low sodium soy sauce (add more if needed)
- 1 Tablespoon Lime juice
- 1 Tablespoon Brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Sambal Oelek chili paste, to taste
- 1 Tablespoon Freshly grated ginger
- Water as needed (to loosen the sauce)
Instructions
- To make the peanut sauce, whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, chili garlic sauce and ginger in a small bowl. Whisk in 2-3 tablespoons water until desired consistency is reached; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine coconut milk, soy sauce, curry powder, turmeric, garlic, ginger and brown sugar.
- In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine chicken and coconut milk mixture; marinate for at least 2 hours to overnight in the fridge.
- Drain the chicken from the marinade, discarding the marinade.
- Preheat grill pan to medium high heat and spray with a little non stick cooking spray or preheat oven to 350°F. Thread the chicken onto skewers. Brush with a little canola oil and season with salt and pepper and garlic powder.
- Add skewers to the gril pan, and cook, turning occasionally, until the chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165° F. About 5-6 minutes. If using the oven, bake for about 15 minutes on each side, until cooked through.
- Serve immediately with peanut sauce. Enjoy!
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