Chicken Satay Skewers with Peanut Sauce - Delicious Southeast Asian marinated grilled chicken skewers served with a creamy peanut dipping sauce.
A delicious traditional Southeast Asian dish consisting of skewered chicken marinated in warm middle eastern flavors then grilled to perfection on the barbecue. The grilled skewers are served with a homemade peanut dipping sauce that is absolute perfection.
Serve chicken satay as an appetizer or main course with steamed rice, a fresh salad, macaroni salad and more! This dish goes great with any traditional barbecue side dish. I'll link some of my favorite side dishes to serve with this recipe for you below.
Chicken Satay is a great addition for your upcoming cook-outs! Be sure to set aside about an hour of time to make these skewers from start to finish.
This recipe serves about 6 people, so if you are cooking for a smaller amount of people you can half the recipe. If you are cooking for a larger crowd, you can easily double this recipe.
Ingredients you need to make Chicken Satay Skewers with Peanut Sauce:
- Chicken Thighs - (Boneless, skinless) You can also use chicken breasts.
- Garlic Cloves - Fresh garlic works best in this recipe.
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Onion - You can use yellow, white or red onion.
- Paprika
- Black Pepper
- Coriander
- Nutmeg
- Cumin
- Vegetable Oil - You can also use canola, olive or avocado oil.
- Soy Sauce - I used low sodium soy sauce, but you can also use regular soy sauce.
- Rice Vinegar - If you don't have rice vinegar you can also use white wine vinegar.
- Water
- Brown Sugar - Light or dark brown sugar both work great in this recipe.
For the Peanut Sauce:
- Onion - Yellow, white or red onion.
- Peanut Butter - Creamy peanut butter is best in this recipe.
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Oil - You can also use canola, olive or avocado oil
- Jalapeno
- Sesame Oil
- Lime Juice - Fresh lime juice is best!
- Rice Vinegar - If you don't have rice vinegar you can also use white wine vinegar.
- Soy Sauce - I used low sodium soy sauce, but you can also use regular soy sauce.
- Brown Sugar - Light or dark brown sugar both work great in this recipe.
** Full measurements and ingredients listed below.
Tools to have on hand:
- Cutting board
- Chef knife
- Mixing bowl
- Skewers
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Airtight container
- Barbecue / Grill
- Basting brush
- Small saucepan
- Blender
How to make Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce:
For the chicken: Make the marinade by adding all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Pour marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a low simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from stove and allow marinade to cool completely.
Place chicken thighs in a large storage bag and pour in half of the completely cooled marinade. Shake bag around to make sure chicken is fully coated. Place remaining marinade in a small sealed container in the fridge for later use. Let chicken marinade in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
In the meantime, soak skewers in water to prevent from burning while cooking (if using wooden skewers). You'll need about 10-20 skewers.
To make the peanut sauce: Heat a small saucepan to low heat and add oil, ginger, onion and jalepeno. Cook until soft. Add garlic and cook another minute until fragrant. Add remaining ingredients to the saucepan and cook for another minute or two. Remove from heat and let cool. Pour ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside for later.
Grill the chicken: Once the chicken is done marinating, slice into long skinny pieces. Place about 2-3 pieces of chicken per skewer. Heat the grill to medium-high heat. Lightly oil the grill to prevent sticking. Place skewers on the grill turning every 2-3 minutes until cooked through 165 degrees (about 15 minutes). Baste with remaining sauce during last few turns.
Serve skewers with warmed peanut sauce. Enjoy!
Side dishes to serve with this recipe:
Hawaiian Macaroni Salad - Creamy and delicious Hawaiian macaroni salad is an excellent side dish to serve with grilled huli huli chicken, pork and more!
Creamy Classic Coleslaw- My classic coleslaw recipe is made with a delicious slightly sweet and creamy homemade coleslaw dressing.
BBQ Loaded Hasselback Potatoes – Slathered in garlic butter and topped with melted cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, sour cream and green onion, these are mouthwatering good.
Classic American Potato Salad – The perfect side dish for your upcoming summer BBQ’s! Made with hard boiled eggs, this classic potato salad is creamy and delicious and extremely easy to make!
Roasted Rosemary Garlic Potatoes – Fresh rosemary and garlic baked red potatoes with a light golden crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.
If you enjoyed this recipe, here are a few more grilling recipes I think you'll love:
BBQ Pork Skewers with Filipino BBQ Marinade – Delicious grilled pork skewers in a homemade sticky, sweet, and spicy Filipino style BBQ marinade.
My Favorite BBQ Burger with Potato Chips – This mouthwatering burger starts with a buttery toasted bun topped with barbecue sauce, a grilled burger patty topped with melty cheddar cheese, and finally finished with crispy potato chips! So simple, yet so delicious.
Grilled Spicy BBQ Chicken Thighs – Juicy grilled chicken thighs basted in a spicy homemade barbecue sauce.
BBQ Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs – Seasoned chicken thighs wrapped in thick cut bacon, basted in a sweet sauce and then grilled to crisp perfection.
Chicken Satay Skewers with Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
Chicken Satay:
- 3 lbs Chicken Thighs
- 3 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 ½ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 Small Red Onion finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 2 teaspoon Coriander
- 2 teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Vegetable Oil
- 4 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
- ⅓ cup Water
- 2 tablespoon Brown Sugar
Peanut Sauce:
- ¼ cup Onion finely chopped
- ¼ cup Peanut Butter
- 1 tablespoon Ginger finely chopped
- 2 Garlic Cloves minced
- 2 tablespoon Oil
- 1 Jalapeno finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon Sesame Oil
- 2 tablespoon Lime Juice
- 2 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
- 2 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 2 tablespoon Brown Sugar
Instructions
- For the chicken: Make the marinade by adding all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Pour marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a low simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from stove and allow marinade to cool completely.
- Place chicken thighs in a large storage bag and pour in half of the completely cooled marinade. Shake bag around to make sure chicken is fully coated. Place remaining marinade in a small sealed container in the fridge for later use. Let chicken marinade in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, soak skewers in water to prevent from burning while cooking (if using wooden skewers). You'll need about 10-20 skewers.
- To make the peanut sauce: Heat a small saucepan to low heat and add oil, ginger, onion and jalepeno. Cook until soft. Add garlic and cook another minute until fragrant. Add remaining ingredients to the saucepan and cook for another minute or two. Remove from heat and let cool. Pour ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside for later.
- Grill the chicken: Once the chicken is done marinating, slice into long skinny pieces. Place about 2-3 pieces of chicken per skewer. Heat the grill to medium-high heat. Lightly oil the grill to prevent sticking. Place skewers on the grill turning every 2-3 minutes until cooked through 165 degrees (about 15 minutes). Baste with remaining sauce during last few turns.
- Serve skewers with warmed peanut sauce. Enjoy!
Melissa
Awesome recipe! Super easy and so full of flavor. Made it exactly by the recipe and wouldn't change anything. A definite repeat.
Amanda Cooks & Styles
Hi Melissa! I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe! :)Amanda
TG
Hi! I missed the instruction to simmer the marinade prior to marinating the chicken, will this affect the taste/texture?
Amanda Cooks & Styles
Hi there, it should be fine. :)Amanda
Debbie
Can I bake these in the oven? What temp & how long? I don't have grill. Thank you.
Amanda Cooks & Styles
Hi Debbie, You can bake at 375 for 10 minutes, flip over and cook another 5-10 minutes. Internal temp should be at least 165. :)Amanda