Thai Chicken Skewers with Peanut Satay Sauce
Enjoy the taste of that at home with these easy and flavorful grilled Thai chicken skewers. Juicy marinated chicken is grilled to perfection and then served with a creamy peanut satay sauce and cucumber salad. It's a delicious complete meal, and it's ready in just 30 minutes!
If you love the taste of Thai food, also try our sticky Thai peanut chicken wings, Thai fish curry, or Thai turkey lettuce wraps.
This is our go-to Thai grilled chicken dish for summer, and it's such a hit. With ginger, garlic, lime, and coconut sugar, it's full of authentic Thai flavor. And it's healthier and tastier than take-out!
It's a great recipe for grilling season, and it's time-efficient, too. Make the satay sauce while the chicken marinates, and mix together the cucumber salad while the chicken is grilling.
Since we're firm believers that sauce makes everything better, this recipe is all about the peanut satay sauce. It's creamy, savory-sweet, and simply irresistible. You'll be looking for reasons to dip everything in it!
Ingredients
Here's what you'll need for the chicken:
- Chicken thighs – we use boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. The darker thigh meat is more juicy and great for grilling!
- Soy sauce – you can use tamari, coconut aminos, or a gluten-free alternative if needed.
- Fish sauce – this pungent-smelling ingredient adds tons of delicious flavor to the chicken.
- Coconut sugar – find coconut sugar in most well-stocked grocery stores in the same place you'd find other sugars. Granulated cane sugar or brown sugar also work in a pinch!
- Lime juice – ideally freshly squeezed.
- Turmeric
- Paprika
- Ginger + garlic
Here's what you'll need for the satay sauce:
- Coconut oil
- Onion, ginger + garlic
- Coconut milk – helps make this sauce extra creamy!
- Peanut butter – go for a natural peanut butter because it tends to be runnier and is a better consistency for the sauce. Plus, it has no unwanted ingredients.
- Soy sauce
- Lime juice – you could also add some of the lime zest for more citrus flavor!
Here's what you'll need for the cucumber salad:
- English cucumber
- Red onion
- Mayonnaise – try our delicious homemade mayonnaise!
- Sea salt + pepper
How to make these grilled Thai chicken satay skewers
There are three components to making this recipe: marinating the chicken, making the satay sauce, and mixing the cucumber salad. It's an easy recipe to make, and here's how it comes together:
- Start by cutting the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. Mix the remaining ingredients for the chicken in a bowl, add the chicken pieces, and stir. While the chicken marinates, start on the satay sauce!
- To make the satay sauce, sauté the onion in coconut oil until translucent. Add the ginger and garlic, followed by the coconut milk, peanut butter, soy sauce, and lime juice. Let the sauce cook for another minute, or until it has thickened (add a splash of water or more coconut milk if it gets too thick).
- Take the chicken pieces out of the marinade and thread them onto the skewers, folding over larger pieces to skewer them twice.
- Now grill the chicken skewers for about 5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.
- While the chicken cooks, make the cucumber salad by mixing the cucumber slices, red onion, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.
- Serve the chicken on a platter with the satay sauce and cucumber salad on the side and let everyone dig in!
Full recipe instructions are in the recipe card below.
Tips for making the best Thai grilled chicken
- If you're using wooden skewers, soak them in water while you marinate the chicken so that they don't burn on the BBQ.
- To make it spicier, whisk in a teaspoon of dried red chili flakes or Thai red curry paste to the satay sauce.
- If you're making this indoors, a cast-iron grill pan works great, too.
- For an extra bit of flavor, top the cooked skewers with some thinly sliced scallions or minced cilantro for garnish.
FAQS
With only real ingredients, no oil, and a minimal amount of sugar, these Thai chicken skewers are a nutritious complete meal that's high in protein.
Yes! A natural almond butter is a great substitute for peanut butter in this recipe.
What to serve with Thai chicken skewers
These succulent Thai chicken skewers with peanut sauce are versatile, high in protein, and taste great with a simple side salad, as we've done in this recipe. If you're craving something a bit heartier, serve them with some fluffy coconut rice.
You could also swap the cucumber salad for other Thai-inspired sides like mango Thai noodle salad with sesame ginger dressing or Thai chopped salad with sweet sesame mango dressing.
More tasty skewer recipes
- Cajun Shrimp Boil Skewers
- Grilled Hawaiian Chicken Skewers with Coconut Rice
- Roasted Red Pepper Dip Grilled Shrimp Skewers
- Mini Chicken Satay Skewers with Thai Peanut Dipping Sauce
More tasty grilled chicken recipes
- Grilled Chicken Wings
- Best Grilled Chicken Breast
- Lemongrass Grilled Chicken with Sriracha Mayo
- Summer Peach and Grilled Chicken Pad Thai
- Grilled Chimichurri Chicken
Thai Chicken Skewers with Peanut Satay Sauce and Cucumber Salad
If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!
Ingredients
The Chicken
- 2 lb chicken thighs, boneless skinless
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, gluten-free if needed
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice, fresh is best
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon finely minced ginger
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
The Satay Sauce
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- 1 small onion, minced
- 1 teaspoon finely minced ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup canned coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, gluten-free if needed
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
The Cucumber Salad
- 1 English cucumber, sliced into half moons
- ¼ cup red onion, sliced very thin
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, try homemade mayo
- Sea salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Thai Chicken Skewers
- Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. Mix the remaining ingredients for the chicken in a medium-sized bowl then add the chicken pieces and stir. Let the chicken marinate on your counter for 15 minutes. While the chicken is marinating, make the satay sauce and cucumber salad – recipes below.2 lb chicken thighs, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon coconut sugar, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon finely minced ginger, 1 clove garlic
- After 15 minutes, take the chicken pieces out of the marinade and thread them onto the skewers. Fold over larger pieces to skewer them twice and help them stay on the skewers better. You'll need 6-8 skewers, depending on how big they are and how tightly you pack the chicken onto them.
- Preheat your BBQ to medium-high heat then grill the chicken skewers for 5 minutes on each side, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle.
- Start the satay sauce while the chicken is marinating. Melt the coconut oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, or until it is soft and translucent. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the coconut milk, peanut butter, soy sauce, and lime juice. Let the sauce cook for 1 minute, or until it has thickened. If it thickens too much add a splash of water or extra coconut milk.2 teaspoons coconut oil, 1 small onion, 1 teaspoon finely minced ginger, 2 cloves garlic, ½ cup canned coconut milk
- To make the cucumber salad, mix the cucumber slices, red onion, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl½ cup canned coconut milk, 3 tablespoons peanut butter, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 English cucumber, ¼ cup red onion, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, Sea salt and pepper, 1 tablespoon lime juice
- Serve the chicken on a platter with the satay sauce and cucumber salad on the side and let everyone dig in!
i made this today. it was a hit. thanks for the recipe!
I’m so happy to hear you liked the recipe!
I made this tonight with cauliflower fried rice – it was a big hit! I love that it was fast to marinate and prepare and barely had any sugar. Great job!
I’m so happy to heat you liked the recipe!!
Made this delicious chicken on Monday and it was a hit. But what ingredient is missing from the satay sauce to make it spicy? It’s very tasty but not spicy at all. Chili paste perhaps? Thanks again for another great and easy recipe.
Oh man … you’re totally right! I usually put cayenne in when I make these but left it out of the recipe. Yikes! Changing that now. 🙂
If you are poor like me, add a dash of curry powder and chili powder
I LOVE Thai food! And I’m so jealous………… thanks @Kristen
Thai food is my fav, too!
Everything is better with a dipping sauce and I’m all for double dipping. Also, love that you used thighs instead of breast, which dry up so quick. Though, I’d probably mince a couple of those thai chiles in the pic to assault my taste buds further 🙂
Ha ha double dipping’s where it’s at! How’s a person supposed to resist?!
Great idea about the extra chilies. LOVE it hot hot hot!
This looks incredible and I really like the 15 minute marinade. Love the spices and the satay sauce swap of utilizing almond butter sounds intriguing. Glad to have connected!
Thank you so much, Kevin! So happy we connected too!!
What a gorgeous post, Will be making my own twist tonight with pork! Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks, Deb! I think pork would be awesome cooked like this. Yum!
Hi Kristen, I’m first time here and really loved your blog. You have great collection of recipe. Glad to found you! Now, I’ll spend sometime going thru your awesome recipe pictures. Have a great day!
Thanks, Savita! Hope you have a great day too!!
I LOVE Thai food! And I’m so jealous you’ve been laying on the beach and working on your tan! The closest beach for me is about… say… 500 miles away! Ha. I love the beach though. I’ve been using my grill more too now that we’re entering into warm weather, and I gotta give this recipe a try! (Especially that cucumber salad) This was my first time to your site, so glad I stopped by!
That’s a heck of a long way to go to lie on the beach! When I was a kid, and the beach was a little further away, I used love laying on the grass in the backyard. Anything to feel the sun on me! Thanks for stoping by The Endless Meal!