Grilled Thai Curry Chicken Skewers with Coconut-Peanut Sauce
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From food writer Alice Currah, these grilled Thai curry chicken skewers are a crowd pleaser for all ages.
This recipe was passed on to me by my dear friend, Kelly Santoro. She found it in the Costco magazine but the recipe originally comes from food writer Alice Currah of the blog and book, Savory Sweet Life. The dish is a crowd-pleaser for all ages. It’s the sauce that makes it so good. My 10-year-old son, upon taking a second helping of the broccoli I served alongside, answered my surprised look with, “Mom, this sauce would make anything taste good.” I have to agree: I was tempted to forget the chicken entirely and just have the sauce as soup!
What You’ll Need To Make Grilled Thai Curry Chicken Skewers
Most of the ingredients for these chicken skewers are pretty straightforward. If you’re not familiar with Thai red curry paste, it’s a blend of lemongrass, Thai ginger, fresh red chilis, and fragrant spices. Most large supermarkets carry it in the Asian food section.
How To Make Grilled Thai Curry Chicken skewers
Begin by pounding the chicken breasts to an even 1/2-inch thickness. This both tenderizes the meat and ensures it cooks evenly.
Next, make the marinade by combining the soy sauce, brown sugar, lime zest, vegetable oil, garlic, curry powder, ginger, cardamom and salt in a bowl.
Cut the chicken into chunks and combine it with the marinade. Cover and let marinate 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.
Preheat the grill to high. To grease the grill, lightly dip a wad of paper towels in vegetable oil and, using tongs, rub the paper towels over the grates until smooth and shiny.
Grill the chicken about 5 minutes per side, or until cooked through.
Serve with the coconut peanut sauce and enjoy! If you have leftovers, try serving the chicken over a salad — the chilled sauce makes an excellent dressing.
Note: I made several changes to the original recipe. For starters, I added a bit of salt and extra garlic to the marinade, and also swapped lime juice for lime zest as I do not like to use acidic ingredients in marinades for boneless skinless chicken breasts (they are so lean, it almost cooks the exterior of the meat and creates a leathery texture). I also pounded the chicken breasts first to tenderize them. To the sauce, I added more red curry paste and lots of fresh lime juice to brighten the flavor — otherwise, it was just too rich for my taste. To see the original recipe, click here.
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- Thai Red Curry Chicken
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Grilled Thai Curry Chicken Skewers with Coconut-Peanut Sauce
From food writer Alice Currah, these grilled Thai curry chicken skewers are a crowd pleaser for all ages.
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
- 2½ - 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
For the Coconut-Peanut Sauce
- 1 (13-oz) can coconut milk (do not use low fat)
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1½ 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
- Pound the chicken breasts to an even ½-inch thickness between two pieces of wax or parchment paper. Cut the breasts into 1½" pieces and set aside.
- 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 sauce by whisking together the coconut milk, peanut butter, brown sugar, soy sauce and red curry paste in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer, then cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes. Add the fresh lime juice. Set aside.
- 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 Coconut-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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Comments
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Great recipe. I have made this numerous times and everyone always loves it.
Flavor was excellent. However the texture of some, not all, of the pieces of chicken was off. I cannot figure out what I did wrong! It didn’t seem to be only the slightly bigger or slightly smaller peices. They were cooked on wood skewers that soaked a long time. This is the only thing I can figure may have affected the texture as it seemed to be both “squishier” when squeezed by hand but chewier in the center of the weird pieces. So bizarre. Maybe I’ll just grill without skewers, because the flavor was great.
Based on what you’re saying, it sounds like some of the pieces may have been a bit undercooked. When you fold meat on skewers they can cook a little unevenly. Sorry you had a problem with them!
Hi can i put this in the oven as i dont have a grill. If yes, what temp and how long do you think? Thanks
Hi Sneha, You can broil these in the oven. I would cook it for the same amount of time that the recipe indicates – about 5 minutes per side. Enjoy!
I have made this several times. Everyone always loves it! I just grill as pounded chicken breasts instead of doing skewers. Thank you Jenn!
Hi Jenn,
Can I use natural peanut butter in this recipe? Sometimes recipes say not to and I am not sure how to judge when it is okay and when it is not okay.
Thank you,
Yep that’s fine. Enjoy!
Absolutely yummy! Even my 3 year grandson liked it. All of your recipes I’ve tried are outstanding!
Very delicious, the chicken marinate is tasty, I substituted some coconut cream in the peanut sauce and used Massaman curry paste instead of the red curry, and used dark sweet soy sauce instead of the regular soy sauce and brown sugar. It was very good
Is the curry power in the chicken marinaide Indian or Thai curry?
Thanks
Hi DeAnn, it’s Indian curry.
I am planning to make this with chicken thighs for a potluck dinner and was wondering if I can make it the day before and then heat it up before bringing it with me. If so, what is the best way to reheat it? Any recommended modifications on the initial cooking? What about making it the day before, refrigerating it, and then serving at room temperature? Thanks for your help!
Hi Carol, I do think you could make this dish ahead of time. You can reheat it on the grill (that would really freshen it up nicely) or in a 300°F oven. Since you’re using thighs, I don’t think you need to modify the initial cooking since you won’t have to worry about it drying out. I also think these would be good served room temperature so you have lots of options. Hope everyone enjoys!
Thank you so much. I will try this on Labor Day weekend and let you know how it turns out.
This was a big hit at the party. I served them at room temperature. Thanks very much!
This was an “O MY GOSH! AMAZING!” recipe. We thoroughly enjoyed it!
This was a total hit with the entire family. Super easy, had all the ingredients on hand, and soooo tasty.
We absolutely love this recipe. I’ve had several tapas parties in the last month and every time I serve this people go crazy. The marinade for the chicken is wonderful and the peanut sauce is the bomb. Best peanut sauce I’ve ever had. We served it over the week-end and I’m grilling pork tenderloin tonight and using the leftover peanut sauce on the side.
Would it be ok to freeze leftover chicken and peanut sauce? Love all your recipes!!
Hi Maria, Glad you like the recipes! I haven’t frozen this before, but I think it should work.
Dear Jenn,
I love your blog and your recipes!
I am allergic to soy. Unfortunately there are so many recipes I want to make that have soy sauce in them. I have bought the “fake soy sauce” and also had an allergic reaction to that as well. So that’s not an option. In some recipes, I simply omit the soy, in others, I sometimes use oyster sauce or fish sauce. (Hoisin isn’t an option, as it has soy sauce in it).
What do you think would work well to replace the soy sauce in this curry chicken recipe?
Do you have any other suggestions for replacing soy sauce in recipes?
Thanks so much,
Heidi
Hi Heidi, Fish sauce would work well in this recipe. And here is a recipe for a substitute that I think works well for many recipes that call for soy sauce. Hope that helps!
Yummm
How would you cook this in an oven versus a grill – broil it? Perhaps a pannini grill? Thanks!
Yes Ann, you could broil this in the oven. I would cook it for the same amount of time that the recipe indicates– about 5 minutes per side. Enjoy!
Got your recipe via the Huffpost article… you got a new fan! What a stellar dish! So perfectly yummy and better than any restaurant dish that I’ve had (here in the San Francisco Bay Area). Thanks & can’t wait to try more recipes. 😉
How would this taste served cold? I was thinking of making it in advance and bringing it to a party where there won’t be any cooking or warming facilities.
Hi Elaine, I think you could get away serving this room temperature but not cold. Hope that helps!
Made this for my son’s birthday party and I couldn’t make it fast enough. My ethnic folks stick with our cultural foods and refuse to adapt so they were skeptical but after they tasted it, there was literally a line for this! I had to lie about how much was left to get ONE piece to eat.
This is about the 5th or 6th recipe from your site that I’ve made in about 8 weeks. Everything has tasted great! This is definitely a keeper. I made a few adjustments just based upon taste from my family, cut back on curry powder and didn’t use red curry paste. Substituted a bit of sriracha for the paste and cut the dipping sauce amounts in half. Served it with lo mein and sautéed broccoli. Thanks for such great recipes!
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!
Sensational! Perfect mix of sweet and spice, whole family enjoyed! Even my two year old loved it
can I replace green Thai curry instead of red?
Hi Monika, Yes, that will work well.
We had this tonight, and it was excellent. The only change I made was that I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs and ran them under the broiler for about 10 minutes instead of grilling. Next time, I’ll halve the amount of brown sugar in the sauce, since it was a little sweeter than I would have preferred. The Thai Cucumber Salad from this site was a nice complement.
Wow, super flavorful! I made these using chicken thighs instead of breasts and they came out super delicious and moist. I’ve made them for dinner parties and have gotten compliments each time.
Made this for dinner this evening, and it was so good! Served with Jasmine rice and ribbons of zucchini sauteed with garlic, red pepper flakes, soy sauce and a little sesame oil. Sauce is somewhat sweet. I might add a little heat next time.
Jen, you nailed it again. This recipe is the most awesome I could wish for! Thanks.
This recipe is so good. I did change it a bit….I stir fried the chicken and served the sauce and chicken over rice noodles….I’m a rebel 🙂
Thank you for sharing your amazing recipes!!
Fantastic…love your recipes
Do you think this would this go well with the Thai Crunch Salad you posted a while ago? Chicken looks yummy!
Hi Cynthia, The sauce and the dressing are similar so I might serve this with my Minted Cucumber Salad instead.
This recipe is delicious…would not change a thing! So full of flavor but not overwhelming. I will definitely be making this again, and again!
I have been looking for (and testing) Thai chicken recipes for the longest time, but until now have found nothing that has given me the authenticity I have been trying to find! This recipe is amazing! Love it!….everyone who tastes this chicken with the fabulous sauce feels the same?
Do you use sweetened or unsweetened coconut milk when you make the sauce? I have full fat unsweetened coconut milk.
Hi Melissa, I use unsweetened — the one you have is the right one.
Tried this recipe and made enough to take to work for the girls to try. They all loved it as did my family. This will be a repeated recipe for sure!
Another hit! Everything I’ve made off of your site has been wonderful-and I’ve been making recipes off it for the last 2 months. My husband and I both thought the sauce was too sweet-needless to say all 4 kids devoured it! It’s almost impossible to find a meal that all of my kids like-so I’ll scale back just a bit next time on the brown sugar. I did make a double batch and used it as a salad dressing too. Thank you so much for all of the the amazing recipes!
This was delicious. Few days ago we ate in a Tai restaurant but I didn’t like it, which is unusual because Tai food is very tasty. By chance i was looking for a recipe to make the perfect basmati rice and I found this site and I was intrigued by the recipes and bought what was needed to make this relatively easy recipe beside the crunchy Tai salad and it was just amazing, the recipe and the taste were just perfect. Thanks
Hi Jenn –
How long do you think the sauce will keep for in a glass Mason jar in the fridge….? I’m wondering whether a stash from a couple of weeks ago is still usable.
Hi Ponyo, I’d say 4-5 days tops. Sorry!
I just want to complement you on this Thai Chicken recipe. I love the layout using photos.
I followed the recipe exactly and cooked for a party of 20.
Nothing but compliments !!!!!!
I love this recipe. Family loves too. The peanut sauce is GREAT.
This recipe looks delicious and I love Thai Curry dishes. Can you suggest a substitute for the peanut butter in the sauce? My son has a peanut allergy. Thanks.
Hi Marea, Almond butter should work if he can have that.