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!

thai grilled chicken with peanut sauce on tray.

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!

What You’ll Need To Make Thai Marinated Grilled Chicken Skewers With Peanut Sauce

grilled thai chicken ingredients.

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.

pounding the chicken.

Cut the chicken into chunks.

chicken cut into pieces.

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.

marinating the chicken pieces in a bowl.

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.

peanut sauce in saucepan.

Once the chicken has marinated, thread the chunks onto skewers.

skewered chicken on baking sheet.

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.

thai grilled chicken with peanut sauce on tray.

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!

Servings: 6
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Total Time: 40 Minutes, plus at least 4 hours marinating time

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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

Powered by Edamam

  • 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

  • One of our new favorites — both to eat and to take to families who are sick or have had a new baby. We serve this with coconut jasmine rice and your Thai Crunch Salad with Peanut Dressing. Delicious!

    • — Lauren on August 11, 2024
    • Reply
  • What could I substitute for curry powder, curry paste, and coconut milk or would the substitutes altar the recipe entirely? Thank you.

    • — Diane on July 25, 2024
    • Reply
    • Hi Diane, I’m afraid without those ingredients (or substitutes for them) you’d lose the essence of the recipe – sorry!

      • — Jenn on July 25, 2024
      • Reply
  • If I were to skip the dicing part and cook these as full breasts, would it they need to cook for 2 – 3 minutes per side like your other grilled chicken recipes or 5 minutes per side? Thanks!

    • — Andrew on July 24, 2024
    • Reply
    • Hi Andrew, I’d pound them so they’re thin (like in my other grilled chicken recipes) and then cook for 2 to 3 min. per side. Enjoy!

      • — Jenn on July 25, 2024
      • Reply
  • Is this spicy ? Want to make for my kids

    • — Asra on July 23, 2024
    • Reply
    • No, these really aren’t spicy. Hope you enjoy!

      • — Jenn on July 24, 2024
      • Reply
  • Very easy and very, very delicious! We served it for company with your Thai Cucumber salad and a Thai rice noodle salad. I liked your idea in one of the comments to use the leftover peanut sauce to make a noodle salad. Add some grated carrot, peppers even leftover chicken or shrimp and you’d have a nice main. Your recipes are the best Jenn. I always go to your site first and I have so many favourites. My family always says “Once Upon a Chef again Mom?” lol.
    Thanks so much!!

    • — Cindy Bryson on July 13, 2024
    • Reply
  • Do you have a favorite brand for the red curry paste?

    • — Ann on July 7, 2024
    • Reply
    • Yes, my favorite brand is Thai Kitchen.

      • — Jenn on July 8, 2024
      • Reply
  • So good! Even before adding the peanut sauce, the grilled, marinated chicken was delicious. The sauce took it over the top. It will be a regular on the grill.

    • — Andrea on July 4, 2024
    • Reply
  • Hey Jen…just wondering if you have any metric conversions for this recipe; I don’t see the conversion button….

    • — Denise on June 30, 2024
    • Reply
    • Hi Denise, I just added them. 😊

      • — Jenn on July 2, 2024
      • Reply

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