Thai Marinated Grilled Chicken Skewers with Peanut Sauce
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Bold marinade, juicy chicken, and an irresistible peanut sauce—these Thai-style grilled chicken skewers have it all.
I first discovered this wonderful Thai chicken recipe in the Costco magazine, but it comes from 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—infuses the grilled chicken with bold Thai flavors. But it’s the rich peanut sauce that truly steals the show. When I served this dish to my family about ten years ago, my then-young son went back for seconds on the steamed broccoli I’d served alongside. Seeing my surprised look, he said, “Mom, this sauce would make anything taste good.” I couldn’t agree more—I’m always half-tempted to skip the chicken and eat the sauce like soup!
“This Thai chicken is our new favourite — makes me want to visit Thailand! We had steamed vegetables and sticky rice as sides. It was a beautiful meal.”
What You’ll Need To Make Thai Marinated Grilled Chicken Skewers With Peanut Sauce
- Soy sauce, dark brown sugar, lime zest, vegetable oil & garlic: The base of the marinade—salty, sweet, citrusy, and full of garlicky flavor.
- Curry powder, ground ginger, cardamom & salt: Add warm, fragrant spice to the marinade, giving the chicken its Thai flavor.
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: Pounded and cut into chunks for easy skewering; the lean base that soaks up all the flavor from the marinade.
- Coconut milk, peanut butter, dark brown sugar, soy sauce, Thai red curry paste & lime juice: Blended into a rich, tangy, and slightly sweet peanut sauce with just a touch of heat.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prep the chicken. Pound the chicken to an even ½-inch thickness. This both tenderizes the meat and ensures even cooking. If you don’t have a meat mallet, a rolling pin or a saucepan will both work well. Next, cut the chicken into chunks.
Step 2: Marinate the chicken. In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, lime zest, vegetable oil, garlic, curry powder, ginger, cardamom, and salt. Add the chicken, toss to coat, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight for the best flavor.
Step 3: Make the peanut sauce. While the chicken marinates, make the sauce. Combine the coconut milk, peanut butter, dark brown sugar, soy sauce, and Thai curry paste in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for a few more minutes. Stir in the lime juice at the end to brighten it up.
Pro Tip: This sauce is gold—double the batch and keep extras in the fridge for grain bowls, noodles, or even as a veggie dip during the week.
Step 4: Thread the chicken. Once the chicken is done marinating, thread the chunks onto skewers, dividing them evenly.
Pro Tip: If using wooden/bamboo skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes beforehand so they don’t catch fire on the grill (yep, it happens).
Step 5: Grill and serve. Grill the skewers for about 5 minutes per side, or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve warm with the peanut sauce and lime wedges. Leftovers? Chop the chicken and toss it into a salad, wrap, or rice bowl—don’t forget to drizzle with that extra sauce to tie it all together.
Video Tutorial
More asian-Inspired Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
Thai Marinated Grilled Chicken Skewers with Peanut Sauce
Juicy grilled chicken, bold Thai flavors, and a peanut sauce so good you’ll want it by the spoonful.
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
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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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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!