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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Jenn,
Like all the others I’ve tried, this recipe is amazing! My family is addicted to your recipes! Since I happened onto this site sometime over the summer, I have tried at least 2 recipes a week and have many favorites that my family requests as regular meal rotations. Thank you so much for breaking down technique, pointing out the better ingredients to use, and giving me such inspiration. Before I found your site, I was in a cooking rut and now I have rediscovered the literal JOY in cooking, knowing everything I try here will be fabulous! I was wondering for this recipe if you would ever use shrimp? How could this be done? We live on the gulf coast with access to excellent fresh seafood. Many Thanks!
Hi Johanna, So glad you’re enjoying the recipes! Yes, I think this would work with shrimp. You would go through the same steps for the recipe, but they will take less time on the grill– just keep an eye on them. I’d love to hear how they turn out!
We love this recipe and I’ve made it several times, but this time the sauce split when i the lime juice and i couldnt get it to re-integrate. Any ideas on what happened?
Hi Erika, Did you by chance use low fat coconut milk?
Hi Jenn, I used full fat. I did add slightly more PB than called for, and slightly less coconut milk, because I wanted to taste the peanut more. I was also using coconut milk that I’d frozen in ice cubes and thawed, but I’ve used it without a problem before. I tasted the liquid that came out and it had no flavor at all. Weird!
Hi Erika, I think the problem was the frozen coconut milk. Unfortunately, it does not freeze well and will break when added to sauces. I haven’t tried this method but Cooks Illustrated recommends blending the defrosted coconut milk with an immersion blender for about 30 seconds to re-emulsify; and then using it as directed in recipes. When they did this, the recipes worked as well as those made with just-opened cans. (And they say coconut milk will keep in the freezer for up to one month.)
My husband and I have made this several times now & it is always a hit! Our daughter (who can be picky) loves it and our friends and family always ask for the recipe.
We have made these skewers twice, just as written, and my family loves them! Thanks for sharing!
This is one of my favorite recipes of all time. The chicken is so moist and flavorful – SUPER YUM!! I make this once a week in the summer and serve it with Thai Crunch Salad. The whole meal is just fantastic. 5 Stars just aren’t enough!!
My sister- in- law made us the grilled Thai chicken skewers with coconut peanut sauce and it was amazing! Even my picky carb loving daughter loved the peanut sauce on rice. My sister in law always doubles the sauce, because her kids love it so much!
What a great dish! Thank you for the concise and easy to follow recipe. I served it with rice and broccoli and my hubby and I loved it so much that I’m making it for a second time this week so that lovely peanut sauce doesn’t go to waste. 🙂
By the way…I left the curry paste out of the sauce as it would have been too spicy for my daughter. Also, I soaked the wooden skewers for 30 mins before threading the chicken and broiled the chicken in the oven about 3-4 inches from the heat for 5-7 mins as you suggested.
Absolutely amazing!! Thank you very much!! I have a very picky 10 year old who loves the chicken “skewers” at our fav Thai restaurant. She never likes any chicken I make but loved this and your recipe for Perfect Jasmine Rice that also came out great! Thank you so much. This will definitely be on our weekly rotation, along with your Panko Salmon. Your fantastic! Thank you!!
YUMMY!