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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This is the tastiest chicken. My adult son declared it was good enough that we should eat it on Christmas. Thanks for your wonderful recipes. I appreciate that your readers actually cook the recipes as I get so frustrated when I read comments like, “This looks like a good recipe” and nothing else!
I know right?? I see that on a lot of other blogs too. So stupid! Don’t just say it looks good…try it first!!
Jenn, want to make this for New Years eve when we just st around with appetizers and wine. Can this be served at room temperature and can it be oven roasted, if so, temperature and time. Don’t know what I would do without your knowledge and experience.
Sure, Carol. I’d broil the chicken, turning once – cook time will be about the same. Enjoy!
This recipe is such a keeper! We make it often and quite a few people have asked for the source. The only change we make is we forgo the skewers and just do as chicken breasts. We also have plenty of sauce left over and save for another day. The marinade is also fab!
This is a great thai curry kabob recipe! Although I increased the amount of lime zest, ginger and used light brown sugar (because that’s what I had on hand), it is fundamentally the best marinade I have tried. Sorry, not a huge fan of the coconut-peanut sauce as I like something thicker and with a little punch from ginger and sriracha. The skewer recipe is definitely a keeper!
Loved this recipe. I dont have a grill but the broiler worked fine and I beat things out with a rolling pin. Easy to make if you have everything lined up and ready. Final product tasted great. I served it on spinach and rocket salad.
All I can say is this is the bomb and the peanut sauce is “drinkable” it’s so good. I made rice with chicken stock and added Thai basil to it after it was cooked, which made for another yummy layer of flavor.
Oh wow, this was OUT OF CONTROL good!!! And that peanut-coconut sauce!!! My guests think I’m some amazing genius cook. Nope, it’s just another KILLER recipe from Jenn.
This was another hit in my house! The marinade kept the chicken breast chunks very moist and flavorful. I had planned to use the gas grill but a thunder storm popped up and I used the Cuisinart grill pan instead, with wonderful results. Served the chicken with pan seared/steamed baby bok choy and steamed green beans. The coconut peanut sauce has a delicious and complex flavor and complements both the chicken and the vegetables. The addition of the lime juice gives the sauce just the right amount of “zip.”
This was both easy and very, very good. The peanut sauce is a fantastic complement to the chicken. (It did make a lot more than we needed; we used the surplus half a couple of days later with some baked tofu and that was very good also.)
Absolutely delicious; the Coconut-Peanut sauce was amazing. My sister-in-law was a missionary in China, etc. for many years and is not a fan of red curry. But this was just a subtle hint of it to boost the flavor and she loved it!