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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Hi Jenn,
I have a question: can I use the “Thai Kitchen” brand of unsweetened coconut cream in place of the coconut milk? I don’t have coconut milk.
Thanks
😊
I think it would work. Hope you enjoy!
This was disappointing for me My sauce came out so watery it was like consume. I used full milk coconut and was hoping it just needed to evaporate a little but it never did. I made a roux with flour and butter and that helped tremendously. It was a little too sweet for me (and I love sugar) but it was very yummy. I added a little sriracha for heat but it wasn’t the right note. As for the chicken I would not pound next time. The marinade made the chicken leathery. Almost as if I used lime juice and not zest. Jen’s zest vs juice is brilliance. I think if the chunks were fatter they might have fared better. Definitely had restaurant quality flavors going on.
I find that chicken that has higher (>5%) retained salt solution can have a rubbery texture. Always check the solution content in buying chicken – who wants to pay for salt water anyway?
This recipe was amazing! We halved the dressing/sauce and it was still more than enough. We served this with the warm couscous vinaigrette salad. Delicious!
Jenn,
I love your recipes and wanted to try this one. I’m vegetarian and my extra firm tofu is in the process of marinading. I’m hoping it will work to do this in the broiler. Do you have any suggestions for me?
So glad you like the recipes! I’ve never worked with tofu, so I can’t give you any guidance – I’m sorry! I’d love to hear how it turns out though! 🙂
I made this and the recommended accompaniments of cucumber salad and basmati rice and it was a fabulous delicious dinner. I had made the chicken some time ago and had not liked it as much as this time—maybe I had not marinated as long. This time I marinated the chicken for the recommended time. I halved the cucumber salad to only use one cucumber and it was sufficient but a little scant as it and the rice were so delicious with this peanut sauce.
This sauce sounds delicious! Is there a way to make this with chicken breast without skewers and a grill? 🙂 I have all the ingredients but not those. Thanks!
Hi Adina, I think it’s doable. I’d pound the chicken breast like in this recipe and then broil them on an oven rack in the top position. The broiling time should be about 2 to 3 minutes per side. I’d love to hear how they turn out prepared like this!
For Christmas I received a wonderful electric grill. Now I was on a mission….and came to my favorite site; here. And once again an exquisite recipe! It taught me how fabulous thinly sliced chicken breast grills and tastes. I make it at least once a month now! Thank you
Was okay, but wouldn’t make again.
We made this tonight and it was superb. The flavour was perfect. I made it according to the recipe with no changes. The sauce was absolutely delicious. Thanks for this super-easy and super tasty meal. I served it with coconut basmati rice with green onions and stir fried spicy green beans. I didn’t marinate it for 4 hours… just maybe 1.5 hours and it was still very flavourful so don’t worry if you don’t have time to marinate.
This is my family’s favorite recipe. Thank you so much! Can the peanut sauce be cooked ahead and frozen for later use?
So glad your family likes this! I haven’t frozen the sauce before, but I think it would work.