Thai Marinated Grilled Chicken Skewers with Peanut Sauce
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Juicy grilled chicken, bold Thai flavors, and an irresistible peanut sauce you’ll want to eat by the spoonful.
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…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
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
- Zest of one lime
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 lb 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 (packed) dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Thai 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-in (13-mm) thickness between two pieces of wax or parchment paper. Cut the breasts into 1½-in (4-cm) 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
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 was a miss for my family. The marinated chicken was a hit, very moist and tender. The sauce was not. It just tasted like peanut butter and seemed heavy. I may make the chicken again if I can find a sauce we like. This was a surprise because 95% of your recipes I’ve made are 5 stars…and I’ve made many!
Really tasty marinade and sauce! Highly recommend. I was a bit skeptical about the sauce, but trust your recipes so much. They are the best.
Huge hit with my guests! Everyone raved about this dish. I am allergic to peanuts so I made the peanut sauce for others and almond butter sauce for me, which turned out really well. I didn’t want to deal with skewers, so I marinated and grilled chicken thighs-easy and delicious.
All your Asian recipes are sooo good! Thanks.
Would love to try this recipe but am allergic to peanuts. Can I use almond or another nut butter?
Thanks,
Ellen
Sure, that should be fine! 🙂
Five stars and two thumbs up from our home for this outstanding Asian type recipe! It’s always a winner! Have made this recipe before and put everything together today for a BBQ dinner we are hosting with friends. Appys will include Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls with Nuoc Cham, Hoisin and Peanut dipping sauces. Serving with your Asian Slaw with Ginger Peanut Dressing (a tough decision because my husband loves your Cucumber Salad with Mint), a crunchy Asian Cucumber Salad (din tai fung) and Coconut Jasmine Rice. Wouldn’t have been able to do it without you sharing your excellent recipes. Many thanx!
Love love love this chicken! I’ve made it a few times and the marinade is delicious on its own and in my opinion, doesn’t even need the peanut sauce but it’s a nice addition especially if making it for company 🙂 Your recipes NEVER disappoint. I’m always confident that even if I’m making one for the first time for company, it will turn out
I’ve hemmed and hawed over trying this recipe for a while, as I’ve never been a huge fan of peanut sauces. Finally gave it a go bc Jenn rarely lets me down! The chicken is delicious and simple to put together. The sauce seemed too sweet for me at first, and I adjusted it with a couple more dashes of soy sauce. It was still very sweet, so wasn’t sure if I’d like it. However, once it was drizzled on the chicken, all the flavors ended up very balanced. Served it with rice and some sautéed veggies and it was enjoyed by all! Next time I might experiment a bit and cut the sugar down in the sauce. But the recipe is delicious as written!
This recipe hit the spot! The meat was succulent and delicious. I didn’t opt to go with rice but we had wraps instead (a little messy but who cares!) and couldn’t fault it with the cucumber pickle. Amazing and something I would go back to time and time again. Thank you once again Jen.
I only tried the chicken marinade. I didn’t pound the chicken either, just whole chicken breast marinated about 3 hours and cooked in air fryer for 15min at 400f.
I used ground ginger instead of fresh, avocado oil instead of vegetable oil and a little lime juice instead of lime zest. I also did not have cardamom, so I substituted cumin instead.
It was fantastic, will use again. Going to try it on wings this weekend.
We always joke about the “rule of one” where one of our kids doesn’t like whatever meal we put on the table. Not this one! A great hit, young and old, and that sauce.