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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Comments
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Fantastic!! I didn’t have cardamon on hand & subbed equal parts cinnamon and nutmeg…still was delish! The sauce tastes even better as it cools & sits. Thanks!
Hi Jenn,
My son is allergic to peanuts, what do you recommend to use in place of peanut butter? Would almond butter work? Thank you!
Hi Judy, Yes, I think almond butter would work.
Hi Jenn, Thank you so much for the wonderful recipes! I made these chicken skewers and they were amazing (as is everything from your site)! I always follow your recipes exactly as you have created them and I can always trust that it will turn out perfect with rave reviews. You are truly gifted – please keep up the good work!
Thank you, Colleen!
Should the Coconut Peanut Sauce be thin? I thought it would thicken up a bit after standing for a bit, but it doesn’t appear to have. I have the chicken grilling now. Smells delish!
Hi Cammi, It should be the consistency of a cream sauce. To thicken it more, you can always simmer it on the stove for a bit.
This sounds SO good, but the lone grocery store in my city carries only green curry paste–no red. Would that substition make it taste weird?
Thanks!
Hi Heather, It will taste a bit different but I think it will still be delicious. Please let me know how it turns out 🙂
I made this on Saturday for dinner and loved it so much that I am marinading another big batch in the fridge for tonight and tomorrow! I made it as stated and it was superb! I had some cardamom seeds that I wasn’t sure what to use for so this works out great! Both my young children ate it all up. I used regular Indian curry powder. Thanks for the great recipe.
I just made this yesterday and wow, the chicken was super-tasty! The coconut milk sauce was good as well, but I agree with another poster that the chicken is delicious enough to stand by itself.
My kids may be sensitive to spicy foods, but this chicken was unfortunately a little too spicy for them….which was fine since it meant more for me!
I should have noted that I used Japanese curry powder (S&B brand) which may have contributed to the spiciness….
Also, I used chicken thighs and used the broiler in the kitchen, about 3 minutes per side.
I made this on Friday night when we had two couples over for dinner. Also made the Cous Cous w/ Apricot vinaigrette. NO LEFTOVERS. Everything was so good. Even if you dont have the time or ingredients to make the sauce, the marinade is so flavorful you can get by without the sauce. that’s not to take anything away from the sauce, it is to die for. just saying the marinade is BOMB on its own.
Jenn, I made this for dinner Sunday night and it was a HUGE hit. I doubled the recipe so I would be sure to have leftovers! One comment, in the pictures it shows you adding the lime juice to the sauce after it’s heated up. The recipe is silent as to when to add the lime juice. It’s in the ingredients list but not in the directions.
Karen
Thanks, Karen. It has been corrected!
Oh man…as always, another tasty recipe from OUAC. My lady friend and I decided on this last week for dinner, only we had to bake the chicken breasts because neither of us have a grill. This brief review is based on that recipe modification.
‘Twas a splendid dinner with some steamed squash and zucchini on the side. Very filling. Both of us generally prefer a bit of spice to our meals, and we were expecting some with these ingredients. Although it was super tasty, we felt it needed a bit more kick, but it didn’t detract from the overall awesomeness that we devoured while saying things like, “Oh. my. god. So. Good.” You know the meal is good when there isn’t too much convo at the table. Ha ha. I saved the sauce and added a tablespoon or so of chili flakes to it when I reheated it for another chicken dinner a couple nights later. It definitely added the kick. Recommended completely!