These satay chicken skewers are tender, marinated pieces of chicken grilled and served with a simple and creamy homemade satay sauce. They are quick to prepare with simple and flavourful ingredients. These skewers can be served on their own with extra sauce, or over rice for a full weeknight meal the whole family can enjoy!
This recipe is part of my budget-friendly meal series and comes in at approximately $2.25 per serve!
I don’t actually know if this is still a thing, but it got stuck in my head when talking to friends recently. When I was growing up in a small country town, every single gathering that involved a BBQ would have the supermarket bought satay or honey soy chicken skewers. Do you remember them? They were never that good, but yet everyone always had them.
Well, these satay chicken skewers were loosely inspired by them – or more so what I wish they actually were. They are also very loosely inspired by the satay skewers you can get from Thai or Indonesian takeaway places because the sauce you get with those is always so insanely flavourful and delicious.
I love making satay at home, in fact one of my favourite weeknight dinners has to be these chicken satay noodles. But the main difference with this version is that we use coconut milk in the satay sauce along with a little curry powder which creates this rich and decadent sauce that you’ll want to pour over the chicken fairly liberally. But don’t worry, I’ve made sure you have lots of sauce in this recipe!
This is the perfect recipe for making ahead and taking out to the BBQ when friends or family come over for lunch as that char from the grill adds so much extra flavour! But don’t worry, you can also simply cook them inside using a grill pan on the stove.
Key Ingredients
These chicken satay skewers are really simple to make using everyday ingredients to make a delicious and flavourful addition to your family BBQ.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Chicken thigh fillets – I find skinless chicken thighs work best for this recipe as they remain nice and juicy and soak up all the flavour of the marinade, but you can use chicken breast if you prefer.
- Coconut milk – used in both the chicken marinate and the satay sauce to give it a rich and creamy finish. I usually use a can of full fat coconut milk so it’s nice and thick.
- Curry powder – I always have an orange tin of Keen’s Traditional Curry Powder in my pantry so this is what I use. But feel free to use any curry powder you like, just adjust the quantity depending on how strong or spicy the flavour is as they can vary a little.
- Soy sauce – adds essential salty and savoury flavour to both the chicken marinade and the satay sauce.
- Peanut butter – I like to use smooth peanut butter when making a satay sauce as it’s going to be blended anyway. If you only have crunchy that will work, but you may end up with a more textured sauce.
- Honey – just adds a little sweetness to the satay sauce. You can also use brown sugar if you don’t have honey.
- Garlic – we’re just using one small clove in the sauce however it remains raw, so if you don’t particularly love that spicy raw garlic taste you may want to sub with a little garlic powder to taste instead.
- Lime – adds balance and freshness to the satay sauce that cuts through the richness of the peanut butter and coconut milk.
Step-By-Step Instructions
This is such a great recipe as it can be made ahead of time or made in stages, making it perfect for when you’re having guests or just know your night is going to be busy!
Start by chopping the chicken into bite-sized pieces and adding them to a large mixing bowl with ¼ cup coconut milk, curry powder, soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Save the remaining coconut milk from your can as we need this to make the satay sauce.
Mix the chicken with the marinade until well coated before covering and popping in the fridge to marinade for at least 1 hour, up to overnight.
Next I like to prep the satay sauce. You can use a food processor or a blender for this. Combine the remaining coconut milk, peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, curry powder, garlic, and lime juice to make the serving sauce. Blend until smooth and creamy. You can give it a taste and adjust anything as needed. Set this aside until ready to serve.
Thread the marinated chicken pieces onto skewers. You should get 6-8 skewers depending on how big you make them.
👉Tip! I like to use wooden skewers as I can easily trim them if needed to fit my pan, but just make sure you soak them in water before using to prevent burning. Metal skewers will also work though so use what you have.
Heat a grill pan or barbecue over medium heat and cook skewers for around 10-12 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden and cooked through. The chicken is cooked when the internal temperature reaches 74°C / 165°F.
Serve the skewers on a plate and spoon over some of the satay sauce to coat the chicken. Garnish with crushed peanuts and sliced spring onions, and serve with the remaining satay sauce on the side for dipping.
Serving suggestion: You can choose to serve the satay chicken skewers however you like, however I usually like to serve them over rice with a side of sliced cucumber to keep it simple. You could also make the quick pickled cucumber slices from my hot honey chicken bowls which I am very obsessed with at the moment!
Recipe FAQs
The recipe can easily be made gluten free by using tamari or a gluten free soy sauce. Keen’s curry powder is gluten free, but make sure to check the labels if using other brands to make sure.
This version is very mild due to the brand of curry powder I use, making it a family-friendly dinner. If you want your satay a little spicy, add a little sriracha to the sauce, or top the finished dish with sliced fresh chilli.
Yes you can use any large frying pan on the stovetop you just may not get the same char. You can also cook the chicken pieces under the grill in the oven, turning them halfway through cooking so they get some nice colour on both sides.
Store any leftover chicken and sauce separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in the microwave until hot all the way through. If the sauce thickens too much in the fridge, add a splash of water when reheating until it’s your desired consistency.
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More weeknight chicken recipes:
Bang Bang Chicken Skewers
Chicken Teriyaki Burgers
20 Minute Cashew Chicken and Broccoli
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken
Satay Chicken Skewers
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 600 grams chicken thigh fillets cut into bite-sized pieces
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For the sauce:
- ¾ cup coconut milk this should be the amount remaining from a 400 ml can after marinating the chicken
- ½ cup smooth peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 clove garlic peeled
- Juice of 1 lime
To serve:
- Crushed peanuts
- Sliced spring onions
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine chicken pieces with ¼ cup coconut milk, curry powder, soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Mix well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight for extra flavour.
- In a blender or food processor, combine the remaining coconut milk, peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, curry powder, garlic, and lime juice to make the serving sauce. Blend until smooth and set aside.
- Thread the marinated chicken pieces onto 6-8 soaked wooden skewers.
- Heat a grill pan or barbecue over medium heat. Cook skewers for 10-12 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden and cooked through. The chicken is cooked when the internal temperature reaches 74°C / 165°F.
- Serve the skewers on a plate and spoon over some of the satay sauce to coat the chicken. Garnish with crushed peanuts and sliced spring onions, and serve with the remaining satay sauce on the side for dipping.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
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