Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Chicken Satay is a perfect way to jazz up grilled chicken. Who doesn’t love chicken on a stick? It is the perfect excuse to use your hands. The peanut sauce also doubles as a marinade. 

The Peanut Sauce is so good, I eat it with a spoon. It has the perfect balance of salty and sweet with creamy coconut milk and lime juice to give it balance. I doubt it is super authentic, but it is absolutely delicious!

Because I use the same sauce for the marinade and the dip, it is important to keep the sauce for dipping separate. We don’t want to dip the sauce used to marinade the raw chicken.

How do you make Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce?

I start by making the sauce. I like to make it with my stick blender, but you can make it in a traditional blender or a food processor. 

Coconut Milk, Peanut Butter, Garlic, Ginger, Hot Pepper Flakes, Soy Sauce, Salt, and Lime Juice are all blended into a smooth and creamy sauce.

Set aside half of the sauce and pour the other half over strips of chicken breasts that have been salted.

Let the chicken marinade 20-30 minutes, put the marinated chicken on skewers and grill.

Serve with the reserved peanut sauce.

Why do you use salt and soy sauce in the Peanut Sauce?

I tested the peanut sauce and found that too much soy sauce made it too thin. I like the flavor of the soy sauce , but needed a little more salt to balance the acid and fat in the creamy peanut sauce.

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Yield: 1.5 Pounds

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Additional Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Chicken Breast strips are marinated in a creamy peanut sauce and grilled on skewers. Dip the grilled chicken in reserved peanut sauce.

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Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup Full Fat Coconut Milk (I prefer canned coconut milk.)
• 1/2 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• 1/2 inch piece Peeled Fresh Ginger
• 1/4 Cup Fresh Lime Juice
• 2 Tablespoons Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt (divided)
• 1/4 teaspoon Hot Pepper Flakes
• 1 1/2 Pounds Chicken Breasts

Instructions

For the Peanut Sauce

1. In a blender or food processor, mix coconut milk, peanut butter, garlic, ginger, lime juice, soy sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt.
2. Blend until smooth and creamy.
3. Reserve half of the peanut sauce for serving.

For the Chicken

1. Slice the chicken breasts lengthwise into 1/2 inch strips.
2. In a shallow dish (like and 8x8 baking dish) place chicken strips and sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt.
3. Pour 1/2 of the peanut sauce over the salted chicken and stir to coat.
4. Refrigerate to let marinade for 20-30 minutes.

Grilling

1. While the chicken is marinating, preheat grill to high.
2. After the chicken has marinated, for 20-30 minutes, string the chicken strips on skewers. (I prefer metal skewers. If you are using bamboo skewers it is important to soak them in water for 2-3 hours before adding food to prevent them from burning on the grill.)
3. Place the chicken on the grill.
4. Grill on the first side for about 7 minutes, then using tongs, flip the skewers and grill another 5-7 minutes until the thickest part of the chicken registers 165 degrees Fahrenheit using and Instant Read Thermometer.
5. Remove from grill and serve with reserved peanut sauce.
   

Notes

If your grill is not well-seasoned, you may want to rub the grates with a paper towel soaked in vegetable oil before putting on the chicken.

I prefer canned full-fat coconut milk. If you use refrigerated or "lite" coconut milk, the sauce will be thinner and not as creamy.

I use sweetened creamy peanut butter. If you want to use natural peanut butter, you may want to add a little honey to the sauce to make it slightly sweet.

I haven't tested the recipe with almond butter or sun butter, but both would likely make good substitutions if you have allergies.

You could use bottled lime juice, but it will not have the same taste as fresh lime juice.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Polder Safe Serve Digital Instant Read Thermometer with 6 Preset temperatures
• 
  Celtic Sea Salt Light Grey, (1) 16 Ounce Bag, Great for Cooking & Baking, Pickling or Grinding, Non-GMO, Gluten Free, Kosher
• 
  12PCS Kabob Skewers Flat Metal BBQ Barbecue Skewer 14" Long Stainless Steel Shish Kebob Sticks Wide Reusable Grilling Skewers Set for Meat Shrimp Chicken Vegetable, 12 Pack

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 359Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 893mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 41g

Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and may not be completely accurate.

Marie Fiebach is a married mother of four active kids. She helps busy families plan and execute weeknight dinner so they can recapture a little calm in the crazy. You can see her every week on KAKE TV’s Good Morning Kakeland or listen to the Feed Your Family Tonight Podcast.