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Thai Chicken Satay just got a creamy, dreamy upgrade. Think thick peanut sauce, bold flavor, and a secret ingredient that ties it all together—no long shopping lists or fuss required. Low-carb, keto-friendly, and made with juicy bone-in chicken thighs, this dish feels like comfort food with a twist.
The best part? One ingredient replaces over 10, so you’ll never stress over what to grab at the store. Quick, easy, and incredibly satisfying—this is your new favorite way to do chicken satay.
Why You’ll Love This Thai Chicken Satay
Let’s be real—this may not be the traditional Thai street food, but one bite and you’ll be hooked. It’s rich, creamy, full of flavor, and tastes just like your favorite takeout (without the wait or the skewers).
Whether you’re short on time or just craving something easy and wildly delicious, this recipe is for you.
Your Thai Satay Starter Pack
- Chicken: Use bone-in or boneless chicken thighs- they’re the best cut for this recipe.
- Coconut milk: For the peanut sauce and the marinade. Use full fat coconut milk- the low fat version just won’t have that richness and creaminess you’re looking for.
- Peanut butter: All natural creamy peanut butter is the best choice! You’ll need this, again, for the marinade and the sauce.
- Thai red curry paste: This one’s my secret ingredient- it packs in all those delicious Thai flavors without you needing to get all those individual ingredients from a specialty store.
- Soy sauce: For the umami deliciousness. I love using Kecap Manis sweet soy sauce.
- Fish sauce: Just a dash, for some extra flavor.
- Brown sugar: To balance the other flavors with a bit of sweetness. Use palm sugar or jaggery instead if you have those at hand.
- Veggies: You’ll need fresh garlic, limes, and some red chilies.
- Tamarind: To lend a bit of tangy, sour flavor.
- Peanut oil: I used peanut oil to fry the chicken, just for that bit of additional flavor. You can make do with regular cooking oil too, if you don’t have peanut oil.
Note: Please see recipe card at the bottom for list of full ingredients and measurements
Let’s Make It Together
Because some nights, we just want something amazing without the extra steps. This is that kind of magic.
- Pre-Heat: To make the Thai chicken satay, start by preheating your oven to 400°F
- Marinade: In a large, shallow bowl, combine peanut butter, coconut milk, curry paste, brown sugar, salt, soy sauce and the fish sauce.
- Sear chicken: Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and sear it on both sides until browned.
- Bake until cooked: Transfer the chicken to a prepared baking dish and bake for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.
- Peanut Sauce: While the chicken is in the oven, combine ingredients (except the lime juice) for the peanut sauce in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Then, turn down the heat, let it thicken slightly. Take it off the heat and stir in lime juice.
- Assemble and serve: Arrange the chicken on a serving plate and pour the peanut sauce over it. Garnish with chopped cilantro, lime wedges, and red chilies.
Enjoy this creamy Thai chicken satay with some steamed Jasmine rice or Chow Mein to make it a wholesome and filling meal. If you’re looking for a low-carb option, try my Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice or classic Cauliflower Fried Rice. And if you’re a salad person, you can whip up some Teriyaki Glazed Chicken Salad minus the chicken, and serve it with the chicken satay.
Asian chicken recipes have become my go-to on weeknights, mostly because I find myself craving Asian takeout more often than I’d like. My Honey Chicken Stir Fry and Roasted Asian Glazed Chicken Thighs have both been absolute hits
Recipe FAQ’s
You absolutely can! Just make sure you preheat the Air Fryer and grease the basket before you add the chicken in. It should take just about 10 minutes (at 350 degrees) for the chicken to be completely cooked.
Store your leftover chicken satay in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, and reheat in a pan or the microwave. You may need to top it with some more of that peanut sauce too!
You can use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken (it should be 165 degrees or more), or just slice through a piece to check if the juices run clear, and the chicken is no longer pink.
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Easy Thai Satay Chicken
Ingredients
For The Chicken Marinade:
- 4 tablespoons coconut milk
- 1 1/2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 1 1/4 tablespoon light brown sugar packed, omit for keto
- 1 1/4 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon Kecap Manis sweet soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 pinch salt
- 4 skinless chicken thighs bone-in or out
- 2 teaspoons peanut oil for frying
For the Peanut Sauce:
- 1 1/3 cup coconut milk all remaining milk from the tin
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter all natural preferable
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce Kecap Manis
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar packed, omit for keto
- 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
- 1/2 tablespoon Tamarind puree optional
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1-2 tablespoons lime juice freshly squeezed
- 1 handful cilantro to garnish
- 3 lime wedges to garnish
- 1 red chillies sliced to garnish
Instructions
- For the chicken marinade, mix together the coconut milk, peanut butter, brown sugar, curry paste, sauces and salt in a large, shallow bowl until well combined and creamy. Add in the chicken, turning to coat completely with the marinade. Allow to marinade for at least 10 minutes to half an hour in the refrigerator (if time allows).
- Preheat oven to 400°F | 200°C.
- Heat oil in an oven-proof pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken until browned on each side and fragrant (about 8-10 minutes each side). Transfer to the oven and continue cooking for a further 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through (juices run clear and no longer pink inside).
- While the chicken is in the oven, combine all Peanut Sauce ingredients into a saucepan EXCEPT for the lime juice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer until combined and thickened (about 5-6 minutes). Once thick, take off heat and stir in the lime juice (start with 1 tablespoon and adjust accordingly to suit your tastes).
- Serve the chicken with the peanut sauce: either pour it all into the pan with the chicken OR serve separately.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves, lime wedges and red chillies.
Notes
- Boneless chicken breasts can be replaced. Adjust cook times accordingly.
- Replace Fish Sauce with Soy Sauce
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Brilliant
Delicious. I don’t think it needs both Taramind and Lime Juice though. Because Taramind is quite tart already. I didn’t add the Lime Juice for that reason.
Thankyou first time looks great and tastes amazing
Superb! Never made a satay recipe for so absolutely delighted by how good this one was. Not sure I’ll ever be able to order takeaway satay again after tasting this. Easy to make and delicious.
This was delicious and super easy. My Husband declared this “possibly the best chicken satay I’ve ever had”. I used boneless thighs so they didn’t take nearly as long in the oven (20mins) and had to keep them warm while I finished cooking the sauce. The result were fall apart tender thighs with nicely caramalised bottoms. The satay sauce is very authentic tasting and what you would expect to get in a Thai restaurant. Served the thighs on a bed of rice with the sauce poured over and finished off the dish with a sprinkle of coriander (cilantro), sliced red chilis, a lime wedge as suggested as well as some crushed peanuts. Restaurant worthy and this will definitely be on the menu again.
Wow! So glad this recipe came up on my search for Satay. We have just finished eating and it was all demolished despite a large portion. I used 6 chicken thighs and the marinade and sauce was still plentiful. I put some of the sauce in with the chicken and it’s juices, returned it into the oven for 5 minutes and it thickened up and caramelised nicely. Dished up leftovers for work tomorrow and I think everyone will be jealous of how it looks!
This is one of those sauces that you keep going back to the pot for! Definite WOW factor, really delicious. Thanks Karina.
Hi Claire, you’re very welcome! I’m delighted to hear that you found the sauce to be a WOW factor and really delicious. It’s always wonderful when a recipe becomes a go-to favorite.
Absolutely gorgeous sauce! Incredible flavours! Such an easy midweek , last-minute recipe to put together and astonishingly good! Will be a regular dish and is already a family favourite
Thanks again Karina xx]
Hi Claire, I’m thrilled to hear that you found the sauce absolutely gorgeous and the recipe easy for a midweek meal! It’s wonderful to know that it has become a family favorite. Thank you for your kind words, and if you ever have more culinary adventures or questions, feel free to reach out. Happy cooking, and thanks for being a part of our cooking community!
absolutely amazing – cooked this last night and it was the best ever, tasting better than takeaway. The only change I made was using crunchy peanut butter, just for personal preference.
We are a family with 3 vegetarians. So I used this recipe with plain quorn fillets for the vegetarians and chicken breast for the meat eaters. Absolutely delicious. has quickly become a firm family favourite.