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Easy Thai Chicken Satay in a thick and creamy peanut sauce! A special ingredient makes this satay taste incredible. KETO and LOW CARB RECIPE!
The one ingredient I add into it covers over 10 ingredients so YOU don’t have to worry about forgetting anything in the supermarket! This is a quick and easy Chicken Satay recipe using bone-in chicken thighs.
Why This Recipe Works
The thing about this Satay Chicken recipe is that it may not be the authentic real deal directly from Thailand, BUT it IS incredible. TASTES like take-out Thai, which to me is a crucial part of eating. This recipe is my answer to those moments you want a Thai Satay Chicken, but either:
- Don’t have time to cube chicken or soak skewers. Or thread chicken onto those skewers while trying to avoid stabbing fingers and palms with said skewers.
- Sometimes we just want an easy route. This is for us.
Ingredients
- 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
Step By Step
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
- 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 thicken slightly. Take it off 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.
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.
Wow, I never ever post a comment on food blogs, but I just had to with this recipe. It was amazing. My boyfriend thought it was one of the best dishes as well. I will definitely be making it again. I made it as stated in the recipe (all except for the tamarind puree, couldn’t find it and I used low sodium soy sauce). Again, just wow. Thanks so much!
Hi, can you please tell me do you just discard the marinade sauce or can it be added to the peanut sauce and heated through to make more sauce. Thank you
Hi Janie. Yes you can add the marinade sauce but you must simmer it for a good 5 minutes over high heat to make sure there is no bacteria left from the raw chicken 🙂
My friends made this the other night and they can’t stop raving about it. They say it is the best chicken they have ever had.
Hi Karina,
Just made this and it was beautiful. One question though. Can I freeze the sauce prior to heating as I made too much.
Cheers.
Seamus
Hi Seamus. Yes absolutely! It freezes perfectly 🙂
Your recipe looks delish! Quick question is the soy sauce you use regular soy sauce or is it special? Thanks so much can’t wait to make it once I know what to use 🙂
Hi Jenny! For this recipe I use a sweet soy called Kecap Manis (as noted in the recipe). You can find it in the Asian section of any supermarket 🙂 I hope you like it!
I make my own ketcap manis and red curry paste for this recipe. I use chicken breast pieces so no need for the oven. It’s sooo tasty!
I loved this! So many Satay recipes call for so many ingredients it’s off putting. You’ve certainly made it so much easier to enjoy something we normally buy weekly. Thanks for this. It’s on a weekly rotation!
Thank you Tahira! I’m so glad to hear you liked it! So many people are hung up about authentic and what not, but I know from friends of different cultures, there are so many different ways to make one recipe. From what I understand, there’s no one way to make anything, so I like to put my own spin on something to make it easier for those of us that enjoy easy cooking full of flavour! I’m so happy it works for you!
I made this using cashew butter (my husband is allergic to peanuts) and it was amazing! I forgot to add the lime juice at the end because I was so keen to start eating but it was still delicious 🙂 I’ll definitely be making this one again!
I made this using cashew butter (my husband is allergic to peanuts) and it was amazing! I forgot to add the lime juice at the end because I was so keen to start eating but it was still delicious 🙂 Il definitely be making this one again!
I love how you use ready made Tai sauce not only is it time saving it’s so delicious. Great recipe and thank you xoxo
Thanks Beverly! I’m so glad you agree!
Where do you get “Thai red curry paste)?
Hi Kathy. You can find it in a supermarket in the Asian section, or any Asian food store 🙂
From the Asian section in any supermarket ?