Chicken & Poultry

Serving

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Name: Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Chicken & Poultry
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips; 3 tablespoons soy sauce; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1 tablespoon brown sugar; 2 teaspoons ground turmeric; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 teaspoon grated ginger; 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter; 1/2 cup coconut milk; 2 tablespoons lime juice; 1 tablespoon soy sauce (for sauce); 1 tablespoon brown sugar (for sauce); 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes; wooden skewers, soaked in water

Grilled marinated chicken skewers served with a rich Southeast Asian peanut dipping sauce.

40 minutes

Serves 4

Dinner

14 min prep

22 min cook

Contains common allergens

Peanut Soy Wheat

In the app, Listahan checks these against your household automatically.

Instructions

5 steps

1
In a bowl, combine soy sauce, oil, brown sugar, turmeric, garlic, and ginger; add chicken strips and marinate 30 minutes.
2
Thread marinated chicken onto skewers.
3
Grill or broil skewers 3-4 minutes per side until charred and cooked through.
4
Meanwhile, whisk together peanut butter, coconut milk, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes in a saucepan; warm over low heat until smooth.
5
Serve chicken skewers with warm peanut sauce for dipping.

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce — plated and served — Serving moment. How Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

65/100

Works for many families

Allergen-friendly 70

Kid-friendly 65

Weeknight-easy 64

Budget-friendly 64

Great leftovers 71

Pantry-friendly 51

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

645

Calories

63 g

Protein

18 g

Carbs

36 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Satay is a Southeast Asian skewered-meat tradition especially associated with Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, where small pieces of seasoned meat cook quickly over high heat. The peanut sauce many North American cooks expect is one familiar regional style: creamy, savory, a little sweet, and sharpened with lime so it does not taste heavy.

Listahan note

This version keeps the marinade and sauce pantry-friendly, then relies on turmeric, garlic, ginger, and a hot grill or broiler for the satay character. The sauce is built to be smooth and rich without needing a long simmer.

Technique cues

Cut the chicken breasts into even strips so the skewers cook at the same pace and stay easy to dip.
Turmeric gives the chicken its golden color, but it can scorch if the heat is too harsh. Aim for quick char marks rather than a long, slow grill.
Warm the peanut sauce gently. High heat can make peanut butter tighten and separate instead of becoming glossy.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: Soak the wooden skewers first, then mix the marinade and sauce ingredients while the chicken rests.
Make-ahead: Mix the peanut sauce earlier in the day and rewarm it gently with a splash of coconut milk if it thickens.
Leftover move: Slice leftover chicken off the skewers and tuck it into rice bowls with cucumber, herbs, and extra peanut sauce.
Cleanup rhythm: Line the broiler pan or grill tray before cooking, and rinse the saucepan soon after serving so the peanut sauce does not set hard.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

Boneless skinless chicken breasts

Main protein

Purpose: Lean chicken breast cooks quickly on skewers and gives the marinade plenty of surface area to season.

Handling: Slice into long, even strips that can fold onto the skewers without bunching too tightly.

Adaptation: Boneless chicken thighs give a juicier, richer skewer and can handle a little more char.

Soy sauce

Savory seasoning base

Purpose: Soy sauce seasons both the marinade and the peanut sauce with saltiness and depth.

Handling: Measure the marinade soy sauce separately from the sauce soy sauce so the flavors stay balanced.

Adaptation: Tamari or coconut aminos can shift the flavor profile; taste the sauce before adding more brown sugar.

Ground turmeric

Color and earthy spice

Purpose: Turmeric gives the chicken its warm yellow color and a lightly earthy backbone.

Handling: Mix it fully into the oil and soy sauce before adding chicken so it coats evenly.

Adaptation: Curry powder changes the dish toward a broader spice blend, but it can work if turmeric is not on hand.

Garlic and grated ginger

Fresh aromatics

Purpose: They keep the chicken from tasting flat and add the sharp, warm notes that cut through the rich sauce.

Handling: Mince the garlic finely and grate the ginger so both cling to the chicken instead of falling off the skewers.

Adaptation: Garlic powder and ground ginger work in a pinch, but use smaller amounts because they taste more concentrated.

Creamy peanut butter

Sauce body

Purpose: It thickens the dipping sauce and gives it the roasted, nutty base people expect with this style of satay.

Handling: Whisk it with coconut milk over low heat until smooth before adjusting lime or sweetness.

Adaptation: Sunflower seed butter makes a more earthy sauce, while almond butter makes it milder and less classic.

Coconut milk

Sauce softener

Purpose: Coconut milk loosens the peanut butter and rounds out the salty, tangy, and spicy parts of the sauce.

Handling: Shake or stir the coconut milk before measuring so the cream and liquid are combined.

Adaptation: A splash of warm water can thin the sauce, but it will taste less rounded than coconut milk.

Technique notes

Do not pack the chicken strips tightly on the skewers; small gaps help heat reach the edges and give better browning.
If broiling, set the skewers close enough to char but not so close that the brown sugar burns before the chicken firms up.
Finish the sauce with lime juice after it is smooth, then taste once more. Lime should brighten the sauce, not make it sour.

Ingredient swaps

Peanut butter alternative: Use sunflower seed butter for a deeper, earthier sauce or almond butter for a softer, less traditional version.
Weeknight shortcut: Use thin chicken tenders instead of slicing full breasts, then thread them lengthwise onto skewers.
More heat: Increase the crushed red pepper flakes or add a spoonful of chili-garlic sauce to the peanut sauce.
Grill-pan path: Use a very hot grill pan and cook the skewers in batches so the chicken chars instead of steaming.

Serve alongside

Coconut jasmine rice
Cucumber shallot salad
Thai-style green papaya salad
Charred green beans with lime
Iced jasmine tea
Lime sparkling water
Cold lager

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Refrigerate the chicken and peanut sauce in separate sealed containers so the skewers do not turn soggy.
Reheat the chicken gently in a skillet or low oven, and loosen the sauce over low heat with a spoonful of coconut milk or water.
Freeze the cooked chicken without the skewers; thaw overnight and make a fresh batch of sauce for the best texture.

Equipment

Wooden skewers
Mixing bowl
Grill or broiler pan
Small saucepan and whisk

Make this household-aware

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