Chicken Satay with Creamy Peanut Sauce

Beautiful slightly charred skewers of tender chicken breast, drizzled with a creamy peanut butter sauce that has a slight hum of heat and robust flavor. Sprinkledthe whole lot with crushed peanuts and emerald cilantro and you have chicken satay.

I used to make chicken satay to pack in my girls lunches when they were very little and in elementary school. They loved chicken satay. While the other kids were eating peanut butter sandwiches,  they were having beautiful seared caramelized chicken with a creamy peanut butter sauce. Anything peanut butter was a win,  so even having this cold in a lunchbox was one of their favorite things and they asked for it often.  Plus food on a skewer is just fun.

Satay is a typical Indonesian street food that consists of grilled meat with a beautifully spicy sauce that often contains peanuts or peanut butter. I tone down the spice to make it more kid friendly, but you can make this as hot as you please. You can switch out the chicken for beef, or even strips of tofu if you'd like a vegetarian option.

While I use peanut butter in this version, I frequently sub it out for almond butter.   Cashew butter would be phenomenal too.

One of my favorite shortcut ingredients is red curry paste. All the work is done for you so you don't need to bloom spices, pound lemongrass, and scour your town for keffir lime leaves. Simply pick up a jar of readily available red curry paste.  This packs a punch of flavor.

Adding a bit of brown sugar gives you that sweet heat combination that is so enticing. This sauce is loved by everyone so use it generously and not just on grilled chicken. Think of it drizzled over a bit of rice, or even over a roasted sweet potato. Fabulous!

I hope you'll try these upscale chicken fingers.  My kids loved them when they were little, and 20+ years later they still love them, and now my grandkids do too.

I'd love it you'd leave a comment & let me know if you make them & how you like them.

You'll Need:

Measuring carafes like these from Pyrex

A grill pan comes in handy to get those nice char marks when you're not going to use the grill.

Small Saucepan

Chicken Satay with Creamy Peanut Sauce


16 ounces chicken strips
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (or any nut butter)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 heaping teaspoon Red Curry Paste (like Thai Kitchen)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon coconut aminos or soy sauce
1 tablespoon neutral oil for sautéing (like grapeseed or light olive oil)


Skewers - If using wooden skewers, make sure you soak them for about 20 minutes.


Cilantro & crushed peanuts for garnish (optional)


In a small bowl or measuring carafe combine coconut milk, peanut butter, garlic, curry paste, brown sugar and coconut aminos or soy sauce.  Whisk together until well combined.


Pour half the marinade over the chicken tenders that you've placed either in a sealable plastic bag or deep shallow bowl.  Marinate for 20 minutes to overnight. 


Pour the remaining marinade into a small saucepan and briefly heat through over low heat, whisking occasionally. Removed from the heat before the mixture starts to bubble and pour into a serving vessel or bowls for dipping.


Remove the chicken strips from the marinade and thread onto skewers that have been soaked (see tip).


Place onto a grill pan that you've brought to medium high heat and drizzled with a bit of neutral oil or place directly onto an outdoor grill.


You can also place the chicken strips directly onto a grill pan or a grill if you don't want to use skewers.


Grill for 2-3 minutes per side until the chicken is slightly charred and cooked through. 


Remove to a serving platter, drizzle with some peanut sauce, serving more alongside.  
Sprinkle with cilantro and chopped peanuts.


This is also perfect as a cold nibble.  


Tip - Wooden skewer soaking - You can place your skewers in a shallow baking sheet or baking dish, cover with water and allow them to soak for at least 20 minutes.  Alternatively I like to wrap them in paper towel, or a clean kitchen towel and drench it with water.  This takes up less space as you don't have to have a larger pan sitting on the counter while the skewers soak.