Chicken satay skewers with peanut dip are a fanatic party dip for outdoor grilling gatherings or parties. Everyone loves this homemade peanut dipping sauce recipe! If you’re a fan of eating chicken skewers or chicken kebabs with Asian marinade, this chicken satay recipe is for you.

chicken satay with sauce in bowl

What is Chicken Satay?

Chicken satay is basically thin strips of chicken grilled on wooden sticks. Essentially they’re Asian style chicken skewers or chicken kebabs. This Asian chicken satay recipe has great flavor because it’s marinated with Asian spices such as fish sauce and curry powder. Best of all, these chicken satay skewers are served with a flavorful and peanut dip. It’s popular in SouthEast Asia with Indonesia or Malaysia being the origin. All the delicious flavors of Asia are in each tender bite of chicken.

chicken satay skewers on grill

Why You Should Make Chicken Satay

This is wonderful appetizer to have at a parties. They’re quick, easy to make and even taste great when they’re cold, though everything tastes better hot off the grilled.  Grilling them makes the chicken healthier and the recipe uses healthy boneless skinless chicken breast, though if you want more flavor, you can use chicken thigh dark meat. They’re delicious no matter what type of chicken you want to use. Best of all, the dip makes this so fun to eat. We love this easy peanut dip recipe which adds more reason to serve chicken satay for dinner parties.

How to Keep Skewers from Burning

We love to grill the chicken satay skewers, but the wooden skewers will often burn. The hot heat and flames of the bbq or grill will easily make the wood skewers catch fire or char to black. Here’s a couple options to solve this problem.

  • Soak the wooden skewers in water for about 20 minutes beforehand. When the wood skewers absorbs the water, it minimizes the burn so that the meat can cook without leaving you with a burnt skewer. You can soak the wooden skewers in a bowl of water. If your skewers are too long, using a tall glass or a long Tupperware container works great for this.
  • You can use metal skewers. Be careful when handling as the metal handle can get hot. Even though a good skewer will be designed to have the handle heat resistant, if it is directly over the flames while cooking, it will still get hot.

Chicken Satay (Sate) Recipe with Peanut Dip Video

Best practices for making chicken satay:

  • Like we discussed above, make sure to soak your wood sticks in water to avoid burning.
  • Add additional hot sauce if you like. If you’re a fan of spicy food, add more hot sauce to your personal taste.
  • For more flavor, use chicken thigh meat. Boneless skinless chicken thighs have so much more flavor than chicken breast meat.
  • Slicing the chicken meat thin is ideal so that everything can cook quicker. Make sure to cut everything evenly so that the chicken all cooks at the same time. You don’t want to have big thick pieces of chicken cooking alongside thin strips of chicken. The thinner strips will burn too quick while the thick pieces will be raw.
  • All chicken satay skewers recipe details are in the recipe box below.

Chicken Satay (Sate) Skewers Recipe w/ Peanut Dip

When making the skewers, make sure to cut the chicken strips thin and evenly so that you get even cooking on all the skewers.
For the peanut dip, add more fish sauce or hot sauce to the dip if you want more flavor!
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Ingredients

Peanut dip Ingredients:

  • 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1/2 cup (130 g) smooth peanut butter
  • 1 cup (240 ml) water
  • 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) fish sauce (or to taste)
  • 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) chili hot sauce (optional)

Chicken Satay Skewers Ingredients:

  • 1 pound (454 g) boneless skinless chicken breast or chicken thigh meat , cut into thin strips
  • 3 Tablespoons (45 ml) vegetable oil
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced or crushed
  • 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) fish sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) curry powder
  • 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoon (10 ml) rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar
  • fresh cracked black pepper to taste
  • minced cilantro , for garnish

Equipment

  • 12-15 medium sized bamboo skewers (soak the skewers for about 20 minutes before grilling so that they don't burn). Metal skewers will work too!

Instructions 

Peanut Dip Directions:

  • In medium pan, bring to medium heat. Add oil and garlic. Cook garlic until translucent.
  • Add peanut butter, water, fish sauce, vinegar, and chili hot sauce. Gently combine the peanut butter and water mixture until smooth. Add additional water if the dip is too thick, or add more peanut butter if dip is too watery.
  • Simmer the dip for about 5 minutes, or until all the flavors are combined and the dip becomes the consistency that you want. (The dip will thicken some after it cools.) Allow to cool completely and serve with chicken satay skewers. (The dip can be made a day or two ahead of time).

Chicken Satay Skewers Directions:

  • Make the marinade: In bowl or large plastic bag, combine vegetable oil, minced garlic, fish sauce, curry powder, brown sugar, black pepper and distilled white vinegar. Make sure all ingredients are mixed well.
    Stirring marinade with a spoon
  • Cut the chicken into strips. Add chicken strips to the marinade, making sure all chicken pieces are coated evenly. Allow chicken to marinade for about 20 minutes.
    Chicken in marinade
  • Soak the bamboo skewers for about 20 minutes before grilling so that they don't burn.
    Skewers in water
  • Skewer chicken pieces onto the skewers. Reserve the leftover marinade for brushing while cooking.
    Chicken skewered onto bamboo skewers
  • If cooking on a grill, heat grill on medium-high heat or set up for direct heat if using charcoal. Scrape the grill grates clean.
    If cooking on stove top, heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Lightly oil the grill pan.
    Scraping the grill clean to prevent sticking
  • After grill is hot, put the chicken skewers on the grill. Grill chicken skewers for 3-5 minutes per side, or until browned on both sides and cooked through. Brush with leftover marinade while cooking.
    Brushing marinade on chicken while grilling
  • Garnish with minced cilantro. Serve with peanut dip.
    Finished chicken satay on a plate

Video

YouTube video

Nutrition Information per Serving

Calories: 307kcal, Carbohydrates: 7g, Protein: 22g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 48mg, Sodium: 718mg, Potassium: 437mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 23IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 17mg, Iron: 1mg
asian thai chicken satay skewers on plate

How to Serve these Asian Chicken Skewers?

There’s many ways to serve this popular street food. If you have a favorite way to serve them, please let us know in the comments below. We love hearing different ways that folks foods.

  • Serve the chicken satay with a side of fresh vegetables for that added fresh crunch and crisp.
  • Make a chicken satay salad! From simple lettuce greens to spicy arugula, a salad version is amazing.
  • Cucumber salad is always refreshing and great.
  • Add some fresh herbs to make them more fragrant. Fresh minced fresh mint or basil leaves on top will add a pop of fresh flavor.
  • You can serve them with some fried rice or white rice. Coconut rice or jasmine rice is always delicious.
  • Noodles would be great because drizzling the peanut sauce on top makes a fantastic bowl of peanut noodles with chicken.
  • The peanut dip is cooked with fresh garlic, vinegar and fish sauce, so there’s the added punch of Asian flavor in the dip as well. So when you’re ready for a party, this chicken satay recipe is the perfect chicken appetizer and make sure you make a lot because everyone will be eating at least two or three skewers for themselves.
  • If you don’t like thai peanut dip you can always use soy sauce. Stir in a little coconut milk, lime juice and ginger to the soy sauce for added depth and flavor to the dish. The coconut milk adds a touch of sweetness. If you want more color to the dip you can always add some turmeric.

Is it Chicken Satay or Chicken Sate?

Yes. Both spellings are correct and both have the same pronunciation. In Indonesia and Malaysia it is often spelled “Sate”. The English spelling is most often “Satay”

What if you don’t have a grill or grill pan?

The next best way to cook the chicken satay skewers is to put them on a baking sheet pan lined with foil, and broil them in the oven. Timing will be about the same.

Storing Leftovers is Easy

If you leftovers, just remove the cooked chicken from the skewers. Then store the chicken in an airtight plastic bag or containers. You can freeze the chicken for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to serve again, just thaw the chicken in the fridge for a day. You can reheat the meat in the microwave.

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