Thai chicken skewers are one of my favorite food from Thai cuisine. In bigger cities, you can buy them on every corner. And if you are not in the tourist area, you can get them for very cheap money.
As my family and I moved to Thailand, we were so delighted in local cuisine. The first month or two we kept eating outside or were buying our food in some small local food markets. It was incredible for us how cheap and delicious you can eat. I ate chicken and pork skewers almost every day only with some vegetables. (The peanut sauce was only served in restaurants).
On the contrary, our first visit to a supermarket was near to shocking. The western food is here like 100% more expensive than we were used to — especially milk and meat products (cheese, ham, salami, etc.). So first we were convinced, we cook from regional products, after all, they are so delicious. But whether you want it or not, after some time we had such bad cravings after our products, and meanwhile, we buy all that food.
It is also hard to find always low carb meal in Thai restaurants even if you leave rice or noodles out. So if we decide to go eat out, I usually choose chicken satay with some sauce. Usually peanut sauce it tastes fantastic! But as I really became a hobby home eater, I tried my own Thai chicken skewers with peanut sauce, and they turned perfect. We can even call them “satay” chicken because the recipe for marinade includes turmeric which is a traditional ingredient.
Easy Finger food: Chicken Skewers With Peanut Sauce
I really encourage you to try it. It is effortless to prepare, and the result is terrific. The marinade makes the chicken so flavorful and soft, and the peanut sauce – when you try you probably eat it with a spoon. You can serve it with salad or grilled/steamed vegetables or make sweet potato fries. Chicken skewers are a great family dinner, but they also do great as finger food on your next house party.
I highly recommend marinating the chicken overnight or at least 5-6 hours during the day. For this recipe, you will also need skewers – if using wooden skewers you should soak them in water for about 30 minutes before use. Ajvar in this recipe is optional, as it might be hard to get, but if you can buy it, it makes the peanut sauce even better. Ajvar is a type of relish, made principally from red bell peppers, with garlic. It may also contain eggplant and chili peppers. Ajvar originates in the Serbian cuisine, and was therefore long known as “Serbian salad” or “Serbian vegetable caviar.”
Ingredients
For the chicken satay
1 kg / 35 oz raw boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks
3 garlic cloves
100 ml / 3,5 oz olive oil
100 ml / 3,5 oz coconut milk
1/2 lime (juice)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander
Salt, pepper
Olive oil for cooking
For the peanut sauce
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves
100 g / 3,5 oz peanut butter
100 ml / 3,5 fl oz coconut milk
100 ml / 3,5 fl oz vegetable broth
2 tbsp ajvar (optional)
Salt, pepper, chili flakes
Instructions
For the chicken satay
- To create the marinade, combine the olive oil, coconut milk, lime juice, pressed garlic, ground cumin, turmeric, coriander, and salt with pepper from the first set of ingredients and mix thoroughly.
- Pour marinade into a gallon Ziplock bag and add chicken.
- Caulk bag and shake to coat chicken in the marinade.
- Place the bag in the fridge so that the chicken is covered in the marinade and refrigerate for at least 5-6 hours.
- Divide the chicken evenly onto the skewers.
- Pre-heat olive oil in the skillet until hot.
- Place the skewers on the skillet over low heat. Depending on your grill, cooking times may vary. I suggest cooking them for about 3-4 minutes and then flipping them and continuing to cook until chicken is cooked through.
For the peanut sauce
- Mince the onion and garlic very finely.
- Preheat tbsp olive oil in a saucepan and add onion with garlic.
- While continually stirring cook for 3-4 minutes (don't burn).
- Pour in the peanut butter and cook until butter melts.
- Add broth and coconut milk and let the sauce bubble for 2 minutes.
- Add ajvar (if you have it) and all spices and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Serve the peanut sauce with chicken skewers.
