Peanut Sauce Chicken

Coconut milk and curry-marinated chicken is grilled on skewers and dipped in a simple, sweet peanut sauce. Peanut Sauce Chicken uses pantry staples, yet is flavorful and easy to make.

Use those pantry staples 

Peanut Sauce Chicken relies on pantry staples and few other ingredients while delivering a flavor-packed meal. The only “fresh” ingredient you’ll need is chicken, but you can even use frozen (and thawed) chicken.

I’m using the sauce from these Peanut Chicken Lettuce Wraps since it uses pantry staples, and is a family favorite. In fact, it’s the first peanut sauce I’ve ever been able to get my kids to eat! While it’s more of a peanut dressing, not an authentic peanut sauce, it pairs so well with the simple chicken marinade. 

Peanut Sauce

Although this sauce is sweet by design, you can always tweak it to your preference and make it less sweet (just cut back on the honey). Alternatively, you can add more spice (increase cayenne pepper, add red pepper flakes, or add in some chili sauce). 

One of the best things about this sauce is how easy it is to make. It’s as simple as putting the ingredients in a blender and letting it rip. The sauce can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for up to four days before using.

Chicken tips

• Generously oil your grill grates. I do this by rolling up a few paper towels, drenching them in oil (canola or vegetable), and using tongs to rub the drenched paper towels along the grill grates. Doing This contributes to a beautiful sear, and ensures the chicken doesn’t stick to the grates. 
• The marinade relies on creaminess and fat from the coconut milk, so even though it’s only 1/4 cup, don’t skip it! Use leftover coconut milk to make coconut rice (more on this below).
• Don’t overcook: Since the chicken is cut into small pieces, it cooks a lot faster than a full chicken breast or thigh. Depending on the size of your chicken pieces and actual heat of the grill, cooking times can vary significantly. Peanut Sauce Chicken skewers should be cooked through in 4 to 8 minutes (flipped once halfway in between).

Peanut Sauce Chicken toppings

We like adding some extra texture, flavor, and overall pizzazz by adding a few toppings. The toppings are optional, but if you have them on hand, I’d recommend them!

• Chopped peanuts or cashews: I like roasted and salted nuts. They add the perfect finishing touch and replace the need for adding a pinch of salt.
• Fresh cilantro: Chop right before serving or add a few stems right on top.
• Fresh lime: I usually serve Peanut Sauce Chicken skewers with a few lime wedges on the side so everyone can add a squeeze of fresh lime right before eating. I intentionally didn’t add lime juice to the sauce because I planned for it here.

Rice

Beyond the toppings, you’ll likely want to whip up a grain as the base. I’m partial to coconut basmati rice with Peanut Sauce Chicken, especially since there is leftover coconut milk from the marinade.

To make basmati coconut rice using the leftover coconut milk from the marinade:

• Combine 1 cup basmati rice*, 1 and 1/2 cups full-fat coconut milk, 1/2 cup water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste).
• Stir and place over high heat.
• Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and cover the rice.
• Allow to simmer for 13-18 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
• Remove from heat, keep covered, and let stand for 10-15 minutes.
• Fluff the rice and divide onto plates.

Here’s how I cook basmati rice (plain) — it never gets mushy and it tastes delicious. 

• Measure the rice and rinse it in a fine-mesh sieve until the water runs clear.
• Place the rice in a bowl and cover it with water to soak for about 5-10 minutes.
• While the rice is soaking, fill a large pot with water and set to boil.
• Once the water is at a rolling boil, drain the rice and add it to the pot.
• Cook without reducing the heat, for 5 minutes and then drain and fluff with a fork.

It might seem like a few extra steps, but I promise it is quick and the rice is perfect every time. I also prefer this method because it always feels like it goes quicker than cooking rice according to the package instructions.

*Note that these cooking directions do not work for other rice varieties (long grain, short grain, jasmine, etc.)

More chicken recipes

• Chicken Gyros with easy homemade tzatziki
• Grilled Curry Chicken with coconut rice
• Chicken Enchilada Casserole corn tortilla layered chicken casserole
• Chicken Ramen ready in 30 minutes or less
• Coconut Curry Chicken reader favorite recipe!

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5 from 3 votes

Peanut Sauce Chicken

By Chelsea Lords

Coconut curry-marinated chicken skewers grilled to perfection and paired with a sweet, simple peanut sauce. Packed with flavor, easy to make, and mainly from pantry staples!

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes

Marinating Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 3 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Equipment

• Grill or a large, nonstick pan for stovetop cooking
• Aluminum foil
• Small blender I use a mini Blendtec/Twister Jar

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

Chicken

• ▢ 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
• ▢ 1/4 cup coconut milk full-fat
• ▢ 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
• ▢ 2 teaspoons red curry paste I use Thai Kitchen
• ▢ 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• ▢ 1-1/2 teaspoons oil if cooking on stovetop
• ▢ Toppings as desired see note 1

Peanut sauce/dressing

• ▢ 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• ▢ 3 tablespoons honey start with less if you want a less sweet sauce
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons water
• ▢ 1-1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• ▢ 1-1/2 tablespoons soy sauce can be reduced-sodium
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional, depending on heat preference
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt

Optional: serve over cooked coconut or plain basmati rice (see note 2)

Instructions 

• Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes and place in a large resealable plastic bag or resealable container. In a medium bowl, whisk together coconut milk, curry powder, red curry paste, sugar, salt, and pepper. Whisk until smooth, then pour over the chicken. Knead the plastic bag to coat the chicken. Seal the bag and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours.
• Grill: Preheat grill to medium-high (400°F). Thread chicken onto soaked wooden skewers (see note 3). Grill for 2–4 minutes per side (usually a total of 6 minutes) or until chicken is grilled to 160°F when tested with a cooking thermometer. Remove to a plate. Cover with foil and allow to rest 5 minutes.
• Stovetop: Alternatively, add the oil in a very large, nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the skewers (in batches; don’t overcrowd the pan) and cook for 2–3 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cooked through. Test with a cooking thermometer; chicken should be 160°F. Remove to a plate. Cover with foil and allow to rest 5 minutes.
• Sauce: In a small, powerful blender, add creamy peanut butter, honey (see note 4), olive oil, the water, rice vinegar, soy sauce, pepper, cayenne pepper, and salt. Blend until smooth and refrigerate while finishing everything else.
• Optional Coconut Rice: Combine 1 cup basmati rice, 1 and 1/2 cups coconut milk, 1/2 cup water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir and place over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and cover the rice. Allow to simmer 13–18 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, keep covered, and let stand 10–15 minutes. Fluff the rice and serve.
• If you prepared the rice, divide it evenly among plates. Top with cooked chicken skewers. Add a side of peanut sauce. If desired, garnish chicken and rice with fresh cilantro, fresh lime wedges, and crushed peanuts. Enjoy immediately.

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Optional but recommended toppings: fresh lime juice, fresh cilantro, finely chopped peanuts.

Note 2: I love this dish with plain or coconut basmati rice. The recipe instructions share how to make coconut basmati rice. Here’s how to make plain basmati rice:

• Measure 1 cup rice and rinse in a fine-mesh sieve until the water runs clear.
• Place the rice in a bowl and cover it with water to soak about 5–10 minutes.
• While rice is soaking, fill a large pot with water and set to boil.
• Once water is at a rolling boil, drain the rice and add it to the pot.
• Cook without reducing the heat, 5 minutes, then drain and fluff with a fork.

Note 3: Soak wooden skewers in water for 10–30 minutes before adding chicken onto the skewers. This keeps the skewers from burning on the grill.

Note 4: I love this sauce exactly how it’s written, but it is quite sweet. If you prefer less sweetness, add honey slowly or add some red pepper flakes to make it a bit spicier.

Nutrition

Serving: 4servings | Calories: 316kcal | Carbohydrates: 18.6g | Protein: 29.6g | Fat: 21.3g | Cholesterol: 82.7mg | Sodium: 180.5mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15.9g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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