This chicken satay recipe is easy and delicious! These easy chicken satay skewers are marinated in and brushed with the most delicious peanut sauce! A healthy grilled chicken recipe to make for your next BBQ!
This easy Chicken Satay recipe is one of our favorite recipes to make when we fire up the grill! Chicken is marinated in the most delicious peanut sauce, then skewered with vegetables and brushed with even more peanut sauce during grilling.
These chicken satay skewers are a healthy main dish recipe that our whole family enjoys! Serve over rice or with a salad and you have a simple and nutritious dinner ready in no time!
How to make chicken satay
Like I said above, this chicken satay recipe is very easy to make, but I thought we should walk through a few of the steps to ensure your satay success! Don't forget to watch the video as well!
How do you make satay peanut sauce?
This chicken satay marinade/sauce is really easy to make. Just whisk all the ingredients together and you're ready to go! There are only two pieces of information to note about the peanut sauce...
- Gently warm the ingredients for easier mixing. If the peanut butter you use is solid at room temperature, I recommend gently warming the ingredients in the microwave or on the stovetop until they are easy to mix.
- Only use ¾ for the marinade, and save the rest. This is super important, because that extra brush of peanut sauce at the end of cooking really takes this chicken satay recipe to the next level!
Marinade the chicken
I recommend marinating the chicken in the satay peanut sauce for at least 30 minutes, or up to 6 hours in the refrigerator. You want to ensure that the flavor fully infuses the chicken before grilling!
Soak the Skewers
If you plan to make this easy chicken satay recipe as an appetizer, or share it with a group of friends at a BBQ, I recommend using individual bamboo skewers for serving purposes! I always soak bamboo skewers for at least 30-60 minutes before grilling in hot water. This helps prevent the skewers from getting really charred.
Or, Use Fire Wire
I love using this flexible fire wire when we make kabobs on the grill. We received this as a gift from a friend, and at first I thought it was totally gimmicky, but it's definitely not. I love that they are reusable, dish washer safe, and that you can fit a ton of meat/veggies on each one.
I prefer to only use this when I'm cooking for just my family. To serve I just use tongs and slide the chicken satay into a large bowl and serve it with a spoon!
Pre-Cook the peppers
Vegetables take longer to grill than chicken. So this chicken satay recipe calls for pre-cooking the bell peppers for 4-5 minutes in the microwave. This ensures the vegetables will be cooked and not just get charred but still be underdone.
Grill the chicken Satay
The time it takes to grill depends on the thickness of your chicken pieces. However I recommend grilling this chicken satay for 4 minutes per side, being sure to flip it halfway through (using tongs so you do not burn your hands).
Brush with peanut sauce
Use a silicone BBQ basting brush to brush the remaining peanut sauce onto the chicken satay kabobs after they have finished cooking on the first side. This will add an extra boost of flavor that is really essential to these chicken satay skewers.
Serve
Serve this chicken satay warm over rice, a giant salad (like this asian quinoa salad), coleslaw, some roasted potatoes, etc.
Recipe FAQs
This chicken satay recipe is not unhealthy at all - it's actually a great healthy grilling recipe to make for your family and friends. Lean chicken breasts are high in protein and veggies are rich in nutrients.
No, I don' suggest freezing this recipe.
Yes! You can double (or triple) it to serve to a large crowd!
Chicken Satay Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions
Here are a few notes about the ingredients and possible substitutions for this chicken satay recipe!
- Bell Peppers. Feel free to omit the peppers if you want to make this recipe solely chicken satay (and not chicken + veggies)! Other veggies can also be substitutes if you're not a fan of peppers! Some suggestions: zucchini, potatoes, onions, mushrooms, etc.
- Peanut oil. Olive oil or avocado oil can be used in place of peanut oil. However, I love the flavor imparted by peanut oil and do not recommend leaving it out.
- Sesame oil. The same goes for sesame oil. However I think it's flavor is even more essential than peanut oil, so I do not recommend making substitutions here.
- Soy Sauce. Coconut aminos can be used in place of soy sauce on the occasion that there is a soy allergy in your family.
- Brown sugar. Coconut sugar or honey can be used in place of brown sugar.
- Powdered spices (ginger, garlic and onion powder). The real thing can be substituted for the powders in every occasion...minced garlic, minced ginger, minced onion, etc.
If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don't forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube - be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can your creations!
Chicken Satay Skewers
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken
- 4 bell peppers chopped into 1” pieces
- 1 TBS peanut oil
- Garlic salt & pepper to taste
Peanut Sauce Marinade
- 2 TBS Peanut Butter (Creamy or Crunchy)
- 2 TBS Soy Sauce
- 2 TBS Peanut Oil
- 1 TBS Sesame Oil
- 2 TBS Brown Sugar
- 1 TBS Rice Vinegar
- ½ tsp Powdered Ginger
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- ¼ tsp Onion Powder
bamboo skewers, soaked in water
Instructions
- At least one hour before cooking (preferably longer): Soak 12 bamboo skewers in warm water for 1-4 hours.
- Slice chicken breasts into strips about 2” long and ½ “ thick.
- Place chicken pieces into a glass dish that has a lid.
Make the Peanut Sauce:
- In a small bowl combine all the sauce ingredients and mix together until smooth. If using thick, solid peanut butter microwave ingredients for 30 seconds before mixing.
Marinade:
- Pour ¾ of the peanut sauce over the chicken in the bowl and stir until it’s evenly distributed, reserve the rest of the sauce to brush on the chicken while it is grilling.
- Secure the lid and let marinade for 30 minutes at room temperature, or longer in the refrigerator.
Prepare Vegetables:
- Chop peppers into 1” square pieces.
- Place chopped peppers into a microwave safe dish and heat on high in the microwave for 4 minutes, or until they are soft to the touch but not fully cooked.
- Drizzle peanut oil over peppers and stir to combine.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Making the Kabobs:
- Preheat your grill to medium-high heat.
- Alternate threading the chicken and peppers onto the skewers until you have used all of the ingredients. Be sure to try to keep the chicken as flat as possible so it cooks evenly.
Grill:
- Place the kabobs on the grill and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, turning them halfway through cooking.
- Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness (chicken should reach a temperature of 150 – 160 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Remove from the grill and serve immediately over rice or a salad!
Video
Notes
Ingredient Substitutions
- Bell Peppers. Feel free to omit the peppers if you want to make this recipe solely chicken satay (and not chicken + veggies)! Other veggies can also be substitutes if you're not a fan of peppers! Some suggestions: zucchini, potatoes, onions, mushrooms, etc.
- Peanut oil. Olive oil or avocado oil can be used in place of peanut oil. However, I love the flavor imparted by peanut oil and do not recommend leaving it out.
- Sesame oil. The same goes for sesame oil. However I think it's flavor is even more essential than peanut oil, so I do not recommend making substitutions here.
- Soy Sauce. Coconut aminos can be used in place of soy sauce on the occasion that there is a soy allergy in your family.
- Brown sugar. Coconut sugar or honey can be used in place of brown sugar.
- Powdered spices (ginger, garlic and onion powder). The real thing can be substituted for the powders in every occasion...minced garlic, minced ginger, minced onion, etc.
Store
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator fo 3-5 days.Nutrition
Photos in this post were taken by Jamie from Dishing Out Health.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product through a link you clicked on here, I receive a portion of the sale. Thank you for supporting JoyFoodSunshine!
Hilary
I made these last night and everybody loved them including my very picky husband and daughter who never like to try new things. Didn’t mention there was peanut butter in the marinade because that would have been a none starter for them. They loved it and said I should make it again. Every recipe I’ve tried has been excellent!
Laura
I'm so glad you all liked this recipe Hilary! I totally understand that. Just last night my 6 year old found out I had put shredded zucchini in something she gobbled up moments prior and she said, "Phew, I'm glad you didn't tell me that until after I was done eating." hahaha!
Danielle Miranda
I’ve made the skewers a few times before but I’m not going to lie, I’m obsessed with the sauce so now I typically just throw it over a quick chicken and veggie night and pair it with couscous or rice. So. Flippen. Good.
Valerie
Delicious! My husband loved it. I served it with lime wedges and that was great.