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Overhead view of a bowl of Thai peanut chicken and rice with lime wedges.

Thai Peanut Chicken

40aprons.com/thai-peanut-chicken/
Tender, juicy chicken thighs in a rich and creamy peanut sauce and served on skewers or with a side of rice.
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 10 minutes
Marinate 1 hour
Total 1 hour 25 minutes
Recipe Makes (Approximate): 4 servings

Equipment

  • Medium bowl
  • whisk
  • small bowl with lid or plastic wrap to cover
  • large baking dish or large mixing bowl, to marinate chicken
  • tongs or silicone spatula
  • Plastic wrap
  • refrigerator
  • Broiler or grill
  • metal skewers or wooden skewers soaked in water 30 minutes; optional
  • wire baking rack if not using skewers
  • Cooking spray
  • baking sheet
  • internal meat thermometer

Ingredients

For the Peanut Sauce

  • ½ cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 cup unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk (from can, not carton; stirred well)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (juice from approximately 1 medium lime)
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce (or fish sauce)
  • 1 ½ packed tablespoons brown sugar (dark preferred, see Notes)
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic (approximately 3 large cloves)
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (plus more to taste)

For the Chicken

  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (cut into bite-sized chunks)

Serving Suggestions (All Optional)

  • cooked white or brown rice
  • 1 cup prepared peanut sauce (made from ingredients listed above)
  • lime wedges (to garnish)
  • whole or chopped peanuts (to garnish)
  • chopped green onions (to garnish)
  • chopped cilantro (to garnish)

Instructions

For the Peanut Sauce

  • Add ½ cup creamy peanut butter, 1 cup unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk, 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 ½ packed tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic, and ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes to medium bowl. Whisk ingredients together vigorously until fully combined.
    Overhead view of Thai peanut chicken sauce in a white mixing bowl on a marble tabletop.
  • Transfer 1 cup of prepared peanut sauce to small bowl. Cover bowl with lid or plastic wrap, then place bowl in refrigerator. Save remaining sauce (approximately ½ to 1 cup) to use as marinade for chicken.
  • 15 minutes prior to serving, remove bowl from refrigerator and let sauce come to room temperature.

To Marinate the Chicken

  • Place bite-sized chunks of 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs in baking dish.
  • Pour remaining prepared peanut sauce over chicken, then toss or stir chicken until fully coated in peanut sauce.
  • Cover dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour and no more than 8 hours. Toss or stir chicken again at least once while marinating.
  • After chicken has marinated for desired length of time, remove dish from fridge and uncover. Thread marinated chicken pieces onto skewers if using, then place on lightly-greased baking sheet. If not using skewers, fit baking sheet with wire baking rack and place marinated chicken pieces on top of rack.
    Overhead view of marinated Thai peanut chicken pieces on a wire baking rack on a gold baking sheet.

To Broil the Chicken

  • Preheat broiler to high. When preheated, place baking sheet with chicken under broiler. Broil chicken 6 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160° Fahrenheit.
  • While chicken cooks, remove refrigerated sauce from fridge and bring to room temperature.
  • When chicken reaches 160° Fahrenheit according to internal meat thermometer, carefully remove skewers from under broiler and let rest 5 minutes before serving.

To Grill the Chicken

  • Preheat grill to medium-high heat, approximately 375° to 450° Fahrenheit. Lightly spray grill grate with cooking spray (optional).
  • When grill reaches desired temperature, place chicken skewers directly on grill grates, over indirect heat, and close grill lid. Grill chicken 6 minutes, then flip chicken and grill another 6 to 10 minutes. Chicken is ready when internal temperature reaches 160° Fahrenheit internally and releases from grates easily.
  • When chicken is ready, carefully remove skewers from grill and let rest 5 minutes before serving.

To Serve the Peanut Chicken

  • After allowing chicken to rest 5 minutes, transfer chicken to serving plates. Serve chicken with cooked white or brown rice1 cup prepared peanut sauce, and lime wedges. Garnish dish with whole or chopped peanuts, chopped green onions, and chopped cilantro if desired.

Recipe Notes

  • If you plan to serve the chicken on the skewers (rather than removing the skewers after cooking), you can either divide the skewers evenly onto individual plates, or transfer them all from the grill to a serving platter and let everyone grab their own.
  • Make it Gluten Free: Use a gluten-free soy sauce or fish sauce, or use lite tamari.
  • Make it Paleo: Use cashew or almond butter instead of peanut butter, and fish sauce or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. Replace the brown sugar with coconut sugar.
  • Make it Keto: Use a low-carb peanut butter that only contains peanuts and salt. Replace the brown sugar with Brown Swerve.

Nutrition Information (Approximate)

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 576calProtein: 54gFat: 37gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 215mgSodium: 772mgPotassium: 954mgTotal Carbs: 9gFiber: 3gSugar: 2gNet Carbs: 6gVitamin A: 133IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 68mgIron: 5mg
Recipe By: Cheryl Malik
https://40aprons.com/thai-peanut-chicken/