Chicken Skewers with Peanut Sauce

Chicken is our most favourite meat at home. Whenever it feels like I’ve run out of ideas to make a new chicken dish, a new one always comes along. Today, I made Chicken Skewers with Peanut Sauce for dinner and it went down very well.

This dish is all about balance – juicy and fragrant chicken skewers, a creamy peanut sauce made from peanut butter, crunchy pickled vegetables and a bowl of hot steamed jasmine rice. It’s comforting, full of flavour and fragrance and honestly, super moreish.

Fragrant chicken skewers

To start, the chicken needs to be marinated in advance. If you happen to work from home, my tip is to do the marination at lunchtime, it takes less than 10 minutes and by dinner time, the chicken will be ready to cook.

I used chicken thigh fillet because it gives a juicier and softer bite but chicken breast fillet also works if you prefer a leaner cut. Cut the chicken into bite-sized squares.

The marinade is simple. Just put all the ingredients below into a blender and blitz until smooth – don’t worry about bits of lemongrass and lime leaves, they will blend in beautifully with the chicken later:

• Fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce
• Honey
• Olive oil, coconut milk
• Garlic, shallots, white parts of spring onions, lime leaves, lemongrass, red pepper (or chilli if you want it spicy)
• Ground coriander, paprika powder

Pour the marinade over the chicken pieces, give it a good stir so everything is coated well then cover and refrigerate until it’s time to cook.

Prepare the pickled vegetables

While the chicken is marinating, you can make a quick pickle. This part is optional but I find it makes the dish much more balanced with a crunchy and tangy bite.

Shred some cabbage thinly, peel and julienne a carrot and slice a red pepper thinly. Rinse and drain everything well before adding to a large mixing bowl.

For the pickle sauce, mix fish sauce, sugar, vinegar and a little siracha together. Pour this over the vegetables and mix thoroughly. You only need to do this about 20-30 minutes before serving to keep the vegetables crunchy.

Cooking the chicken skewers

When dinner cooking time comes, take the chicken out of the fridge and leave it at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Thread the chicken pieces onto skewers.

You can grill, fry or air-fry the skewers. I cooked mine in the air fryer for convenience:

• Place the skewers in a single layer
• Brush lightly with oil
• Air fry at 200°C for about 10 minutes on each side

Check at around the 8-minute mark as every air fryer is slightly different. The chicken takes around 20 minutes in total to cook, coming out juicy, golden and full of fragrance.

Easy peanut sauce

Making the peanut sauce is easier than you think. Simply put all the ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until bubbling:

• Coconut milk
• Smooth peanut butter
• Soy sauce
• Honey
• Milk curry powder
• Paprika powder (or chilli powder if you prefer it spicy)
• Lime juice

Once the sauce is bubbling, stir for another minute or so then turn off the heat. The sauce is creamy, savoury and just the right balance of sweet and spicy.

Serving the Chicken Skewers with Peanut Sauce

Now that everything is ready, it’s time to serve.

Start with a bed of steamed jasmine rice on the plate. Add some of the picked vegetables and a handful of steamed green beans for freshness. Place a couple of chicken skewers on top, spoon over the peanut sauce and finish with chopped fresh coriander and crushed peanuts.

Don’t forget to pour extra peanut sauce over the rice, it goes so well with it.

The result? A complete and comforting meal that has everything: juicy chicken, creamy peanut sauce, tangy pickles and fluffy jasmine rice.

Final thoughts

These Chicken Skewers with Peanut Sauce are one of those dishes that feel like home cooking at its best – flavourful, balanced and satisfying. Juicy chicken infused with lemongrass and lime leaves, the richness of peanut sauce and the crunch of pickles – it’s a combination that’s hard to resist.

Love chicken as much as we do? Head over to the chicken section for more comforting chicken recipes to try.