- Prep5 min
- Cook15 min
Thai peanut satay chicken without the skewers. Chicken thigh gets browned in one pan, then simmers in a peanut butter sauce you stir together in a bowl. Serve it over shredded lettuce and cucumber and dinner’s done in about 20 minutes.
Easier still: buy the chicken pre-diced and the lettuce pre-shredded, and the knife barely comes out. Rich, saucy and sorted. Good for a night when you want a proper dinner without a project.
Can I manage this today?
- Spoon rating: 🥄🥄 Low Spoons
- Hands-on time: the prep and the browning, then a 10-minute simmer you can step away from
- Main effort: browning the chicken in batches
- Chopping: a little. Chicken thigh into bite-size cubes, one cucumber to dice, a lettuce heart to shred. Pre-cut versions skip all three
- Standing and attention: at the stove to brown the chicken in batches, then a simmer that only needs the odd stir
- Washing up: one frying pan or wok, one bowl, one chopping board and knife
Quick spoon check
- No-spoons version: shredded rotisserie chicken stirred into the sauce and warmed through until steaming hot, with bagged salad
- Low-spoon version: pre-diced chicken thigh and bagged shredded lettuce
- As written: cube the thigh, brown it, simmer it in the sauce, serve on fresh lettuce and cucumber
Kerry’s notes
Brown the chicken in batches. Tip the lot in at once and it steams, goes grey, and nobody wants grey satay.
I make the sauce first, because it’s a stir-in-a-bowl job and then it’s waiting for the chicken. It thickens as it simmers. If it turns stodgy, splash in more stock. Tamari is salty, so go easy on extra salt.
I’ve also made it with shredded rotisserie chicken and with chicken breast. Thigh is the forgiving one, so that’s what the recipe uses.
What’s that ingredient?
Tamari
- What it is: a soy sauce, usually made with little or no wheat.
- What it does here: the salty, savoury backbone of the sauce.
- Where to buy: the Asian or health food aisle at the big supermarkets.
- Keep it: in the pantry. Check the label for whether to refrigerate once it’s opened.
- Easiest swap: regular soy sauce. It’s the same amount, but soy sauce contains wheat.
Rice wine vinegar
- What it is: a mild, slightly sweet vinegar.
- What it does here: a little sharpness to cut the richness of the peanut butter.
- Where to buy: the Asian aisle.
- Keep it: in the pantry.
- Easiest swap: white vinegar. It changes the taste slightly.
Garlic chilli paste
- What it is: crushed garlic and chilli in a jar.
- What it does here: garlic and heat in one spoon, with no peeling or chopping.
- Where to buy: the Asian aisle.
- Keep it: in the fridge once opened. Check the label.
- Easiest swap: jarred garlic and chilli flakes.
Why this recipe works
- The sauce is mixed cold in one bowl, so there’s no separate pan to watch.
- Peanut butter thickens the sauce as it simmers, so it needs no cornflour.
- Chicken thigh is forgiving through a 10-minute simmer.
- Tamari, citrus, vinegar and chilli balance the richness, so it tastes like satay, not just peanut butter.
- Hot, saucy chicken on cold, crunchy lettuce and cucumber is the best bit.
Ingredients at a glance
- Chicken thigh fillets: the main protein. They stay juicy through the simmer.
- Peanut butter: the base of the sauce and what thickens it.
- Chicken stock: loosens the sauce.
- Tamari or soy sauce: salt and savoury depth.
- Orange and lemon juice: brighten the richness.
- Rice wine vinegar: a little sharpness.
- Sesame oil: toasty flavour. A little goes a long way.
- Olive oil: for browning the chicken.
- Garlic chilli paste and cayenne: the heat.
- Coriander: a fresh, herby finish.
- Baby cos lettuce and Lebanese cucumber: cool crunch under the hot chicken.
No Spoon Swaps
- Pre-diced chicken thigh: skips cubing raw chicken. It often costs a little more than whole fillets, so check the pieces are roughly bite-size so they cook evenly.
- Bagged shredded lettuce or salad mix: skips the knife. It’s a little less crisp than a fresh heart.
- Cucumber in slices: slice the Lebanese cucumber instead of dicing it. The bites are bigger.
- Bottled lemon and orange juice: no squeezing. The flavour is a touch less fresh.
- Frozen or tube coriander: no washing or chopping. It’s milder, and it’s only a finishing touch here.
- Shredded rotisserie chicken: skips raw chicken, browning and most of the cooking. Warm it through in the sauce until steaming hot. The sauce won’t pick up the browned flavour, and breast meat can be drier than thigh.
More shortcuts like these live in the Practical food guides.
Substitutions and allergens
- Tamari or soy sauce: use either. Choose tamari if you want to avoid wheat, and check the label.
- Peanut butter: smooth or crunchy both work. Brands differ in saltiness, so taste before adding extra salt.
- Chicken stock: liquid stock or stock made up from powder. Saltiness varies by brand.
- Chicken breast instead of thigh: it works, but it can dry out. Cut it a little larger and check it early.
- Sesame oil: leave it out if sesame is a problem. The flavour will be milder.
- Nut-free: peanuts are the dish, so this isn’t a nut-free recipe.
Allergen notes
- Peanuts: the main ingredient. Not suitable for peanut allergy.
- Soy: in tamari and soy sauce.
- Sesame: in the sesame oil.
- Gluten: soy sauce contains wheat. Tamari is often wheat-free, but check the label, and check the stock and chilli paste too.
- Other: check the labels on the stock, tamari and chilli paste for allergens, including fish or shellfish in some Asian sauces.
Equipment and easier alternatives
- Large frying pan or wok: either works. A bigger pan means fewer batches.
- Sitting down: do the sauce and the lettuce and cucumber at the table before you go near the stove.
- Instant-read thermometer (optional): takes the guesswork out of the 75°C check.
Storage, freezing and reheating
- Fridge: get it into a container and into the fridge within 2 hours of cooking. Keep it at 5°C or below and eat within 3 days. Store the lettuce and cucumber separately.
- Freezer: the cooked chicken and sauce can go in the freezer for up to 3 months. The lettuce and cucumber don’t freeze.
- Reheating: thaw in the fridge, use within 24 hours and don’t refreeze. Reheat once, until steaming hot all the way through. In the microwave, stir between short bursts, with a splash of stock if the sauce looks thick.
Serving ideas
- Serve it as written, on cold lettuce and cucumber.
- Add microwave rice or cauliflower rice if you want something to soak up the sauce.
- Want another chicken-and-crunch dinner? Try the Creamy Sesame Chicken Noodle Salad.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make Thai peanut satay chicken with chicken breast?
Yes, but thigh stays juicier through the simmer. Breast can dry out, so cut it a little larger and check it early.
How spicy is it?
Mild to medium. The heat comes from the garlic chilli paste and a pinch of cayenne. Leave the cayenne out for milder, or use a little less paste.
What if the sauce gets too thick?
Peanut sauce thickens as it simmers. Stir in a splash of stock, about 1 tbsp at a time, until it loosens.
Can I make it peanut-free?
Not really, because peanut is the dish.
Can I freeze the leftovers?
Yes, the chicken and sauce, for up to 3 months. See the storage notes above for thawing and reheating.
Thai Peanut Satay Chicken (One Pan, Zero Skewers)
Equipment
- Large frying pan or wok
- Medium mixing bowl
- Chopping Board
- Knife
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Instant-read thermometer (optional)
Ingredients
Chicken
- 500 g chicken thigh fillets
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper
Satay sauce
- ½ cup (125 mL) peanut butter (Mayvers Dark Roast, as tested)
- ¼ cup (60 mL) chicken stock or broth, plus extra to loosen
- 2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tbsp orange juice
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp garlic chilli paste
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
To serve
- 1 baby cos lettuce heart
- 100 g Lebanese cucumber
- ¼ cup coriander leaves
Instructions
Prepare the salad base
- Wash the lettuce heart and shred it.
- Dice the cucumber into roughly 1 cm pieces.
Make the sauce
- Add the peanut butter, stock, tamari, orange juice, lemon juice, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and garlic chilli paste to a medium bowl.
- Mix until smooth, with no streaks of peanut butter left.
Cook the chicken
- Cut the chicken into bite-size cubes, about 2 cm.
- Season the chicken with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan or wok over high heat until it shimmers.
- Add a batch of chicken. Cook for 3–4 minutes, until golden brown on the outside.
- Move the browned chicken to a plate and repeat with the rest, in batches.
- Return all the chicken to the pan.
- Pour in the sauce and add the pinch of cayenne. Stir to coat.
- Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring now and then.
- If the sauce gets too thick, stir in a splash of stock, about 1 tbsp at a time.
- Cut open the biggest piece of chicken. It should be white all the way through with no pink, and 75°C in the centre if you're using a thermometer.
Serve
- Spoon the chicken and sauce over the lettuce and cucumber.
- Scatter the coriander over the top.
Notes
- Storage: cool and refrigerate within 2 hours. Eat within 3 days. Reheat once, until steaming hot all the way through. Freezer: up to 3 months for the chicken and sauce, thawed in the fridge and used within 24 hours.
- Key swap: tamari or soy sauce, 1:1. Soy sauce contains wheat.
Nutrition
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A final spoon-saving note
Buy the chicken diced and the lettuce shredded and this is a bowl, a pan and a simmer. Mix the sauce first and everything after that is just stirring. Give it a go on a night you want something warm and rich without the fuss.
