Summary:
One of my favorite Asian recipes, this Chicken Satay has incredibly tender morsels of chicken drizzled with a silky rich peanut sauce. Whether you serve this as a main dish for dinner or as a party appetizer, it's great for anyone on keto or similar low carb diets.

INGREDIENTS
Chicken Marinade:
- 1/2 cup
canned coconut milk (Note 3) - 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon
curry powder - 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon
ground cayenne
Peanut Sauce:
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (Note 4)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons
toasted sesame oil (Note 5) - 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon
soy sauce (Note 6) - 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
INSTRUCTIONS
- Marinate Chicken: Stir all marinade ingredients in large bowl until well-mixed, turning light orange or tan. Cut chicken into 1-inch or smaller chunks, and stir them into marinade until well-coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours.
- Assemble Skewers: If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 450 F, and prepare baking
half sheet lined with parchment paper for easy cleanup. After soaking skewers, thread about 4 chicken chunks per skewer, leaving half of each skewer empty for handling. Place chicken skewers in single layer on lined baking sheet. - Cook Chicken: Bake at 450 F for 10 minutes, flip skewers, and bake for another 10 minutes or until chicken looks dry, browning in some spots, and its released liquid pooled on baking sheet has evaporated. Or, you can grill them.
- Make Sauce: While waiting for chicken to cook, whisk together all peanut sauce ingredients in small saucepan over medium-low heat until very smooth, a few minutes. Reduce to low heat to keep warm, stirring occasionally.
- Serve (Note 7): Transfer chicken skewers onto serving plate. Brush peanut sauce over chicken. Top with sliced scallions, and serve while warm.
NUTRITION
Makes 4 Servings |
Amount Per Serving (2-3 chicken skewers): |
Calories 330 (54% from fat) | Â |
Total Fat 20g | 31% |
   Saturated Fat 3g | 16% |
Cholesterol 66mg | 22% |
Sodium 500mg | 21% |
Net Carb 3g | Â |
Total Carb 5g | 2% |
   Dietary Fiber 2g | 7% |
   Sugars 1.5g |  |
Protein 30g | Â |
PHOTOS




Made this tonight on the grill and the whole family loved it. The sauce is so good! I did some fried cauliflower rice for myself and served jasmine rice for my non-keto family. Really delicious and easy.
Julia this was so incredibly easy to make and your ingredients and measures exceeded expectations in creating an authentically delicious meal. Thanks
Very nice flavor.
Not too strong peanut flavor in the sauce, like I thought it would be (I thought it would be just like slathering peanut butter on straight)
The chicken is moist and the marinade makes a nice addition to the sauce, as some of it stayed on the chicken.
I added cilantro with my scallions (a traditional paring with Thai peanut type dishes), it was great!
I made this today for dinner for my son, hubby and myself. I messed up a few places, but it still tasted awesome. Thank you
I am a very novice cook and a moderate keto eater. This recipe tasted delicious. For me being a clitz in the kitchen I would say prep time is closer to 30, but again it’s because I am not someone quick with measuring and skewering.
Love this recipe. Made it for a July 4th party and everyone loved it. Tips on grilling: make sure you cut your chicken in smaller inch chunks. I plan on making this recipe again soon with really only one alteration which is making the chicken spicier. The chicken had wonderful flavor just not spicy at all. Next time I think I would triple the cayenne pepper and add chili pepper flakes as well.
Any thoughts on making this with sunflower butter?
Is there a substitute for toasted sesame oil? In my location, it is hard to find the toasted one. We only have the usual sesame oil. Thanks
I’m not aware of any substitute for toasted sesame oil, unfortunately. I would just use the regular sesame oil. Won’t taste as good but still worth making!
Can you make this with beef instead of chicken?
I haven’t tested this recipe with beef. If you give it a try, let me know how it goes!
The sauce is great with coconut milk—just mix it in slowly like a roux. It will break but add more and it will come back together. It makes the sauce extra delicious!
This looks so delicious! I’m allergic to coconut though, do you know of a good substitution? Thanks so much!
You can try marinating in your milk of choice. The flavor will be a bit different, but I don’t think it’ll be significant.
I’m doing the low FODMAP diet where I cannot eat garlic. Would this still be good without garlic in both the marinade and the sauce?
I think it would still be good without the garlic, and is worth a try.
Will this work as full chicken breasts and no chunking them onto skewers? I wanted to serve as a main course for a dinner party.
I think that would work. The baking/grilling time would be increased since you’re using whole chicken breasts.
Just beautiful! I actually like using crunchy peanut butter, because I like the little bits of peanuts, although you could crush some and sprinkle them on top, I guess. Love your recipe.