Thai-Inspired Grilled Coconut Chicken Skewers

5 from 1 vote

White meat chicken is marinated in coconut milk before being grilled and dipped into unforgettably good homemade peanut dipping sauce.

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Marinate time1

Total Time1 50

Servings: large skewers

Author: Julie Chiou

Equipment

Outdoor grill

Ingredients

For the chicken:

15 ounce (425 ml) can coconut milk reserve 1/3 cup of fat for peanut dipping sauce
¼ cup (59 ml) cooking oil
½ a lime both zest and juice
2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sesame seeds
¼ teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon imitation coconut optional, but delicious!
2 pounds (907 g) boneless skinless chicken breasts, thighs, or combination of both

For the peanut dipping sauce:

½ cup (118 ml) water
2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter
⅓ cup (75 g) coconut milk fat reserved from the chicken marinade
½ cup (129 g) peanut butter
2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
Juice from ½ a lime
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon sesame oil

Instructions

For the chicken:

Open your can of coconut milk and take out 1⁄3 cup of the coconut fat from the top of the can and  set aside, you will use this for the peanut dipping sauce. Pour the remainder of your coconut milk into a large bowl with a lid (cling wrap would also work).
15 ounce can coconut milk
Add all of the remaining ingredients to the bowl, except for the chicken, and mix well until  combined.
¼ cup cooking oil, ½ a lime, 2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon sesame seeds, ¼ teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon imitation coconut
Remove 1⁄2 of a cup of the marinade from the bowl and set it aside, you will use it later to brush on  the chicken while it cooks.
Cut your chicken into approx. ½” cubes.
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, thighs, or combination of both
Put all the chicken into the bowl with the marinade and mix until chicken is coated.
Put the lid on your bowl and let sit in the fridge to marinate, ideally 4 to 24 hours, however it will still  work if you only have an hour.
After the chicken has marinated, take it out and fill grill-safe skewers with the marinated chicken.
Season the skewered chicken with salt and black pepper.
Preheat your grill on full heat.
Oil the grates then grill your chicken skewers for a few minutes on each side, brush with your  reserved marinade as they are cooking.
When your chicken has finished cooking (165 °F (74 °C)) remove from heat and let sit for 5  minutes.
Serve with a peanut dipping sauce (instructions below).

For the peanut dipping sauce:

Over medium high heat warm the water and butter in a small saucepan until the butter has melted.
½ cup water, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Turn heat down to medium and add in remaining sauce ingredients. Mix well until combined (a whisk works best).
⅓ cup coconut milk fat, ½ cup peanut butter, 2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste, Juice from ½ a lime, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon ginger, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
Continue to cook the sauce over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it has thickened a bit. This will take approximately 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and serve. This sauce can be served hot or room temp.

Notes

Only add the chicken to the skewers, do vegetable skewers separately, this way your chicken will  cook properly without the risk of burning/over-cooking the vegetables!  
Chop up leftover chicken and make an asian salad for lunch the next day!  

Nutrition

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