Description
These Grilled Thai Coconut Chicken Skewers are marinated in a flavorful blend of ginger, garlic, and soy sauces, then grilled to perfection and glazed with a sweet coconut cream sauce. Served with an optional peanut sauce and fresh lettuce, they make a delicious and authentic Thai-inspired appetizer or main dish.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Chicken and Marinade
- 1 kg chicken ((dark meat preferably))
- 4–5 slices ginger ((approx. 2 tablespoons))
- 2 cloves garlic ((approx. 1 1/2 tablespoons))
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon coconut cream
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
Coconut Cream Glaze
- 6 tablespoons coconut cream
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
Peanut Sauce (Optional)
- 2 tablespoons coconut cream
- 1/4 cup natural peanut butter ((unsweetened))
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Thai red curry paste
- 2 teaspoon maple syrup
- 2 teaspoon soy sauce
- 2–3 tablespoons water ((or enough to thin it out to the consistency you like))
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil ((optional))
- 1 teaspoon chili oil ((optional))
- crushed peanuts ((optional, sprinkled on top))
Instructions
- Quick & Easy Peanut Sauce (Optional) In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients from the peanut sauce ingredient list and mix well.
- Set Aside Set aside until the chicken skewers are ready to be served.
- Marinating & Skewering the Chicken If you are using wooden skewers, in a tall cup, add water and soak the back ends (the ends that are not pointy) so they don’t burn on the grill.
- Cut the Chicken Cut the chicken up into 1×1 inch chunks and set it in a bowl.
- Prepare Garlic and Ginger Using your preferred method (mortar and pestle, food processor, or finely chop by hand) chop the garlic and ginger up as finely as you can and add it to the chicken.
- Add Marinade Ingredients Add the rest of the marinade ingredients from the ‘Marinade’ ingredient list into the bowl and mix everything together.
- Marinate Let it marinade in the bowl for a minimum of 1-2 hours in the fridge. I like to marinate them overnight for more flavor.
- Remove from Fridge Remove them from the fridge 30 minutes before you are about to grill them.
- Skewer Chicken Skewer the chicken. You may need to skewer some pieces twice so that there are not a lot of loose pieces. The loose pieces usually burn the quickest, so you want the meat to be snug with the skewers. (Also make sure not to run your fingers along the skewers to prevent splinters. Salty marinade splinters are not fun. Use the meat as a shield to run them down the skewers 🙂 )
- Making the Coconut Cream Glaze In a small bowl, combine the coconut cream, honey and soy sauce and set aside for glazing the chicken at the very end.
- Grilling Set the charcoal or gas grill to approximately 500F (260C).
- Cook Skewers When the grill has reached the temperature, add the skewers on the grill. You want to cook them over direct heat.
- Flip Frequently Flip them every 2-3 minutes, 4-5 times or for approximately 15-18 minutes. Do not leave them un-attended, they will burn quickly. Once the meat has browned and charred over the direct heat for 15 minutes, it should feel a bit more solid on the stick and should be cooked.
- Glaze Skewers Brush on the coconut cream glaze and flip them every minute, 2-3 times to get that sweet and sticky caramelized char.
- Serve Serve over a bed of green lettuce with the peanut sauce. (The green lettuce is not just a garnish, but a great way to do mini chicken lettuce wraps with the peanut sauce! 🙂 )
Notes
- Soak wooden skewers in water to prevent burning on the grill.
- Marinate chicken for at least 1-2 hours, preferably overnight for more flavor.
- Remove chicken from fridge 30 minutes before grilling.
- Skewer chicken pieces snugly to avoid loose pieces burning.
- Use the meat as a shield when handling skewers to avoid splinters.
- Keep an eye on skewers while grilling to prevent burning.
- Serve with green lettuce to make mini chicken lettuce wraps with the peanut sauce.
