This chicken satay recipe is inspired by one of my favorite Thai starters, chicken satay with peanut sauce! Satay dishes consist of meat on a skewer served with sauce, and they come from Indonesia but are popular across Southeast Asia. And of course, you don’t have to go to a restaurant to enjoy this dish. It’s pretty easy to replicate the flavors at home and build a meal like this around it, taking it from starter to meal prep star–ha ha, see what we did there!
Get hundreds of recipes like this in the Workweek Lunch Meal Prep Program with access to our meal planning tools, grocery list generator and more. Start a free trial today!
What’s in this Chicken Satay Recipe
This chicken satay bowl looks like it has a lot of ingredients because there are three parts: the protein and sauce, the veggies and rice, and then the side sauce. The good news is that in order to make it, you only need one pot for the rice, and one pan for the chicken and veggies. It only looks like a lot!
We’re using chicken, zucchini, red bell pepper, carrots and rice as the main elements for this meal. As always, you can change things up and make this recipe your own, but we like these veggies because they lend themselves well to the flavors in this dish.
Related: Freezer Meal Prep: Stock Your Freezer With 8 Easy Prep Recipes
How to customize this chicken satay recipe
- Chicken is the go-to protein for this meal, but if you’d rather use beef or a different protein, go for it. Chicken thighs can work instead of breasts, too.
- If you’re following a plant-based way of eating, you can turn this chicken satay into tofu satay! Tempeh and seitan could also work.
- Allergic to coconut or don’t like the taste? Leave it out.
- Gluten-free? Substitute tamari or coconut liquid aminos for the soy sauce.
- Not feeling like making rice? You can use any grain (or pseudograin like quinoa), or even noodles of your choice for this meal.
- Allergic to nuts? You can use any seed butter to replace peanut butter in this recipe; I love sun butter, which is made with sunflower seeds. It works really well in this recipe.
What to serve with chicken satay:
Let’s talk veggies.
We’re using bell pepper, carrots and zucchini in this meal, but you have lots of options here!
Green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, edamame, bok choy, greens, onions of any kind, eggplant and cabbage all work in this meal. Edaae and snap peas are especially good; it’s something about their contrast with the peanut sauce.
Related: How To Keep Produce Fresh: Storage Tips For Fruits & Veggies
Tips about working with peanut sauce
When making any sauce, the best thing to do is taste as you go and adjust the flavors accordingly!
- If you like it to be a bit thicker, add more peanut butter. I
- f you enjoy your sauce on the saltier side, add more soy sauce.
- Not a fan of ginger? You can leave it out! I
- f you want to make it spicy, add some sriracha. It is all about your preference and what you like.
Tips about cooking with coconut milk
It is completely normal to open a can of coconut milk and find a thick layer of cream on top! Just use a fork to mix it in with the more aqueous portion below, but keep in mind this can get messy or splash a bit. If you find yourself halfway through this recipe and realize you forgot to pick some up, don’t worry! Greek yogurt, heavy cream, soy milk, or evaporated milk will work as a substitute in most dishes. With yogurt, though, you may have to thin it out a bit.
How to store and reheat chicken satay stirfry
This meal will stay good in the fridge for up to 4 days. It’s not freezer-friendly, but you can freeze the chicken on its own if you’d like.
I recommend reheating it in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Happy prepping!
Here are some other Thai dishes we love!
And don’t forget to check out our other delicious recipes!
- Korean-Inspired Bibimbap Bowls (Vegetarian)
- Orange Chicken Recipe (Trader Joe’s Copycat)
- Vegetarian Meatballs Made With Chickpeas and Miso
- Veggie Meal Prep Ramen With Tofu & Marinated Eggs
- Bourbon-Ish Chicken & Quick Veggie Rice
- General Tso’s Chicken Recipe
Chicken Satay Bowls With Rice & Stir Fried Veggies
Ingredients
For the chicken & marinade
- 16 oz chicken breast chopped
- 1/4 cup canned coconut milk omit if needed
- 2 TBSP soy sauce
- 1 TBSP fish sauce or lime juice or rice vinegar
- 1 TBSP vegetable oil or coconut oil or olive oil
- 1 inch ginger minced or grated
- 1 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 TBSP brown sugar or other liquid sweetener
For the rice
- 3/4 cup rice or other grain of your choice
- 3/4 cup water
- 3/4 cup canned coconut milk or water
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the veggies
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 2 scallions chopped, white and green parts separated
- 1 carrot sliced thin
- 1 zucchini quartered
- 1 red bell pepper cut into thin strips
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 TBSP soy sauce
For the peanut sauce (optional)
- 2 TBSP nut butter
- 2 TBSP soy sauce
- 1 lime for juices
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger or 1-inch fresh ginger, grated
Instructions
- Add all the marinade ingredients to a measuring cup. Stir and taste; adjust any flavors if necessary. Pour the marinade and chopped chicken into a bowl or zip-top bag and let it sit for at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours.
- Add the rice, water, coconut milk, and salt to a pot and stir once. Bring it to boil, then cover and turn the heat all the way down (but not off). Cook for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat and steam for 10 minutes.
- Add 1 TBSP oil to a skillet (I used cast iron) over a medium flame. Let it heat up for a few minutes, then add the chicken to the pan. Make sure to space the chicken out a little and avoid getting the marinade in the pan (otherwise the chicken will just boil). Cook on each side for 5 minutes, then remove it from the pan and set aside.
- In the skillet, combine chopped veggies, white ends of the scallions, garlic and soy sauce. You may need to cook the veggies in batches, depending on the size of your pan. Cook over medium/high heat for about 7-10 minutes, stirring often, until the veggies are fork tender.
- Make the peanut sauce: Whisk the ingredients together in a glass measuring cup. Add water to thin (I added about 3 TBSP) to your desired consistency. Taste and adjust flavors as necessary.
- Divide the rice, veggies and cooked chicken among three meal prep containers. Divide the sauce between three smaller containers or just keep it in one bigger container on the side to drizzle on before eating. Garnish with chopped green ends of the scallions.
Notes
- Note that you can freeze leftover coconut milk for future use!
Samantha Haisten says
This is my favorite WWL meal to date! Made it last night for dinner + 2 lunches and already planning on doing it again next week!
Jean Cascio says
I will make this recipe soon, it looks so good