🇹🇭 Thai
Chicken Satay Skewers with Peanut Sauce
⏱ 25 min (plus 30 min marinate)
🍞 ~9g (2 skewers + 2 tbsp peanut sauce)
🍽 4 servings
⭐ 5/5
⚠️ Estimates only — not medical advice. Carb counts vary by brand and portion. Always verify with your endo or CDCES.
🌍 Cultural note
Satay is the universal Southeast Asian street snack — you smell the charcoal grill before you see the cart. In Thailand, they serve it with peanut sauce AND a quick cucumber-shallot relish to cut the richness. Kids LOVE food on sticks, and the marinated chicken stays juicy and golden. This is the recipe that converts skeptics.
Why this recipe is T1D-friendly
- Naturally low-carb: protein on a stick with a fat-rich dipping sauce
- Peanut butter slows glucose absorption beautifully
- No palm sugar — we use allulose in both the marinade and the sauce
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs chicken breast or thigh, cut into long strips (0g)
- 8 wooden skewers (soaked in water 20 min)
- Avocado oil for brushing (0g)
Satay marinade
- 1/3 cup full-fat coconut milk (3g)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce (1g)
- 1 tbsp fish sauce (1g)
- 1 tsp curry powder (1g)
- 1 tsp turmeric (1g)
- 1 tbsp allulose (0g)
- 2 cloves garlic, grated (1g)
Peanut dipping sauce
- 1/2 cup natural peanut butter, unsweetened (12g across the batch)
- 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk (4g)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce (2g)
- 1 tbsp lime juice (1g)
- 2 tbsp allulose (0g)
- 1 tsp red curry paste (kid-mild: 1/2 tsp) (1g)
- 1 tbsp water (to thin)
Rice / noodle / wrap options
| Add-on | Portion | Carbs |
|---|---|---|
| Just skewers + peanut sauce (default) | 2 skewers + 2 tbsp sauce | ~9g |
| With jasmine rice | 1/3 cup cooked | +15g (=24g) |
| With cauliflower rice | 1/2 cup | +3g (=12g) |
| With cucumber relish (cucumber + shallot + rice vinegar + allulose) | 1/4 cup | +2g (=11g) |
| Wrapped in lettuce leaves | 2 leaves | +1g (=10g) |
Directions
- Whisk all marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add chicken strips, toss to coat. Marinate 30 min in fridge (or up to overnight).
- Soak wooden skewers in water 20 min so they don't burn.
- Thread marinated chicken onto skewers, accordion-style (long zigzag, not balled up).
- Make the peanut sauce: whisk peanut butter, coconut milk, soy sauce, lime juice, allulose, and curry paste in a small saucepan.
- Heat sauce over low heat 3-4 minutes, whisking until smooth. Thin with water 1 tsp at a time if too thick. Set aside.
- Heat a grill pan, outdoor grill, or air fryer (400°F) until very hot.
- Brush skewers lightly with oil. Grill 3-4 minutes per side until charred edges appear and chicken reaches 165°F.
- Let rest 2 minutes (juices redistribute).
- Plate 2 skewers per kid with 2 tbsp peanut sauce in a small dip bowl.
- Optional: serve with a quick cucumber-shallot relish on the side.
Dash's kid tips 🐆
- Cut chicken into LONG strips, not chunks — kids find the stick + strip combo way more fun
- Make the peanut sauce kid-mild (1/2 tsp curry paste, no chili) — let adults add sriracha to their own
- The cucumber relish is optional but Thai families always serve it; it cuts the peanut richness
- Leftover peanut sauce is gold — toss it with shirataki noodles + cucumber + cilantro for a 5-min lunch