This healthy Chicken Satay Curry with coconut milk is quick and easy to make in under 30 minutes. The healthy satay sauce is sugar free, thick and creamy with a mild level of spice that can easily be adjusted depending on your preferences. Enjoy with jasmine rice, cauliflower rice, or noodles.
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Perfect for meal prepping, replacing your Friday night takeout, or even as a date night dinner for two, this healthy chicken satay will soon become your new best friend.
It's quick. It's homemade. No pre-made sauces or sauce bases here. It's healthier and it's better than any takeaway satay curry chicken I've ever had. Its up there with this easy and quick Beef Satay Curry. Both great meal ideas for busy weeknights.
Recipe Highlights
- Get it on the table in less than 30 minutes
- Easy to make more or less spicy
- Its all made in one pan for minimal mess and clean up
- The creamy chicken satay sauce is homemade, sugar free and can be used in lots of different ways
- The sauce is thick and creamy with notes of curry and peanut butter
- Use up whatever vege you have in your fridge
- Makes for great leftovers the next day and is freezer friendly.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken: I like using chicken breast for this recipe as it cooks quicker than thigh. Make sure to cut into evenly sized small chunks so that they cook evenly.
- Coconut Milk: Full fat coconut milk is perfect for creating thick peanut curry sauce
- Peanut Butter: I love using crunchy peanut butter, but smooth peanut butter is also a winner
- Garlic and Ginger: I tend to use bottled garlic and ginger paste as its convenient, however I do think that this recipe is all the more better if you have fresh garlic and ginger on hand to use
- Curry Powder/Paste: The brand I used was "Clives of India". I've also made it with "Keens curry powder" and "Ayam Curry Powder" which both work equally well. Alternatively a Thai red curry paste or yellow that curry paste would also work.
- Chilli: I love to use a little extra chili paste for added heat. Chilli powder, or red chilli flakes would also work.
- Sweetener: I use monkfruit sweetener that measures like sugar and have virtually no calories. Alternatively you could use sugar free maple syrup.
- Peanuts: you can buy granulated peanuts from the baking aisle of most supermarkets. Alternatively you can use regular (unsalted) peanuts and and either leave them whole or crush/chop them.
How To Make
- Heat Arromats for sauce base: Heat a skillet on the stove at high temperature, adding onions, garlic, ginger, curry powder and chilli. Cook for a minute or two until onions become translucent and, mixture becomes fragrant.
- Cook chicken and veggies: And add chicken pieces to pan and toss until they start to turn white (just cooked). Add veggies and toss through for a further minute.
- Add Flavourings to make sauce: Add soy sauce, lime juice, honey/sweetener, peanut butter and ¼ of the coconut milk. Stir through, add rest of coconut milk ¼ cup at a time, stirring through until mixed together
- Cook and Simmer: Reduce heat to medium and cover with lid for 5 mins. Remove lid, sprinkle with granulated peanuts and chopped corriander
- Serve immediately with rice, a slice of lime.
To keep this dish as low in sugar as possible, I make sure to use a sugar free peanut butter, also commonly called Natural Peanut Butter, where the only ingredient is peanuts. Find it in the supermarket alongside all nut butters and spreads.
Other Ways to Use This Sauce
- Homemade Chicken Meatballs
- Chicken Skewers cooked on the BBQ
- As the sauce for a quick Chicken and veg stirfry
- As a sauce for and easy Chicken and noodle stirfry
- As a sauce for a Ground Chicken Stirfry with rice
- Drizzled over chicken breast
- Dipping sauce for crumbed chicken tenders
Common Questions
Its a rich and creamy, thick sauce with a tang. Depending on how you like it you can make it as spicy as you like it by adding more or less of the chilli and curry paste. Of course you can also leave the chilli out altogether if you don't like it.
Yes! I've made a double batch of this dish a few times and it freezes well. If you are making ahead, freeze without the rice, and don't forget to date and label your containers. The other great thing about this recipe is that it makes for excellent leftovers for lunch.
Expert Tips
- Heat Level: This is a mild to medium level curry
- Make it less spicy/less heat: reduce curry powder down to 3 tablespoons, and reduce chilli paste to only ½ a teaspoon
- Thinning Out the Sauce: If you find the peanut curry sauce becoming too thick, thin it out by adding a small amount of water a bit at a time, stirring in between to loosen.
- Storage: Store leftover creamy chicken satay in an airtight container in the fridge for upto 3 days without the rice. This dish also freezes well however I would leave the rice out and make that fresh when you're ready to eat it.
The level of heat in this recipe is Mild to Medium. For a mild curry, skip the chilli. for a Medium to Hot satay curry, add more chilli and a little extra curry paste.
Chicken Satay in Slow Cooker
If you love slow cooker curries, this one can definitely be made in the slow cooker as well as on the stovetop.
Slow Cooker instructions are included in the recipe card below.
The Best Types of Chicken For Satay Curry
- Chicken Breast: This is my favourite. I generally slice the chicken breast into thin slivers so they cook really quickly. If you like chunkier pieces, that'll work too and they might even hold the thick creamy sauce better.
- Ground Chicken: I've recently started using ground chicken in stirfries and am loving it. It cooks quick, holds the sauce well and tastes good. Plus you can avoid the chopping up of meat if you;re buying already ground.
- Chicken Thigh: I use chicken thigh for curry chicken satay when I'm doing skewers, especially on the BBQ. I find that the extra little pieces of fat on the chicken thigh are ideal for adding extra flavour and keep the meat moist when BBQ'ed.
More Curry Recipes
Satay Chicken rice bowls are so easy to make, whether that be in the slow cooker or on the stove top. I also just have to call out that the satay sauce isn't just for chicken because it goes great with beef and pork as well.
Simply replace the chicken with an alternate protein and make the recipe as is, or make the satay sauce and use it as a finishing sauce drizzled over your dinner! Or even as a peanut dipping sauce for chicken nuggets.
Thai Chicken Satay Curry with Coconut Milk
Ingredients
Chicken and Vegetables
- 500 grams chicken Breast, sliced thinly
- 1 medium red capsicum (sliced into 1 inch sticks) - bell peppers
- ½ large zucchini (chopped into 1 inch pieces) - about ½ cup
- ½ cup pumpkin (chopped into 1cm or ½ inch cubes)
Satay Curry Sauce
- 1 large brown onion (diced)
- 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon chilli paste
- 4 teaspoons curry powder
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons lime Juice
- 2 tablespoon monkfruit sweetener
- 3 tablespoons natural peanut butter
- 1⅔ cups canned full fat coconut milk
To Serve
- 2 tbs fresh coriander/cilantro (roughly chopped)
- 2 tablespoons granulated peanuts
- 2 cups cooked rice (jasmine or Brown)
Instructions
Stovetop Instructions
- Fry off Onions/Garlic/Ginger/Chilli, Curry Powder: Heat a skillet on the stove at high temperature, adding 1 large brown onion (diced), 1 teaspoon crushed garlic, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, 4 teaspoons curry powder and 1 teaspoon chilli paste. Cook for a minute or two until onions become translucent and, mixture becomes fragrant.
- Cook Chicken: Add 500 grams chicken Breast, sliced thinly to pan and toss until they start to turn white (just cooked). Add 1 medium red capsicum (sliced into 1 inch sticks), ½ large zucchini (chopped into 1 inch pieces) , ½ cup pumpkin (chopped into 1cm or ½ inch cubes), and toss through for a further minute.
- Add Remaining Ingredients: Add 2 tablespoon soy sauce,1 ½ tablespoons lime Juice, 2 tablespoon monkfruit sweetener, 3 tablespoons natural peanut butter. Gradually pour in 1⅔ cups canned full fat coconut milk a bit at a time, mixing it in as you go until it's all done.
- Cook and Serve: Reduce heat to medium and cover with lid for 5 mins. Remove lid, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons granulated peanuts and 2 tbs fresh coriander/cilantro (roughly chopped). Serve with your favorite rice or noodles.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Sear Chicken: Set slow cooker to "Sear Mode" and add chicken pieces (I recommend using diced skinless chicken thigh if using the slow cooker as it tends to retain its moisture better and won't dry out). Sear chicken until it turns white and it "just cooked"
- Add Onion/Garlic/Ginger: add the onion, garlic and ginger to the slow cooker pot with chicken and cook for 1 - 2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add Remaining Ingredients: add remaining ingredients to the slow cooker pot, stirring through until combined.
- Cook: Set to slow cook on LOW for 6 hours. Serve with your favorite rice or noodles.
Notes
- Chicken: I like using chicken breast for this recipe as it cooks quicker than thigh. Make sure to cut into evenly sized small chunks so that they cook evenly. If using the slow cooker, I recommend using skinless chicken thigh as it will retain its moisture and won't dry out like chicken breast can when slow cooked.
- Garlic and Ginger: I tend to use bottled garlic and ginger paste as its convenient, however I do think that this recipe is all the more better if you have fresh garlic and ginger on hand to use
- Curry Powder: The brand I used was "Clives of India". I've also made it with "Keens curry powder" and "Ayam Curry Powder" which both work equally well. Substituting the same quantity of Yellow thai yellow curry paste will also work and will result in a lovely rich yellow curry.
- Sweetener: I use monkfruit sweetener that measures like sugar and have virtually no calories. Both honey and granulated sweetener can be used interchangable. However only use one of the other, don't use both as it will be too sweet.
- Peanuts: you can buy granulated peanuts from the baking aisle of most supermarkets. Alternatively you can use regular (unsalted) peanuts and and either leave them whole or crush/chop them.
- Calories per serve includes brown rice.
Nutrition
Note: Sugars contained in this recipe are from naturally occurring sugars in fruits, vegetables or other natural sweeteners. Calories have been calculated for your convenience using My Fitness Pal and are based on the ingredients listed in the recipe card.
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Brooke says
Great recipe, very yummy.
A marinade for the chicken would be worth it if time allows to add extra depth in flavour but the family thoroughly enjoyed this dish just as it is
Alexia O'Sullivan says
This one is on my list to try after making your other satay chicken one