Almond Butter Chicken Satay
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This Almond Butter Chicken Satay is a healthy, savory chicken skewer recipe. Marinate cubed chicken thighs in an almond butter sauce and cook on the stovetop or grill.
The perfect Whole30 chicken skewer recipe
This Almond Butter Chicken Satay recipe has been a favorite Whole30 dinner in our home since I did my first Whole30 in January 2019. The almond butter marinade gives the chicken an addicting flavor that you just keep coming back for.
I really love peanut satay, but since peanuts and soy are off-limits during the Whole30 I wanted to create a healthy chicken skewer recipe with slightly different ingredients. Using almond butter in place of peanuts and coconut aminos in place of soy sauce works perfectly!
What kitchen tools will I need to make this Almond Butter Chicken Satay?
- Wooden or metal skewers – I like the mini wooden skewers for cooking them inside on a grill pan
- Grill pan or grill
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- Basting brush
What ingredients will I need to make these healthy chicken skewers?
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs – can sub chicken breast
- Almond butter – can sub any nut butter
- Coconut aminos – can sub soy sauce if not on Whole30
- Lime juice
- Fish sauce
- Sesame oil
- Rice vinegar
- Sriracha – I like Yellowbird sriracha
- Avocado oil
Soak your skewers and marinate ahead of time
To make this delicious almond butter chicken satay you will need some skewers. I like these little ones when I am cooking inside, but for grilling, I like the larger ones or the metal ones.
About an hour or so before you are ready to cook you will want to soak your skewers in water and start marinating your meat. I soak my skewers in water before I start cooking because they are wood and might catch on fire on the stove, but that is less likely if they are soaked prior to use!
How do you make Almond Butter Chicken Satay?
To make this dish I usually use boneless skinless chicken thighs because they seem to be more flavorful, but chicken breasts will also work well. Take the chicken and cube them into bite size pieces. Then marinate the chicken in the almond butter, coconut aminos, sesame oil, sriracha, lime juice and fish sauce combo.
If you are looking to make this whole30 compliant, be sure that your sriracha and almond butter don’t have any added sugars. The two that I linked above are compliant. Also, you can always just use soy sauce in place of coconut aminos if you aren’t avoiding soy because of Whole30 or another dietary reason.
Allow the chicken to marinate for at least an hour, but can be more if you want to prep ahead of time. Slide the marinated pieces on skewers and add to an oiled grill pan over medium heat. Save the excess marinade.
Allow the grill pan to heat up before placing the skewers on it. Grill for about 12 minutes flipping every 2 minutes and basting with the extra marinade with a basting brush.
Can I make these on the grill outside instead of in a grill pan?
To make these skewers on a standard grill outside you will want to use the same ingredients, but cut your chicken into slightly larger cubes. Then preheat your grill to medium-high heat and place your skewers on it. Cook for 10 minutes on the hot, closed grill. Rotate the skewers every 2-3 minutes and baste with the excess marinade.
How do you serve these almond butter chicken skewers?
I love these skewers as an appetizer, but they are also delicious with lots of meals. I love them on a salad or served with sauteed veggies and cauliflower rice.
The full recipe can be found down below and, as always, if you make this recipe, please rate and review in the comments and share it with me on Instagram!
Almond Butter Chicken Satay
A healthy and flavorful Whole30 chicken skewer recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp sriracha
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- Avocado oil for greasing the pan
Instructions
- At least 1 hour prior to cooking soak wooden skewers in water and marinate the chicken
- To marinate, combine almond butter, coconut aminos, lime juice, sesame oil, fish sauce, rice vinegar, and sriracha in a large mixing bowl. Cube the chicken thighs and add to the mixing bowl with the marinade. Toss to coat the thighs and place in the fridge to marinate
- After at least 1 hour of marinating, remove from the fridge and slide the chicken onto the skewers – save any excess marinade
- Heat a greased grill pan over medium heat
- Add the chicken to the warm grill pan and rotate every 2 minutes. As you rotate the skewers brush on any extra marinade
- Continue cooking and rotating until you have cooked the skewers for 12 minutes total
- Remove from the heat and enjoy! store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days
Notes
** You can use chicken breasts in place of chicken thighs, you can use soy sauce in place of coconut aminos, and you can use any kind of nut butter in place of the almond butter.
Alexa says
How do I know they are throughly cook?
Madeline says
I usually just pull one piece off the skewer and slice it. If its grey, not pink then it should be good.
Mel says
Is there a substitute I could use for the fish sauce? Husband is allergic.
Madeline says
You can just omit it completely! And then taste the sauce prior to marinating and if it doesn’t taste salty enough you can add salt to taste!
Lindsay says
So yum! My boyfriend only likes nut butters on their own and dislikes whenever they are mixed in with a recipe. So when I told him almond butter satay was for dinner he was a bit skeptical. Used peanut butter because that is what I had and yum! We loved it and boyfriend approved! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Madeline says
YES! That’s a huge win!
Mallory says
I’ve made this twice in two weeks, but thought about it like every single day!!! The recipe is perfect, the only thing I changed was I used my homemade chili oil instead of sriracha because I’m a chili oil fanatic! This recipe is a keeper!!!!!
★★★★★
Madeline says
Ah YAY! I love that! The chili oil substitution sounds awesome!
Sarah says
Wow, this was amazing – so easy and delicious! Satisfied all my Thai takeout cravings. I substituted peanut butter for almond butter and omitted the fish sauce because I didn’t have any on hand. Will definitely be making this again!
Madeline says
ah yay!! Thank you for sharing! I am so glad
Laura says
Decided to make this for dinner last week and my husband and I loved it! I used peanut butter and soy sauce because that’s what we had, and omitted the fish sauce since my husband isn’t a fan. We don’t have a grill or grill pan, so I simply cooked the chicken in a pan on the stove sans skewers. It was amazing! Paired with some sautéed veggies and it was better than any Asian take out we’ve had in DC!
★★★★★
Madeline says
I am so glad you made it and enjoyed it!! Thank you!
Kate C says
This is SO good. My favorite mad about food recipe I’ve ever made. I have thought about this every day since I had it and I can’t wait to make it again!!! The chicken is so juicy post marinade.
★★★★★
Madeline says
Ah so amazing!! This is Amy’s favorite too! Thank you!
Courtney says
So good!! I need to get more skewers!
★★★★★
Madeline says
yay! thank you!!
Frances says
I haven’t actually grilled this recipe cause I’ve always been too lazy or in too much of a hurry to get dinner on the table but I have had great success with this recipe and a hot pan. It works really well and I’ve actually made the sauce a handful of times a sort of stirfry/finishing sauce for other dishes as well.
★★★★★
Madeline says
awesome!! I need to try it in a pan as a little stir fry!
Jamie says
I’ve been doing this recipe for years since I first found your blog and it’s still a staple in our house. Everyone I’ve shared the recipe with has loved it as well!
★★★★★
Madeline says
yay!! love that!
reef mermaid says
The best, but I add fresh garlic and fresh ginger to make it even more spicy-flavorful
★★★★★
Madeline says
that sounds great! thank you!