Chicken skewers marinated in an easy Thai coconut sauce and then grilled in the oven is the perfect 30-minute dinner.
What is it about Thai chicken that we all love so much?
I dunno. It’s probably part of my Lazy Girl Cooking 101 repertoire.
It goes something like this…
How to make grilled chicken kabobs like a pro
- Cut chicken- 3 minutes
- Mix marinade ingredients- 2 minutes (that includes hunting for the can opener to open the coconut milk!)
- Marinate chicken- 45 minutes (you can totally do an hour, I’m just impatient!)
- Thread chicken onto skewers- 1 1/2 minutes
- Grill chicken under the broiler- 20 minutes
Look at that! You’ve secured your status as a dinner hero in 5 easy steps!
Okay. But back to these chicken kabobs! This recipe is so simple and uses a Thai yellow curry paste and coconut milk for the marinade. You can buy store bought curry paste, or may I suggest that you make this Thai yellow curry paste from scratch. Don’t worry… if you can operate a food processor you can make this paste in about 2 minutes flat!
This is how I would describe them to my dinner BFF (that’s you!) This Thai chicken is fragrant and bright but still healthy and has so much smoky flavor. Are you sold yet?
Thai Coconut Chicken Skewers
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But of course, before we get started there are a couple of things that you should know about making chicken skewers, AKA chicken kabobs.
Can these chicken skewers be cooked in the oven?
Absolutely! These chicken skewers are perfectly done one of 3 ways…
- baking in the oven
- grilling them under the broiler
- grilling on the BBQ
What cut of chicken should I use for grilling skewers, thigh or breast?
Whatever kind you prefer! If you love chicken breast then use that. Just be sure to not overcook them so they don’t dry out. But thighs work perfectly well here. Because chicken thigh is dark meat, it has more fat and more flavor than breast and can really stand up to all the Thai flavors and the chargrilling.
How long should chicken be marinated before cooking?
This is a great question! And the answer is that it depends on the marinade. If you’ve got a creamy marinade like this one, then anywhere from an hour to a couple of hours is just fine.
A highly acidic marinade with lots of citrus juice will only need to be in the marinade for a couple of hours at the most because the acid will start to react on the protein in the chicken and turn it rubbery. If left too long, the chicken will actually start to cook ( a process known as curing).
This is a complete pro tip that I learned the hard way many years ago. If you’re using wooden skewers, rather than metal ones, be sure to soak them in water while your chicken marinates, so that your skewers don’t burn or catch fire. Told ya. I’ve learned the hard way!
You should totally serve these chicken kabobs with some rice or some sweet potato wedges would be awesome too! Or be super healthy and go with this roasted broccoli salad.
And so with this easy Thai coconut chicken recipe, I’m throwing my arms around spring and summer and aaaalll the warm weather.
Need more easy chicken recipes?
Tools used to make these Thai chicken skewers
Easy Thai Coconut Chicken Skewers
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs diced
- 1/3 cup Thai yellow curry paste
- 1/3 cup coconut milk full fat
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler to 485ºF.
- Place the chicken, curry paste, coconut milk and fish sauce in a bowl and mix to combine. Leave to marinade for 45 minutes. Soak the wooden skewers in water if using.
- Thread the chicken onto the skewers and place them on a lightly oiled or lined baking tray. Cook under the grill for about 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked.
Nutrition
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