This Instant Pot Peanut chicken satay is the BEST weeknight meal option. Chicken smothered in a tangy Thai peanut sauce. Plus
Let’s play a word game.
When I say peanut … your next word is what? If you said butter then you’re not alone, but it’s going to be my personal mission to change that. When people say peanut I want them to be thinking… SATAY.
That’s right. Since I’ve discovered the greatness of peanut satay I just can’t get enough of this recipe. It used to be that peanut and jelly were the hot
When this cooked juicy chicken is joined together with my infused peanut satay sauce, the results are usually unstoppable cravings.
In my cookbook Seriously Good Freezer Meals I have a traditional Peanut chicken satay with the chicken marinated, then grilled on skewers and dipped in a peanutty sauce. It’s heavenly.
But that can take a little more work than I sometimes want to handle. It is worth the work, but sometimes this mama just wants to make something quick and effortless. But
So I thought one day, hey, why not try to create an Instant P
So I got to work testing and found out how easy and tasty it was. And I’m sharing it with you here.
This food tastes so good, my guests will wipe out my entire dinner faster than I make it.
CAN YOU FREEZE THIS RECIPE?
Yes, this Peanut Chicken Satay recipe can be prepped ahead and frozen either in a gallon sized freezer safe bag or in these adorable little 64 oz containers with lids on
WHAT DO YOU SERVE WITH PEANUT CHICKEN SATAY?
My favorite way to serve this is in lettuce cups with chopped fresh cilantro and peanuts on top, but this is also great served over rice, in burritos, or on a salad.
Easy Peanut Chicken Satay
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs trimmed
- 14 oz can coconut milk
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp ginger grated
- 2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tsp curry powder yellow
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a medium bowl combine coconut milk, peanut butter, lime juice, ginger, tamari, honey, sesame oil, garlic, curry powder, cumin, garam masala and red pepper flakes. Whisk all together until smooth. Add chicken.
MAKE IT NOW
- Add chicken and sauce to either the instant pot or crockpot and cook as directed below.
MAKE IT A FREEZER MEAL
- Transfer chicken and sauce to a labeled container or freezer bag and freeze.
COOK IN INSTANT POT
- From frozen, transfer chicken and sauce into an instant pot. Add in 1/4 cup water or chicken broth. Cook for 15 minutes at high pressure then allow 10 minutes for natural release.
- From thawed or freshly made, transfer chicken and sauce into an instant pot. Cook for 12 minutes at high pressure, then allow 10 minutes for natural release.
COOK IN CROCK POT
- From thawed or freshly made, transfer chicken and sauce into slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours or low 6 hours.
SERVE WITH
- My favorite way to serve this is in lettuce cups with chopped fresh cilantro and peanuts on top, but this is also great served over rice, in burritos, or on a salad.
Nutrition
MORE WEEKNIGHT FREEZER MEALS
- Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Sesame Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Instant Pot Thai Yam Soup
- Instant Pot Shredded Beef Fajitas Freezer Meal
- Chicken Taquitos with Cilantro & Pepper-Jack Cheese
- Chicken Burrito Bowls
- Teriyaki Beef and Broccoli Freezer Meal
I can’t wait for you to make this Peanut Chicken Satay! How will you serve it – over rice or in a lettuce cups or some other way?
Is the a recommended substitute for peanut butter. Was thinking almond or tahini
I added some fish sauce and skewered the chicken after it was thawed. Grilled the chicken skewers and boiled the sauce to serve on the side and on some rice noodles. My family ate every single bite and requested this be on our menu rotation.
How do I adjust the cooking time if using chicken breasts? Thanks!
You would reduce the cooking time for sure or you’ll end up with dry chicken.
If I am doing this for a freezer meal then is the chicken raw or cooked?
Raw chicken to freeze – then cook it fresh on the day of!
Made from fresh in instant pot. Sauce watery, chicken very tender; however, chicken not flavorful ( was in sauce for 6 hrs). Disappointed.
This was my first instant pot use. I marinated the chicken overnight in the sauce and added a bruised lemongrass stalk and kaffir lime leaves. I too got the burn notice as soon as the pot reached pressure and opened it a few times to stir. I could see the base was just too hot so I decided to turn to low and increase cooking time to 20 mins. Also allowed 10 mins for it to naturally depressurise. The sauce was thick and full of flavour and then chicken literally fell apart. Everyone loved it. 👍
Yeah I tried this from fresh and frozen. Both got a burn notice. Adding the peanut butter before the chicken is cooked just isn’t working. I’m going to try and freeze the sauce and the chicken but omit the peanut butter until after it is cooked.
I made the recipe and used Thai Red Curry spice because I didn’t have the Yellow. THIS WAS AMAZING! My husband and I both loved it! Lots of sauce for the rice. LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! Thank you!!
I added 1/2 cup of chicken broth based on other comments. The chicken was tender, but it rendered the sauce too watery. It might be nice to make extra thick sauce and reserve some for drizzling or dipping.
Also, we could’ve used 3-4 lbs of chicken to allow for leftovers.
I served over steamed jasmine rice, julienned some carrots, diced onions, and chopped cilantro. No peanuts on hand, so I sprinkled sliced almonds on the top.
I also made a quick salad of peeled and thinly sliced cucumber soaked in rice vinegar topped with scallions and Sesame seeds. A fresh cool, crunch that was a nice contrast to the hot, savory chicken and rice.
I made this tonight from fresh. I got the burn warning, so I stirred it up and finished cooking it on sauté. It was so delicious! I added some frozen stir-fry veggies that I cooked in the microwave. I then mixed all of it with linguine pasta. It was like a delicious Thai peanut noodle dish. I will definitely make again! Thank you!
May I give you a tip please, first dissolve the Oxi powder (LA’s Totally Awesome Oxygen) in some water, it dissolves faster. If you add it later to the Laundry detergent it becomes like solid rock crystals (like coarse sea salt) and then takes longer to dissolve.
Thanks for hearing me out.
I was very excited to try this but got the burn warning. Any ideas on how to avoid this? I raised the chicken off of the bottom of the instant pot and that didn’t help.
ME TOO!!
Did you make yours from fresh, not frozen?
I realised afterwards that the ‘from frozen’ directions includes 1/4 cup of water, the fresh does not – I think @HappyMoneySaver left it out.
Finishing mine on the stove as its mostly cooked anyway.
Not happy.
Really good flavor! I added a bit more soy sauce and mixed some starch in at the end to thicken the sauce. It was a hit! It will definitely be added to our meal rotation.
Tried this for the first time last night, absolutely loved the flavour! Been looking for an easy satay recipe for a while and this is definitely a winner.
I did have some issues with the burn notice on the instant pot and had to stop and start a couple of times but I think raising three chicken off the bottom should fix that next time.
Thanks for sharing!
I don’t have chicken thighs on hand, but plenty of chicken breast — could I make it that way? Thanks!
Yes you could!
How would you adjust IP cook time for fresh chicken breasts?
There are only 2 of us in the house – could I split this down and freeze 2 serving size packs?
Hi, yes you can absolutely do that!
Hi..
I do not have a crock pot or instant pot. How can I go on about cooking this meal if I were to put it in the freezer first ? Should I just thaw it out and then cook it in a frying pan ?
Thanks in advance for your reply.
Niki
Hi there, I am just wondering what’s the best way to make this meal when I don’t have any instant or crock pot. Thanks a lot 🙂
You could try to cook it on the stove top slowly for a few hours, stirring often!
The only thing I didnt like about this recipe is that there weren’t any leftovers ? I dont have an instapot so I used a good old fashion pressure cooker.
Can you just put the the frozen contents into the crockpot and cook for 7 hours so it’s ready after work
I think that should work Tanya! Give it a try and let me know. I’ve so far only used the instant pot, but I’m sure a slow cooker could work too.
I don’t typically like curry, but anticipated that the peanut butter would balance it out… OMG this was sooooo good! Even my picky 3 year old couldn’t get enough. Will for sure make again!
Wonderful!!! So glad you liked it!!! It’s one of my family favs too!