Name: Easy Weeknight Chicken Satay Rice Bowl with Peanut Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 745 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup coconut milk (full fat); 1 tbsp coriander; 1 tbsp cumin; 2 tbsp garlic (grated); 2 tbsp ginger (grated); 1 tbsp kosher salt; 3 tbsp avocado oil; 2 lbs chicken thighs (boneless, skinless); 1/4 cup peanut butter (smooth); 1/4 cup orange juice (fresh squeezed); 1/4 cup Mirin (or dry sherry or sweet marsala); 1 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar; 2 tbsp honey; 1 tbsp sesame oil; 1 tbsp chili oil (more or less to suit your taste); 2 garlic cloves (minced); 2 tbsp ginger (minced); 1/4 cup green onion (finely chopped); 1/4 cup cilantro (finely chopped); chopped peanuts and fresh herbs (cilantro, mint) for garnish; steamed jasmine rice, basmati rice, or rice noodles for serving

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This chicken satay rice bowl is a great way to liven up your weeknight cooking routine! It’s packed with bold and exciting flavors that the whole family will love, and it’s so much easier than you think.

A close up view of a plate of chicken satay with rice and peanut sauce next to a hot pink napkin.

This isn’t your run-of-the-mill chicken recipe. Nope.

You can file this one under ‘fun recipes‘.

The flavors are bright and loud and whether you make it to wake up your family’s tastebuds on a mundane weeknight or because you’re inviting guests to enjoy a communal feast at the coolest kitchen party ever, you can’t go wrong!

This dish just has an easy way of bringing a little sunshine into your kitchen, even in the dark days of January. And who doesn’t want that?!

Plain and simple, this is easy, delicious food, and I’m going to walk you through it.

Let’s get into it!

Why I love this recipe:

HUGE BRIGHT FLAVORS – The flavor in this dish is off the charts! The chicken alone has so much flavor, but pair it with the peanut sauce, and WOW – the perfect combination! An easy dinner that delivers every single time.
ABSOLUTE CROWD PLEASER – I have yet to meet someone who didn’t love this dish. This is a tried and true recipe and every single time I make it, it’s met with rave reviews and I get asked for the recipe. That’s when you know you have a winner!
MAKES FOR GREAT LEFTOVERS – If you’re lucky enough to have any, these leftovers are the gift that keeps giving. The flavors continue to develop and just get better!
A GREAT RECIPE TO MEAL PREP – You can marinate this chicken, freeze it (for up to 6 months), and have it ready to go anytime you’re in the mood for satay!

Recipe Ingredients

You’ll need the following ingredients to make these incredible chicken satay rice bowls:

An overhead view of the chicken satay ingredients.

An overhead view of the ingredients required to make peanut sauce on a sheet pan on top of a cutting board.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

The ingredients to make this sheet pan chicken satay are easy to find and available at any grocery store.

Here are a few ingredient notes:

Chicken thighs: Use boneless skinless chicken thighs for weeknight ease and for the best texture and moisture. You can substitute with boneless skinless chicken breast if you prefer.
Fresh garlic: Only use freshly grated garlic in this recipe for the absolute best flavor.
Fresh ginger: This recipe calls for grated fresh ginger. You can use ginger paste, in a pinch, as a substitute, but definitely no dried ginger.
Spices: Use ground cumin, coriander, and tumeric for the chicken marinade. If you don’t have tumeric, substitute with curry powder.
Peanut butter: Smooth peanut butter with no added sugar or oil is best in this peanut sauce, but you can substitute it with almond or cashew butter if you like. Additionally, if you have someone in your family with a peanut/tree nut allergy, you can substitute with Sunbutter like I do when my oldest daughter is home from college.
Orange: The juice of an orange is used in the peanut sauce for both flavor and as a liquid for thinning the sauce. If you don’t have an orange, you can simply substitute and thin the sauce with a little water and a little lime juice.
Chili oil: To balance the sweetness and saltiness in the peanut sauce, use a little chili oil for the best flavor (the amount that you use is up to you). Feel free to substitute with sriracha, sambal olek, or even chopped red chili if you don’t have chili oil.
Honey: Honey is the final flavor balancer for the peanut sauce. The sauce should not be sweet, but rather, balanced. Substitute with brown sugar if you don’t have honey.
Mirin: A key ingredient in the satay sauce, mirin, is a Japanese rice wine that is tangy but also slightly sweet. If you don’t have mirin, you can substitute with dry sherry or sweet marsala (I have used both to great effect!).

Three white plates with chicken satay and rice with cucumber radish salad on a black background.

Let’s Make It Together: STEP BY STEP

Be sure to check out the full recipe details and ingredient list in the recipe card below.

Begin by making the chicken marinade. Combine the coconut milk, ginger, garlic, and spices and whisk until well combined.

Marinade ingredients in a stainless steel bowl ready to be mixed together.

Chicken satay marinade ingredients fully mixed together in a stainless steel bowl.

Add the chicken and let it marinate in the refrigerator overnight or up to 12 hours, if possible. While the chicken is marinating or baking, make the sauce by first combining the peanut butter, orange juice, soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey, and chili oil in a mixing bowl and whisk well.

Chicken thighs added to the chicken satay marinade.

A glass bowl with half of the peanut sauce ingredients on top of a cutting board with a pile of cilantro and fresh ginger root.

Next, add the grated garlic and ginger, as well as the chopped green onion and cilantro. Continue to whisk until everything is dissolved and well combined. Taste and adjust any of the seasonings if you like.

The rest of the peanut sauce ingredients added to a glass bowl on top of a cutting board.

A hand holding a whisk and mixing the peanut sauce for the chicken satay.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and brush a sheet pan with half of the avocado oil. Remove the chicken thighs from the marinade and place them on the oiled sheet pan. Season both sides with kosher salt and black pepper, and drizzle with the remaining avocado oil.

An empty sheet pan brushed with avocado oil before added the chicken.

Marinaded chicken added to the oil-brushed sheet pan, ready to be baked.

Bake the chicken for 20 minutes, flipping it over halfway through. Then, turn the heat to broil and raise the oven rack to the upper 1/3 of the oven. Broil for five additional minutes and then remove from the oven to rest for at least five minutes. Serve with steamed rice or rice noodles and peanut sauce.

Cooked chicken satay on a sheet pan removed from the oven.

A close-up white plate with rice, chicken satay, and cucumber radish salad and peanut sauce.

Chef Natalie Marble in her home kitchen.

Natalie’s Expert Tips

Don’t skip the marinade! The flavor that the marinade provides in this recipe is everything. For the very best results, marinate the chicken overnight.
Use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts for the juiciest meat with the best texture.
Make the sauce ahead of time. To save time on the day of cooking, make the sauce ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator. Just remember to remove it ahead of time, as it is meant to be served at room temperature.
When you broil the chicken for the last five minutes of cooking, make sure you raise your oven rack to the top 1/3 of the oven for the best caramelization.

Serving Suggestions

Steamed white long-grain rice, coconut rice, or rice noodles make a great sidekick to the chicken satay.
A fresh and crunchy cucumber salad is the perfect accompaniment.
Quick-pickled vegetables, such as radishes, cucumbers, carrots, or red onion make a great counterpoint to the warm broiled chicken.
A simple side of steamed bok choy would be delicious – be sure to drizzle it with the peanut sauce, too!

Storage & Reheating

STORAGE:
Store the chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

REHEATING:
To reheat in the oven, place everything in an oven-proof pan or dish and cover with aluminum foil. Place in a 375-degree oven until warmed through. On the stovetop, place everything into a sauté pan with a splash of water or cream and heat over medium-low heat until warmed through. And finally, you can also reheat everything in the microwave in 30 second intervals until everything is warmed through.

FREEZING:
This dish freezes well in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.

A white plate with rice and chicken satay and cucumber salad on a black background with radishes and spring onions scattered about.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! Remove any excess marinade, and be sure to oil your grill grates before grilling. It will be delicious – this is how I prepare it in the warmer weather!

Yes! The peanut sauce can be prepared up to 3 days ahead of time. The chicken can marinate for up to 24 hours ahead of time before cooking. Alternatively, you can marinate the chicken and then freeze it until you are ready to use it. To defrost, place it in the refrigerator a day or two before you plan to use it.

Yes, you can. If you use chicken breast, I would cut each breast into three similar-sized pieces, such that you have smaller pieces that cook evenly and won’t dry out.

I hope you love this Satay Chicken Rice Bowl Recipe!
If you make it, be sure to leave a rating so I know how you liked it!

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Nice to meet you!

I’m Natalie and I love to create seasonal and interesting elevated food for busy everyday real life! Dinner doesn’t have to be boring and I’m here to help. This is where busy meets delicious!

Easy Weeknight Chicken Satay Rice Bowl with Peanut Sauce