Shortcut Teriyaki Chicken Skewers with Spicy Peanut Sauce
The typical Teriyaki marinade and Thai peanut sauce has at least 10 ingredients in each of them. Most are not found in the average pantry such as lemongrass, garlic chili paste, and fish sauce. The main shortcut for this recipe is dividing store-bought teriyaki marinade and marinating the chicken in half and stirring the rest into creamy peanut butter to make the peanut sauce.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 344kcal
Cost: 10
Equipment
- Grill, 10-inch skewers
Ingredients
- 12 chicken tenders (tenderloins) about 2 pounds
- 1 cup Teriyaki sauce or marinade, divided, plus more for brushing (I used Sweet Baby Ray’s)
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons coconut milk canned but not sweetened
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
- 12 wooden or metal skewers
- Chopped green onions, fresh cilantro leaves, chopped peanuts (optional)
Instructions
- Place the chicken tenderloins in a large plastic zip-top bag or in a shallow casserole. Add 2/3 cup of the teriyaki sauce to the chicken and squeeze the bag to coat the chicken. Seal the bag and refrigerate at least 8 hours up to 24 hours for maximum flavor.
- Thirty minutes before ready to grill the chicken, if using wooden skewers, soak them in water in a zip-top bag or casserole dish. This will help prevent the skewers from burning while grilling.
Spicy Peanut Sauce
- Whisk together 1/3 cup sauce, peanut butter, coconut milk and crushed red pepper flakes. For a thinner sauce, add more teriyaki sauce, 1 tablespoon at a time. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour to meld flavors.
- Prepare a gas or charcoal grill according to manufacturer’s directions to achieve medium-high heat (about 375F to 400F degrees).
- Remove the chicken from the zip-top bag and thread each one onto a skewer and place on a large plate; discard this marinade.
- Coat the grill grates with vegetable oil and immediately place the chicken skewers on the grill. Close the lid and cook for 6 minutes or until grill marks appear on the underside of the chicken. Turn chicken over with tongs and grill 5 minutes or until chicken registers 165F degrees with an instant read thermometer. If desired, brush with additional teriyaki sauce just before removing from the grill.
- Place the chicken skewers on a clean plate and serve with Spicy Peanut Sauce or over rice. Garnish with green onions, fresh cilantro, and chopped peanuts, if desired.
Notes
The second shortcut is using chicken tenderloins. No slicing or trimming involved!
To serve the peanut sauce warm, microwave at HIGH for 30 seconds, stirring until smooth. Microwave 20 seconds or until warm.
Marinate the chicken in a large sealable plastic bag or airtight container. If using a plastic bag, be sure to double check the seal!
How long do you grill chicken tenders on the grill? Grill the tenderloins on a charcoal or gas grill about 11 minutes, turning once, or until an instant read thermometer registers 160 degrees. If your tenderloins are rather large, cut them in half lengthwise or add 2 additional minutes grilling time.
Nutrition
Serving: 2tenders + 1 tablespoon peanut sauce | Calories: 344kcal