This Thai Chicken Satay recipe made in an Air Fryer is off-the-charts DELICIOUS! Thanks to a no chopping satay marinade, the chicken is super flavorful and bubbly delicious out of the fryer. The smell is UBER DELICIOUS and you’ll be astonished how EASY it is!

With only 10 ingredients, this is a great Asian style chicken marinade for summer BBQ or meal prep. Stovetop instructions are also included!

Air Fryer Thai Chicken Satay Recipe
That sweet juicy chicken….:)

Thai Chicken Satay is one of my favorite dishes whenever we eat out. The chicken tastes earthy and little sweet, and with a light charcoal smoky flavor. Today’s recipe is a simplified version, made in an air fryer. It is my answer to those days when you want a Thai Satay Chicken, but –

  • Don’t have time to hunt down specialty ingredients,
  • No time to soak and thread the skewers, and
  • You just want something easy and it still tastes A-MAZING! This is for you. 🙂

The smell is SUPER GOOD when the chicken fries up in an air fryer or hits the stove, you’ll know they are going to taste amazing.

What Does Chicken Satay Taste Like?

This Thai-inspired Chicken Satay recipe with the marinade tastes earthy, savory, and with a kiss of sweetness. It’s far more complex than teriyaki chicken and is a popular street food in southeast Asia. I use boneless and skinless chicken thighs so that every bite is tender and flavorful.

This dish is usually served with a satay dipping sauce or a peanut sauce mixed with soy sauce. I’ve made this dish several times without dipping sauce and it’s tasty enough to eat on their own. If, however, you like to kick the flavor over the top, try my no peanut Thai “Peanut” Sauce to make it extra tasty!

Thai Chicken Satay Marinade

This dish tastes uber yummy that you might be surprised how few ingredients go in the dish! Here’s what you need –

  • Turmeric powder
  • Coriander powder
  • White pepper
  • Cumin powder
  • Dairy-free creamer, or melted coconut cream
  • Fish sauce
  • Coconut aminos
  • Ginger
  • Hot sauce
Photo shows chicken thighs after air fried
Air fried to golden delicious! p.s. Stovetop instructions included! BBQ perfect, too!

How To Make Thai Chicken Satay

  1. Marinate the chicken with turmeric, coriander, cumin, white pepper, dairy-free creamer, fish sauce, coconut aminos, grated ginger, and hot sauce for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Lightly drip off the marinade and from here you can air fry, pan fry, or barbeque!

See easy? This Thai-inspired Chicken Satay recipe makes a great everyday as well as party food. Kids will love it!

Meal Prep Version

This dish is perfect for meal prep – just dump and store!

  1. Add all the ingredients to a large freezer friendly ziplock bag.
  2. Gently mix well with the seasonings.
  3. Squeeze out the air and store the bag flat until it’s solid frozen.
  4. Defrost a night before in the fridge with a tray underneath.
A close shot of the food on a big white plate

What To Serve With Chicken Satay

Serve it with Thai Chicken Fried Rice (made with shirataki rice), Keto Fried Rice (with garlic chips!), or Broccoli Fried rice!

If you want to go all out with a homemade Thai banquet, serve this Thai Chicken Satay on the side with Thai basil chicken, Air fryer chicken wings, Green curry chicken, Crispy Thai chicken salad, Whole30 Pad Thai, Thai Chicken Curry Noodles – Khao Soi, Keto Pad Woon Sen, or Keto Pad See Ew!

More Paleo Thai Recipes

For A Fresh Side Salad

Try my Mandarin Orange Salad, Smoked Salmon Salad, Japanese Potato Salad, Broccoli Pesto Salad, Grilled Peach Salad, Thai beef salad, or Watermelon Fruit Salad.

More Paleo Salad Recipes

This Air Fryer Thai Chicken Satay is a new favorite in my household. Trust me, this dish smells so good the moment the chicken gets fried up, you’ll know immediately tonight’s dinner is gonna be GREAT! With only 10 ingredients and no chopping, this dish comes together in a snap. Pair it with fried rice and a big bowl of salad, you’ll love every single bite!

Plated photo shows air fryer satay chicken with cauli rice and bok choy
Sweet and juicy chicken thighs. Kids will love!
A close shot of the food on a big white plate
5 from 32 votes

Thai Chicken Satay Recipe (Paleo, Keto, Whole30)

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Author: ChihYu Smith
Thai Chicken Satay air fryer recipe is SO GOOD and Paleo, Keto, Whole30. The chicken is drenched in satay marinade, you’ll be astonished how delicious it is!
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Ingredients 

Thai chicken satay marinade:

Instructions 

  • In a large mixing bowl, marinate the chicken thighs with ingredients from turmeric to hot sauce. Gently mix well and cover the bowl. Store in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day before cooking.
  • To air fry, lightly spray the fryer basket with avocado oil. Slightly drip off the marinade and place the chicken thighs into the basket in one layer with some space between each piece. Please do not over crowd the basket. I cook mine in two batches.
  • Air fry at 370F (188C) for 15 minutes on the first side and 8-10 minutes the second side or until the chicken is cooked through. Please note that cook time varies, depending on the type of air fryer.
  • To pan fry (stovetop), add 1 tbsp avocado oil to a well-heated skillet. Pan fry 6 minutes the first side and 5-6 minutes the second side over medium heat or until the chicken is cooked through.
  • Serve hot or at room temperature. The chicken is very tender and flavorful and you don’t need a dipping sauce however if you like to kick the flavor over the top, try my Paleo Thai “Peanut” sauce. Serve it over a big bowl of salad greens or Keto garlic fried rice!

Notes

Meal Prep Version
This dish is perfect for meal prep – just dump and store!
  1. Add all the ingredients to a large freezer friendly ziplock bag.
  2. Gently mix well with the seasonings.
  3. Squeeze out the air and store the bag flat until it’s solid frozen.
  4. Defrost a night before in the fridge with a tray underneath.
I have two air fryers. The pictured above is from Gourmia – a 5 quart air fryer – which is an older model that’s no longer available on the market. The second one I have is from (affiliate link) Cosori  – a 6 quart air fryer – which has great reviews on Amazon.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 225kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 33g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 162mg, Sodium: 577mg, Potassium: 439mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 41IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 15mg, Iron: 2mg
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: Thai
Keyword: Air Fryer Chicken Satay, Chicken Satay, Chicken Satay Recipe, Thai Chicken Satay, Thai Chicken Satay Recipe
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Tag @iheartumami.ny on Instagram and hashtag it #iheartumami.
A presentation shot shows two plated meal for dinner
Easy healthy meals for you and the family!

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