While I was scrolling through Pinterest last week I saw a photo of Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce and my mouth started to water. I knew that’s what I had to cook next. But when I got to the grocery store I spotted a sale on chicken drumsticks for a shocking $0.59/lb. You bet I snatched those up. Instead of dipping the cooked chicken in peanut sauce, why not just cook the chicken in the sauce and make it into Thai Peanut Chicken? Taking advantage of sales is all about being flexible!
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This also brings up a great point that one of my savvy readers, Craig, reminded me of this week. Whenever grocery stores have excess inventory, they’ll drastically drop the price in order to sell it off before having to spoil it out at 100% loss. It’s tricky to spot these sales, but if you make sure to keep your eyes open, it’s worth the extra browsing. Often times these items are a bit closer to their expiration date, but if it’s something you can freeze or use right away, it’s totally worth it.
Anyway, back to the Thai Peanut Chicken…
I used a slightly modified version of this Thai Peanut Sauce recipe that I made years ago as the marinade. I skipped the coconut milk because it was too expensive this time (I need to stock up to Trader Joe’s!) and I wanted the mixture to be a bit thicker so it would stick to the chicken. Also, because I’m modifying my sugar intake at the moment, I used honey instead of brown sugar and subbed chili garlic sauce instead of Sriracha. Feel free to sub brown sugar and Sriracha if desired.
You can use this same recipe for other types of chicken pieces as well. Chicken thighs? YES, that would be so good. Chicken breasts will be a bit dryer, but will work. The total cooking time will depend on the size of your chicken pieces, how packed they are in your baking dish, and whether they are bone in or boneless. I suggest starting with 30 minutes for boneless and 45 minutes for bone in chicken. Use a quick read meat thermometer to test the internal temperature of the thickest piece of meat and add more time if needed (it should reach 160℉). That’s really the only good way to tell if it’s done. I have a basic model (like this), which is very inexpensive and can be found at most stores that carry kitchen gadgets. I consider it a kitchen “must have” item.
Oops, back to the Thai Peanut Chicken! (again)
Thai Peanut Chicken
Servings 4 (2 pieces each)Ingredients
- 1 clove garlic ($0.08)
- 1 inch fresh ginger ($0.24)
- 1/2 fresh lime (1.5-2 Tbsp juice) ($0.25)
- 1/2 Tbsp chili garlic sauce (or Sriracha) ($0.17)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.15)
- 1 Tbsp honey (or brown sugar) ($0.12)
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil ($0.57)
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil ($0.04)
- 1/2 cup natural peanut butter ($1.11)
- 3 Tbsp hot water ($0.00)
- 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro ($0.50)
- 3 lbs chicken pieces ($1.86*)
Instructions
- Mince the garlic. Peel the ginger with a vegetable peeler or by scraping the skin with the sharp side of a spoon. Use a small holed cheese grater to grate the ginger. Add the garlic, ginger, the juice from half the lime (1.5-2 Tbsp), chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and vegetable oil to a medium bowl. Whisk together. Add the peanut butter and hot water, then whisk again until fairly smooth. Roughly chop the cilantro. Save a handful of the cilantro to top the dish after baking, and stir the rest into the peanut sauce.
- Set aside 1/2 cup of the peanut sauce for later. Add the remaining peanut sauce to a gallon sized zip top bag along with the chicken pieces. Remove as much air from the bag as possible, close it up tightly, and massage the bag to mix the marinade with the chicken. Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight.
- When you’re ready to cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the chicken pieces and all the marinade from the bag in a casserole dish so that the pieces are in a single layer. Bake the chicken in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, then use a brush to add the reserved peanut sauce to the top of the chicken. Cook for an additional 15 minutes, then use a meat thermometer to test the internal temperature. If it’s not up to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, bake 10-15 minutes more and then test again. Repeat until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Top the baked chicken with the reserved cilantro and serve.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Want to cook these on the grill? Sure, why not! Take advantage of that beautiful summer weather. :)
How to Make Peanut Chicken – Step by Step Photos
Start making the peanut sauce by mincing one clove of garlic and grating about one inch of fresh ginger. You can peel the ginger with a vegetable peeler or the side of a spoon before grating it on a small holed cheese grater. Add the garlic and ginger to a bowl with the juice of half a lime (1.5-2 Tbsp), 1/2 Tbsp of chili garlic sauce or Sriracha, 1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp honey (or brown sugar), 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, and 2 Tbsp regular vegetable oil.
Then add 1/2 cup natural peanut butter and a few tablespoons of hot water to help thin it out a bit and loosen up the peanut butter. Stir until it’s fairly smooth (it will have some chunks from the garlic and ginger).
Remove the leaves from about a 1/2 bunch of cilantro, then roughly chop the leaves.
Stir most of the chopped cilantro into the peanut sauce, but save some to sprinkle over top of the finished dish.
I was lucky enough to find this pack of drumsticks for $0.59/lb., but you could use other types of chicken, if desired. Just keep in mind that cooking time will vary with the size of your chicken pieces and whether or not they are bone in or boneless. I used about 3 lbs. of chicken.
Save about 1/2 cup of the peanut sauce to brush onto the chicken later and add the rest to a large zip top bag. Add the chicken pieces, remove as much air as possible, then massage the bag to coat mix the chicken with the sauce. Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to over night. I like to put a baking sheet under the bag in the refrigerator just to be extra careful. You don’t want any of that raw chicken juice dripping in your fridge.
When you’re ready to cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the chicken and all the sauce from the bag into a casserole dish big enough for the chicken to lay in a single layer. Bake for 30 minutes…
At 30 minutes, brush the remaining peanut sauce over the top of the chicken. Bake for an additional 15 minutes, then use a meat thermometer to test the internal temperature of one of the largest pieces. The internal temp should be 160 degrees Fahrenheit. If it’s not, bake for another 10-15 minutes then test again. Mine were pretty packed in there and might have been close to frozen in the center, so they needed another 10 minutes.
When they’re cooked through, top with the remaining chopped cilantro and serve.
I served my Thai Peanut Chicken over jasmine rice, but if you want to get fancy, you could serve it with some Savory Coconut Rice.
Right after I took that photo I was all like…
via GIPHY
Mmmmm Thai Peanut Chicken!
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This is so good! I skip the brown sugar/honey, and add extra ginger and sriracha. We’re putting this on the grill for dinner tonight.
A side note: Honey does not save you any sugar. It is simply sugar processed by the bee. As a Type 1 (auto-immune) diabetic, I use honey as a quick rescue when my blood sugar drops dangerously low.
This is the best ever…I didn’t have time to marinate it but used it as a coating and baked it, so good!!!
The flavors were good but it wasn’t very saucy, what could I add going forward to make them saucier?
Yes, this one was not meant to be saucy. I’d need to try out some different things to figure out how to create a saucy version. Some coconut milk might work.
Yum yum yum! I ended up preparing these on the grill and they were delicious. Note for others interested in preparing on the grill: make sure to shake off as much marinade as possible or it will char.
Thank you for a delicious and flavourful chicken recipe. Used drumsticks that are marinated for several hours. And while baking…the whole house smelled wonderful.
I made this tonight with two big changes (based on whatbI had on hand and my growing aversion to using my oven lol).
I used breasts, sliced up thin. Then I noticed my costco-sized pb was close to empty, so I actually just mixed up the sauce in the jar and then threw my chicken in and shook it all up and stuck it in the fridge.
I cooked on the stove top in a pan and it turned out great. The only flaw was that the sauce separated a bit, but that was totally on me. I managed to scoop enough out, whisked it up, and then poured it back on the chicken to cook. Still really delicious and would totally make again, either with the original oven method, or with a few little adjustments to the stovetop method.
Simply. The. Best. Make sure you spoon up that pan sauce when it’s done and use it with your rice/chicken/side. Even my sister, a doctor with (overly)high standards loves this one! Pull it out when company’s coming :)
This was SO good! The chicken was moist and flavorful. Great Thai flavors! Thanks for another fantastic recipe, Beth!
Another great weeknight recipe that can be marinated beforehand. The flavour of the chicken is so good! I also did as suggested – I made the savory coconut rice to go with it and the combination was heavenly! I scraped off the extra sauce bits from the pan and ate it with rice.
We loved this recipe, although we made some slight alterations, we doubled the amount of sauce ingredients minus the peanut butter and added a teaspoon of fish sauce, a tablespoon of oyster sauce, two finely chopped thai chilies and substituted honey for palm sugar.
Additionally, the drumsticks you can buy in Germany are much smaller than those in the US, so our chicken only required 40 minutes of baking so we added the rest of the sauce after 25 minutes.
It was great served over coconut rice. Thanks for the recipe!
First of all this site is a lifesaver! Thank you Beth! It brought back my love for cooking. This recipe is soooo yummy, and I just made it tonight of my hubby and I. Theres only very minimal changes I made to the recipe, like one person said that the flavor is not absorbed, I adjusted to that by slicing the chicken legs a few cuts before marination. It will also ensure that the chicken is cooked in the oven. I decided to mince the ginger along with the garlic since we both enjoy the taste of ginger. I only marinaded for 60 min and putting on the other half of the peanut sauce after 30 min of baking is genius! it adds so much flavor to the dish. As for peanut butter i just used the regular creamy peanut butter.
The sauce was really good, but I didn’t care for the final product. My husband and two kids agreed this would have been better with small pieces of chicken cut up (thighs or breasts) as opposed to drumsticks and the served over rice. The flavor did not soak into the chicken even though I marinated in the fridge for 6+ hours. The drumsticks were really sticky and messy to eat, and not like hot-wings messy. I’m not sure why my drumsticks were so wet at the end. Everything was cooked through, but they definitely didn’t turn out like the picture above.
Please inform me where I can purchase a 3-pound chicken for a dollar 86
There is a note in the recipe that the drumsticks were purchased on sale for $0.59/lb. This was at my local grocery store and it’s not a price that is always available.
I’m very excited about this flavor and just tried to cook the recipe. Unfortunately I think I should have added more water to the peanut sauce. Mine was too thick to really cook well and crisp up on the chicken. Word to the wise, a “few” probably means more than two tablespoons of hot water.
The sauce doesn’t crisp up on this one. It stays soft. :)
My sauce seems a lot thinker than yours and it burned up in the oven. :( 20 mins into cooking I opened the oven and the tops of all the chickens were burnt… any advice?
Hmm, maybe your oven is running hot? Or is the oven rack up on a higher level than the center of the oven? Covering the dish with foil is a good way to prevent browning, but it will also hold in moisture. I’m not sure if you meant your sauce was thicker or thinner than mine (there was a typo), but you can adjust the thickness by how much hot water you stir into the mix.
Hi can I use bone in and skin on chicken thighs for this recipe
Yes you can. Baking time may differ slightly depending on their size, though. Drumsticks tend to be a bit smaller, so the thighs might take more time.
Eek! I just got back from the store and started cooking/prepping this recipe and realized I bought Italian parsley instead of cilantro. Don’t ask me how I mixed them up, but I did. Do you think it’d taste okay if I used it as a substitute or should I grab my car keys? Help please!
I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you on time. I hope it worked out okay for you!
I seasoned the boneless, skinless chicken thighs before adding them to the marinade. When I added the rest of the peanut sauce, I seasoned the chicken one more time, because I wanted flavor. this is the third recipe iv’e made from your site and theyve all been winners! thanks beth!
i made this tonight and it was fantastic. my fiance and i both felt like mr. bean! i marinated the chicken overnight and used maybe two pounds chicken parts because i knew i’d want lots of sauce to sop up with the steamed broccoli i served along with it. i would season the chicken next time with a little salt and pepper before adding the marinade. this is the third recipe iv’e made from your site and theyve all been winners! thanks beth!
I made this but used my charcoal grill over indirect heat and it turned out really well. Wish I could share the photo. I will be using this marinade/baste again.
Looks so yummy!!! I like it
This was my very first Budget Bytes recipe I tried after my SO told me to try out your website. I have NEVER cooked anything like this before!
I was a little dubious at first since my sauce looked VERY dark compared to yours, but it smelled amazing.
I loved the taste and I paired it with coconut rice (a first for me and OMG I am never going back to plain old rice)
While I loved the sauce, I was a little disappointed that the flavour was only on the outside of the chicken. I will try this one again for sure, maybe use a different cut of meat.
I seasoned the boneless, skinless chicken thighs before adding them to the marinade. When I added the rest of the peanut sauce, I seasoned the chicken one more time, because I wanted flavor. If you try this recipe again, you could definitely season the chicken. :-)
Recipe looks amazing. That GIF just made my day :)
Have you ever tried grilling the chicken? It sounds delicious but it is TOO hot to turn on the oven here in AZ! Any advice?
I haven’t tried it, but I really think it would be good!
Oh, my gosh!! My sister and I LOVE the Thai Peanut Chicken, and this recipe is definitely a keeper! I used boneless skinless chicken thighs, and allowed the chicken to marinate overnight. I sauteed the chicken in some vegetable oil to create a crust, then finished baking them in the oven for thirty minutes. I served them with rice. Next time, I want to try making the Thai chicken with coconut rice. Thanks for this awesome recipe, Beth!! :-)
The peanut sauce for this is awesome! I could have eaten it by itself (and almost did). This is a great recipe…. may try it with chicken breasts next time, or as a dipping sauce for fried chicken strips…
Beth, I am going to make this for dinner one night this week. You say over night marination is fine, right? So in theory, if I make it tonight, it would be fine to marinate up until I get ready to cook it tomorrow night? Thoughts?
Yes, I think that should work fine. Just make sure to reserve some of that peanut sauce to brush on the chicken later, so you get that nice thick coating.
I think this is one of my faves now. I get cravings for peanut butter and this was WAY better than just having a PB&J! Made it with boneless/skinless breasts, made a bit of extra sauce so they wouldn’t dry out while cooking. Served on top of simple coconut rice (rice in my cooker with coconut oil) and salad. Can’t wait to make it again!
I made this last night with skinless, boneless thighs and PB2 peanut butter to cut down on the fat. It was absolutely delicious! I have loved every recipe I have ever made from your site. Thank you for all of your great ideas!
Hi there. Vegetarian – Wondering how you think substituting tofu for the chicken would work out. Thanks!
It seems like it would work, but honestly I’m not very experienced with cooking with tofu.
As usual this was delicious and received thumbs up from the entire family!
YUM! I would like to try this with cashew butter and sprinkle some whole cashews on top just before serving.
Made this last night with 6 big thigh cutlets (bone in, skin on). My peanut sauce was a little darker and thicker (used super crunchy natural peanut butter) compared to how yours look in the photo but was easy to spread over the thighs. I used a glass mixing bowl to marinate the thighs and covered tightly with cling wrap for an hour in the fridge. Baked in an 8×8 baking dish (ceramic) for 30 minutes which then I spread the remaining sauce over, baked another 15 minutes, checked on the bones which were still pink (these were pretty large thigh cutlets) and baked a further 15 minutes which then I checked with a thermometer and they were good! Served this with quinoa and steamed broccoli, it was watery with sauce and chicken fat which I poured over the quinoa, it was so delicious! Cannot wait to eat the leftovers and make again, thank you!
How spicy is this meal? My child has yet grasped the wonders of spicy
sorry I realized you answered my note! sorry
Going to make this tonight for dinner along with a green bean recipe I found on this site. Question. I too found some chicken on sale and am going to freeze the rest. Is it possible to whip up extra peanut sauce, douse the excess chicken in it and freeze it? That way it’s ready to be tossed in the oven as soon as it defrosts.
I think that might work with this one. Some marinades might break down a bit, but this one doesn’t have any dairy or anything that might separate. I haven’t tried it, but it seems like it would work!
I just made this tonight, had to sub standard pb for the natural – just thinned it a little more, and it turned out great. This chicken was fantastic, and I’m especially pleased that I could make it without the coconut milk – I don’t keep that on hand, but I love thai peanut. Thanks for the timely idea for 3 pounds of chicken drumsticks that I had no other plan for!
Just had this about 10 minutes ago… and it was absolutely scrumptious. I’ve used a LOT of recipes from your amazing blog, and this one fits in with my favorites. Woot Woot.
On a scale from 1 to 10 how spicy was this? I have a small child who has yet to grasp the wonders of spicy food
It really wasn’t that spicy. The peanut butter really helps dull it down and the sauce only sits on the surface (tasting the peanut sauce on its own was spicy, but the chicken wasn’t so much after baking). Ratings are always going to be subjective, but I’d give it a 3 or 4. :)
I made this last night using PB2 instead of peanut butter, and it was delicious, as well as cutting over 150 calories per serving.
Making this for dinner tonight with some coconut rice (rice in the cooker with coconut oil) and Tom Yum soup
Would it hurt anything to take the skin off the drumsticks first? If it’s not going to get crispy…
I think that would be fine. The peanut sauce should keep it nice and moist! :)
I’ve noticed that at my local grocery store more expensive cuts of meat are apt to go on super sale fairly regularly. Last week I got organic grass-fed ground beef at $6.50/lb and organic drumsticks for $2.50/lb. I’m not normally able to partake in such nice meat and while still slightly more expensive than conventional they were in my budget.
Nice!!
Marry me Beth?
Your recipe looks amazing! I love your blog!
Are you interested in becoming a recipe partner with Chicory?
I bet you could freeze thez
I never think about drumsticks and forget how delicious they can be. This looks awesome!
Was the skin still decently crisp? I find gooey or flabby skin unappealing.
No, the skin does not get crispy on this (or at least mine didn’t).
I made this for dinner last night, and it was delicious! I used crunchy peanut butter, which added some great texture :-)
This looks so amazing dish. What made me adore about this post is the way it is presented, so well written with pics & step by step procedure which makes it more interesting.
Let me try this out.
We would be more happy to have you on Affimity Food channel to share some of your recipes & blogs.
Thank You
Growth Hacker_ @ Affimity, Social networks reimagined
I adore Thai flavors. This looks like the tastiest meal! :)
Yum can’t wait to make this one, my kids will love it. Wish chicken was that cheap here (Australia). Glad you show wonderful photos, it helps a lot with cooking and also working out ingredients as I didn’t know what cilantro was as we call it coriander :)
Looks yummy as usual and the GIF cracked me up lol!
Hi Beth!
This looks great. How many pounds of chicken would you suggest if you were using boneless/skinless chicken thighs or breasts?
Thanks!
Probably 2 to 2.5 lbs. :)
I remember making Thai Chicken drumsticks in a slow cooker, but unfortunately, my sister and I didn’t care too much for that recipe. Is it possible that I can use chicken thighs instead of drumsticks? Thanks, Beth!! :-)
Yes, thighs would be great with this recipe :)
That last picture – is that Rowan Atchinson, a.k.a. Mr. Bean/Black Adder?
I think so, but I just picked it because it was a funny chicken eating gif. :)
I’m allergic to soy, do you have any ideas on what would be a good substitute?
I haven’t used it, but according to this reader Q&A, coconut aminos are a popular soy free substitute for soy sauce. You should be able to get them at health food stores.
Thank you for this recipe! Actually had some excess drumsticks in the freezer and didn’t know what to do with them. Will be trying this out next week =9
I was *just* looking for an easy Thai recipe and lo and behold you were on the same wavelength. The Mr. Bean GIF makes it even more perfect!
oh also, do you think this would work with cashew or almond butter?
I bet it would be really good with cashew butter… kind of like a lot of Indian dishes that use puréed cashews. I’m not sure about almond, though.
This looks delicious! And pretty simple to make too.
That sounds really good. Think that’d do well in a slow cooker too?
I don’t think it would work well in a slow cooker because the skin on the chicken would get all gooey/slimy from so much moisture. Maybe with skinless thighs or something, though?