This satay chicken stir fry is a recipe I used to make before having kids, but one I have kept on my list and make regularly as it’s such a family favourite!
Why This Recipe Works
- Quick, this recipe will be on the table in under 30 minutes
- Delicious, be warned it’s hard to stop eating this dish
- Mild and peanutty this chicken satay stir fry is kid-friendly but still delicious for adults
Ingredients you will need
To make my satay chicken stir fry you will need boneless chicken, vegetables (you can choose your favourites). Turmeric, cumin, and chilli flakes provide the spice, then coconut cream, peanut butter, and soy sauce create the delicious sauce. I garnish with lemon, coriander, and chopped nuts. You will also need a little oil to start the stir fry.
Substitutes
- Chicken: This recipe can also be made with lean beef or lamb, firm tofu also works well.
- Peanut butter: You can use almond or cashew butter instead of peanut, although this does change the flavour profile.
- Vegetables: I typically use onion, capsicum, carrot, broccoli, and frozen green beans when I make this recipe, but you can use any combination of veggies that stir fry well in this recipe.
- Coconut cream: This recipe works equally as well with coconut milk.
- Lemon: A little acidity added at the end of cooking really helps bring out the flavors in this chicken satay stir fry, lime works just as well.
- Coriander: This is not essential and can be skipped.
- Chopped nuts: These can be skipped or subbed for any nuts such as cashews, or almonds
- Cumin and Turmeric: These 2 spices are essential to provide the satay flavour.
- Chilli flakes: These can be left out entirely or substituted for any form of chilli.
- Brown sugar: This can be substituted for any sugar or sweetener, it can also be left out, although the sweetness it adds does balance the flavour in the satay stir fry.
I am an ambassador for Countdown supermarket, they support my blog by providing ingredients for recipe creation and testing. I used free tange chicken breast, turmeric, cumin and chiili flakes from their range in this recipe.
Step by step instructions
Below are illustrated step-by-step instructions to make my satay chicken stir fry, if you prefer just the written instructions then head straight to the printable recipe card below.
Step one: Prep the chicken by slicing into 1 cm strips, Prep the vegetables by slicing into similar sized pieces ready to stir -fry. At this point I would also start cooking the rice or noodles you plan to serve with your satay stir fry so that everything is ready to serve at the same time.
Step two: Heat oil in a large fry pan or wok. Add spices, fry for 30 secs-1min until lovely and fragrant. If you do not want heat in your satay chicken stir fry then you can leave out the chilli flakes.
Step three: Add sliced meat or alternative, cook until sealed/browned.
Step four: Add sliced vegetables, stir fry for a few minutes until just beginning to become tender.
Step five: Add peanut butter, coconut cream, soy sauce, and brown sugar to the pan. Cook for 5 mins, stirring to ensure the peanut butter melts into the sauce.
Step 6: Stir through the lemon juice.
Serve with rice or noodles and garnish with corriander and chopped nuts.
Top Tips
Here is how you can make this chicken satay stir fry recipe perfectly every time!
- Feel free to adjust the heat in this dish by adding or subtracting chilli flakes, alternatively leave them out entirely and just have the chilli flakes on the table so people can add it to taste.
- Slice the vegetables and chicken to similar sizes so that everything cooks at the same rate.
I’m a huge proponent of family-friendly meals, this satay chicken stir fry is certainly one of them, others that my readers (and my family love) include my: Healthy Mac and Cheese, Sausage Tray Bake, Paprika Chicken Drumsticks, Chicken Pasta Bake and Chicken Korma.
If you are a big fan of satay, then my satay tofu skewers are yummy too!
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp chilli flakes optional
- 400 g chicken breast
- 5 cups sliced vegetables
- 1 cup coconut cream 250 ml
- ¼ cup peanut butter 63 ml
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce 15 ml
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp chopped nuts optional garnish
- 2 Tbsp coriander leaves optional garnish
Instructions
- Prep the chicken by slicing into 1 cm strips, Prep the vegetables by slicing into similar sized pieces ready to stir -fry. At this point I would also start cooking the rice or noodles you plan to serve with your satay stir fry so that everything is ready to serve at the same time.
- Heat oil in a large fry pan or wok. Add spices, fry for 30 secs-1min until lovely and fragrant. If you do not want heat in your satay chicken stir fry then you can leave out the chilli flakes.
- Add sliced meat or alternative, cook until sealed/browned.
- Add sliced vegetables, stir fry for a few minutes until just beginning to become tender.
- Add peanut butter, coconut cream, soy sauce, and brown sugar to the pan. Cook for 5 mins, stirring to ensure the peanut butter melts into the sauce.
- Remove from heat. Stir through the lemon juice.
- Serve with rice or noodles and garnish with corriander and chopped nuts.
Notes
Tips
- Feel free to adjust the heat in this dish by adding or subtracting chilli flakes, alternatively leave them out entirely and just have the chilli flakes on the table so people can add it to taste.
- Slice the vegetables and chicken to similar sizes so that everything cooks at the same rate.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Chicken: This recipe can also be made with lean beef or lamb, firm tofu also works well.
- Peanut butter: You can use almond or cashew butter instead of peanut, although this does change the flavour profile.
- Vegetables: I typically use onion, capsicum, carrot, broccoli, and frozen green beans when I make this recipe, but you can use any combination of veggies that stir fry well in this recipe.
- Coconut cream: This recipe works equally as well with coconut milk.
- Lemon: A little acidity added at the end of cooking really helps bring out the flavors in this chicken satay stir fry, lime works just as well.
- Coriander: This is not essential and can be skipped.
- Chopped nuts: These can be skipped or subbed for any nuts such as cashews, or almonds
- Cumin and Turmeric: These 2 spices are essential to provide the satay flavour.
- Chilli flakes: These can be left out entirely or substituted for any form of chilli.
- Brown sugar: This can be substituted for any sugar or sweetener, it can also be left out, although the sweetness it adds does balance the flavour in the satay stir fry.
I don’t know why you changed the recipe. This was made with sweet chilli sauce before, which while high in sugar (I always reduced amount I put in to 1tbsp) at least my baby can have that as opposed to salty soy sauce.
Can’t comment on new version, but original version is so good.
I am always always changing updating my recipes, the reason I change this is I never have sweet chilli sauce in my cupboard so I never make this recipe with it anymore. I will add how to make it with sweet chilli sauce back into the notes.
Yum!! I halved the recipe and it was just a tiny bit dry. I will add a tad more coconut cream next time. But otherwise so delish!! My 4 year old ate everything, she loved it. Will definitly be adding this recipe to my favorites:)
I made this tonight and it was quick, easy and delicious! My 3 year old told me it was “so so so yummy!!” And that was with double the chilli flakes in the recipe.
It’s so good to have quick recipes to make tasty things like this without using a flavour jar or sachet.