Thai-Style Grilled Chicken with Coconut Red Curry Peanut Sauce

There are recipes that reward time and attention, and others that work because the ingredients are doing exactly what they’re supposed to. This Thai grilled chicken falls into the latter category.

The marinade is easy to put together—fish sauce, soy, turmeric, white pepper, and a generous handful of chopped cilantro—but it brings real depth. Add a little char from the grill, and the flavour feels layered with very little effort.

The sauce is where things round out. It’s creamy and savoury, with coconut milk, peanut butter, and red curry paste—spicy, but not sharp. It also makes a generous amount, which means there’s plenty left for drizzling over rice or spooning onto grilled vegetables later in the week.

This is how the Flavourfull pantry works best: when good ingredients do the heavy lifting. Mae Ploy red curry paste is bold and fragrant. The turmeric comes from Diaspora Co., bright and earthy. The soy sauce is Yamasa—deep and balanced. The white pepper is Kampot. And the fish sauce is Red Boat, for exactly the kind of quiet depth that holds it all together.

We’re using ingredients here that weren’t necessarily designed to be used together, but they come together beautifully. That kind of cross-cultural layering happens all the time in real kitchens. It’s part of what makes cooking interesting.

To make this a full meal, we serve it with steamed jasmine rice and a quick chopped salad. Start by lightly pickling sliced red onions in apple cider vinegar with a bit of sugar and salt. Just before serving, toss them with sliced cucumber, thinly sliced sweet peppers and halved cherry tomatoes. It’s fast, fresh, and adds the kind of brightness that pulls everything together.

Thai-Style Grilled Chicken
Serves 4–6

Note: I like to use the food processor to chop the cilantro really fine for the marinade, and then just add in all the other ingredients, but you can just as easily chop and mix this by hand. The Red Curry Coconut Peanut Sauce is adapted from a recipe on SheSimmers.com—a great website to visit for Thai home cooking inspiration.

Ingredients
1½ cups chopped cilantro, including tender stems (about one small bunch)
4 garlic cloves, grated
3 tbsp palm sugar* (or light brown sugar)
3 tbsp Red Boat fish sauce
2 tbsp Yamasa soy sauce
2 tbsp canola oil
Zest and juice of 1 lime (about ½ tsp zest, 1 tbsp juice)
2 tsp Diaspora Co. turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground Kampot white pepper
1 kg boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Method

1. Combine the cilantro, garlic, sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, oil, lime zest and juice, turmeric, coriander, and white pepper in a large bowl. Stir to combine.

2. Add the chicken and toss well to coat. Let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or refrigerate and marinate for up to 24 hours.

3. Preheat a gas grill on high (or use charcoal for best flavour). Grill the chicken for about 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through. If using charcoal, turn the airflow down, cover the barbecue, and let the chicken finish with a little smoke if possible.

4. No grill? A grill pan works well, or roast on a foil-lined baking sheet at 425°F for 18 to 20 minutes, then broil briefly at the end for caramelization.

*Palm sugar typically comes in solid discs. Just chop or grate what you need for the recipe—it's well worth having on hand for its mellow, caramel-like depth. Keep in a sealed container to keep it from drying out between uses. 

Red Curry & Coconut Peanut Sauce
Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients
1 cup full-fat coconut milk
2 tbsp Mae Ploy red curry paste
½ cup natural peanut butter
⅓ cup palm sugar (or light brown sugar)
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp Yamasa soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, grated
½ tsp Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
1–2 tbsp water, as needed

Method

1. Combine the coconut milk, red curry paste, peanut butter, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic in a small pot over medium heat. Whisk until smooth.

2. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring as needed, until the flavours come together and the sauce thickens slightly.

3. Season with salt and thin with water until pourable.

Extras keep well, covered, in the fridge and also freeze well for another dinner.