A simple Thai-inspired marinade, paired with the peanut sauce, makes this chicken recipe one you’ll want to prepare many times. Easy Thai Chicken is simple in preparation but bold in flavor.
Depending on the night or your mood you can take or leave the peanut sauce paired with this Easy Thai Chicken, but won’t be short on taste. Simple and versatile chicken recipes like this one are how I’m currently filling our menu. For similar meals try this Baked Balsamic Chicken, Easy Lemon Garlic Chicken, or this Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce.
Easy Thai Chicken
The name alone states this meal is made with simplicity in mind, however, the final result is nothing short of spectacular. I should know, as I’ve prepared it 4 times now in an attempt to perfect the simple flavorful nature of this Easy Thai Chicken.
I’ve been craving so much more than a quick meal lately and can feel myself shifting towards slower cooking. Perhaps it’s the summer vibes or perhaps it’s the mindset shift slowly taking place as I seek more meaningful and richer moments in life.
It’s nap time, the small snippet of time each day I stop to take a much-needed breath before plowing into the days’ end. I’ve got my half-caf coffee splashed with heavy cream, in one hand and thoughts spilling into my feed in the other.
All is quiet except the thoughts of all that needs to be done today racing in my mind. I’ll try my best to quiet those for the moment. Allow me the needed time so dinner isn’t another rushed exchange of ingredients being thrown together.
Simple, yet rich moments. Food can be like this as well. This easy Thai chicken is an example enough.
How Long to Marinate Chicken
Bon Appetit likens marinating meat to stretching. It’s important, but too much of a good thing, even stretching and marinating, is just simply too much. In short, marinating meat for less than a day is just right.
Marinades mostly consist of flavor enhancers with the basics being sugar, salt, and acid. The salt and sugar break down the muscle fibers to an extent but the acid is the key tenderizing ingredient.
When sitting in a marinade consisting of lemon or lime juice, yogurt, or vinegar for too long the texture of the meat turns mushy and stringy
So what exactly is the point of marinating? So the marinade cooks first when the meat is placed in the pan or on the grill. It then creates an outer crust big on flavor.
How to Cook Chicken Thighs Perfectly
Perfectly cooked chicken thighs come down to a science of timing. A little marinade is important, but when cooking time is of the essence, quite literally as is an iron skillet. No, I haven’t used an iron skillet in the pictures. In truth, the skillet pictured is not the one I cooked the meat in.
Set the oven to 475 degrees ℉. In the iron skillet heat oil, one with a high smoking point such as grape-seed oil, at high heat. Swirl to coat the pan. Place the chicken top-down or skin-side down (if the skin isn’t removed) and cook for 2 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium-high and continue to cook for 12 minutes. Move the skillet to the oven and cook for 13 minutes (exactly!!). Then flip and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before serving or adding any additional sauce.
Make some more…
Some of my other favorite recipes using chicken thighs are below.
Ingredients
MARINADE
- 1/4 cup Canned Coconut Milk
- 2 tablespoons Creamy Peanut Butter
- 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Red Curry Paste
- 1 tablespoon Fish Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 4 Boneless, Skinless, Chicken Thighs
- 2 tablespoons Oil
PEANUT SAUCE
- 3/4 cup Canned Coconut Milk
- 1/4 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
- 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Red Curry Paste
- 1 tablespoon Fish Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 2 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 Lime juiced
GARNISH
- 1 Red Chili sliced and seeded
- 1 tablespoon Cilantro
Instructions
- MARINADE: In a medium bowl whisk the Coconut Milk, Peanut Butter, Brown Sugar, Red Curry Paste, Fish Sauce, and Soy Sauce together and pour over the Chicken Thighs in a baking dish or resealable bag. If time allows, marinate for 30 minutes in the fridge or up to 8 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 475 degrees ℉.
- CHICKEN: Using an iron skillet or oven-safe skillet, heat oil over high heat, but not until smoking, swirl to coat the pan. Place Chicken top-side or skin-side down and cook for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook for 12 minutes more. Move the skillet to the oven and cook for 13 minutes (exactly!) then flip chicken and cook for 5 minutes more. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- PEANUT SAUCE: While the chicken is cooking in a medium-sized saucepan whisk the remaining Coconut Milk, Peanut Butter, Brown Sugar, Red Curry Paste, Fish Sauce, Soy Sauce, and minced Garlic together and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook to thicken the sauce for an additional 8 to 10 minutes. Pour over chicken.
- Garnish chicken with Fresh Cilantro and Red Chilis (both optional).
