Cut chicken breasts into 1.5-inch cubes—smaller pieces cook unevenly, so take the two extra minutes here. I always cut mine so each piece looks like a dice, not a chunk.

Soak bamboo skewers for 15 minutes before threading because dry wood catches fire and ruins both the meal and your reputation. Drop them in a bowl with cool water right when you start prepping chicken.

Combine soy sauce, coconut milk, peanut butter, lime juice, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and chili powder in a bowl and whisk for 60 seconds until smooth. The marinade should smell peppery and smell noticeably thick—that's the coconut milk coating everything evenly.

Thread chicken pieces onto skewers, leaving a half-inch gap between each one because crowded skewers steam instead of grill. Pour half the marinade over the threaded skewers and reserve the other half for sauce. I learned the hard way that reserving sauce before it touches raw chicken prevents foodborne illness.

Let skewers marinate for 15 minutes at room temperature while you heat your grill or grill pan to 400°F. This timing matters because the marinade begins to cook the exterior surface, making meat stick less during grilling.

Grill skewers for 3 to 4 minutes per side, rotating once halfway through. You'll see the exterior develop gold char marks—that's caramelization happening, which means flavor is building.

While skewers cook, whisk the reserved marinade with an extra tablespoon of coconut milk in a small bowl to thin it for dipping sauce. Taste it and add more lime juice if it tastes too sweet.