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This Coconut Milk Chicken recipe comes together in one pan, with a creamy sauce that’s out of this world. You’ll love this stellar combination of delicate coconut milk, perfectly cooked chicken breasts, and exotic spices!
Tender Coconut Chicken
If you’re craving something savory without the fuss (hello, easy weeknight dinners!), this Coconut Milk Chicken recipe is just what you need! It’s a breeze to make, coming together in about 30 minutes, and all you need is one pan. The flavors are fantastic – tender, white-meat chicken in a creamy, spice-infused sauce, with the added zing of diced onion and fresh tomatoes.
For a complete meal, I serve this dish alongside a bowl of Thai chicken soup and some garlic steamed broccoli to complement the rich flavors of the coconut chicken. I’m so excited for you to try it; it’s the kind of dish you’ll keep coming back to.
Ingredients Needed
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: You can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
- Cumin, Paprika, Oregano, and Cayenne Pepper: A mix of spices and seasonings to add a warm, spicy, and earthy flavor to enhance the overall taste of the dish.
- Salt and Black Pepper: A simple seasoning to flavor the chicken.
- Olive Oil: Used for sautéing, it adds a rich flavor and helps cook the ingredients.
- Yellow Onion: Yellow onions tend to be sweeter, but white onion will work also.
- Fresh Garlic: The garlic adds a pungent flavor that enhances the overall taste. You could also use garlic powder.
- Tomatoes: Fresh tomatoes add acidity, sweetness, and body to the sauce. Canned diced tomatoes, well-drained, or fresh cherry tomatoes are also okay to use.
- Coconut Milk: I recommend unsweetened, light coconut milk for this dish.
- Cilantro or Parsley: Chop it finely for a garnish.
How To Make Coconut Milk Chicken
- Prepare the Chicken Breasts: Pat dry the chicken breasts with paper towels and set aside. Combine spices, herbs, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Rub seasoning mixture all over chicken breasts.
- Brown the Chicken Breasts: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken breasts and cook for 6 to 7 minutes on each side, or until browned. Remove chicken, cover, and set aside.
- Create the Sauce: Gently saute onions, garlic, and tomatoes in the remaining olive oil until soft. Stir in the coconut milk and bring to a simmer; simmer for 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.
- Finish Cooking the Chicken in the Sauce: Carefully add the chicken breasts back into the pan. Be careful not to splash the simmering sauce. Reduce the heat to low, and cook for 4 or 5 more minutes until the chicken is tender but not dry and has an internal temperature of 165°F. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with cilantro or parsley before serving.
Tips For Perfectly Tender Chicken
Chicken breast is a wonderful protein option when prepared correctly, but it does dry out easily! To avoid this, try these tips.
- Use a thermometer: If you think the chicken is nearly done, test it with a meat thermometer first. The internal temperature should be 165°F.
- Do the knife test: Try cutting the chicken with a sharp knife. If it seems rubbery and resistant, but not dry, cook for 3 more minutes and try again. Rubbery chicken will be juicy, but not tender.
- Be careful not to overcook the chicken. Once it has gone past the rubbery stage, it will be perfectly tender and moist. Further cooking will dry out the chicken and cause it to be tough.
What Goes With Coconut Milk Chicken?
This dish pairs wonderfully with rice. My lemon rice is a great match, as is this Mediterranean rice. For a mix of flavors, serve it with peanut butter ramen.
If you’re trying to cut carbs or follow a Keto diet, I recommend cauliflower rice or roasted cauliflower steaks. If you’d like a vegetable side, try my asparagus with lemon butter sauce or these air fryer roasted broccoli.
How To Store And Reheat Leftovers
- How to store: Store leftover chicken in the sauce to keep it from drying out. Place the chicken with its sauce in a food storage bag or container and refrigerate up to 4 days. Refrigerate the rice in a separate container for the same length of time.
- How to reheat: To reheat on the stove top, heat the chicken and rice separately, covered, on low until just heated through. Add a tablespoon or so of water to the rice to help it soften and re-steam.
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Coconut Milk Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 1-inch to 1-1/2 inch thick
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked or sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, If you like spicy food, use 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper. If you don't like spicy food, omit the cayenne pepper.
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups seeded and diced tomatoes, or use 1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes, well drained
- 14 ounces canned unsweetened, lite coconut milk
- chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Pat dry the chicken breasts with paper towels and set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl combine cumin, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper; stir until thoroughly incorporated.
- Rub the seasoning mixture all over the chicken breasts.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken breasts to the heated oil and cook for 6 to 7 minutes on each side or until browned and almost cooked through. Cooking time will depend on the size of the chicken breasts.
- Remove chicken from skillet and set aside on a plate; keep covered.
- Add remaining olive oil to the skillet; add onions to the heated oil and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until tender and translucent.
- Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and continue to cook for 5 minutes, or until tomatoes are soft.
- Stir in the coconut milk and bring to a simmer; let simmer for 5 minutes, or until sauce thickens.
- Return chicken breasts to the skillet; reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 4 to 5 more minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Chicken is done when internal temperature registers at 165˚F.
- Taste the sauce for salt and pepper; adjust accordingly.
- Garnish with cilantro or parsley, and serve.
Equipment
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Excellent! Everone loved!
That’s wonderful to hear! It’s always a great feeling when everyone enjoys the meal. Thank YOU! ๐
When I add the chicken back to the skillet can I dice it before hand rather than the full chicken breast?
Looking forward to trying tonight!
Yes, you can definitely do that. I hope you’ll enjoy your dinner! ๐
Yummy and healthy! I used canned diced tomatoes instead of fresh and I added a diced green pepper in as well when cooking the onion. It was a nice way to add in another vegetable!
Great to hear it turned out yummy and healthy! Substituting with canned tomatoes and adding green pepper is a smart twist to sneak in more veggies. Sounds like a delicious adaptation! Thank YOU! ๐
Just wow! Absolutely loved this. It’s a quick, easy dish to make. There’s plenty of flavor – I love the added cumin. Perfect dairy free dish.
I’m thrilled you loved it! It’s wonderful to hear that it was quick, easy, and flavorful, especially with the cumin touch. Glad it fits perfectly into a dairy-free diet!
I added lime juice, basil, a little heavy on your ingredients and creamy peanut butter with a hole can of coconut milk for the sauce served over fried rice. This was amazing thank you for the idea. I will be making this again.
Love the creativity with the lime juice, basil, and peanut butter additions! Your tweaks sound delicious. So glad you enjoyed it and plan to make it again. You’re welcome, and happy cooking! ๐
This was fantastic! The only change I made was to squeeze a 1/2 a lime over the chicken before serving. My husband loved it!
I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe and that it was a hit with your husband! Thank YOU! ๐
I made this this evening, all I added extra was a powdered chicken stock. We really enjoyed it & I will definitely make it again. It’s the first time i have used coconut milk & I didn’t want another curry recipe. I served it with lemon & coriander couscous. Thank you for sharing.
Great to hear you enjoyed it and added your own twist with powdered chicken stock! Coconut milk is versatile, and pairing it with lemon and coriander couscous sounds delicious. Glad you’ll make it again. Thank YOU! ๐
Instead of cayenne pepper I added some curry powder. I also added some chicken broth powder. It was delicious! The kids loved it!
Great to hear it turned out delicious with curry powder and chicken broth powder! It’s awesome that the kids loved it too. Thank YOU! ๐
Tastes amazing a great addition to our menu plan
I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! ๐
Very nice meal , served with a lemon rice .
The recipe is easy to follow. I am going to cook this recipe again and substitute pineapple for the tomatoes, add fresh grated ginger and I think it will also be delicious.
It’s great to hear you enjoyed the meal and have creative ideas for next time! Using pineapple and ginger sounds like a delicious twist that will go well with lemon rice. Thank YOU! ๐