Coconut Milk and Thyme Braised Chicken
May 08, 2016, Updated Aug 04, 2020
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Coconut Milk and Thyme Braised Chicken is an easy one pot chicken dinner! Cooked in thyme-infused coconut milk and garlic, this is one delicious chicken thighs or legs recipe.
SO yummy-good, I may never go back to grilling chicken, again.
Hello, dear friends! Hello, dear Mothers! Happy Mother’s Day to you all, especially to my own! ❤❤❤ Thank you for EVERYTHING you do!
Also? CONGRATULATIONS, I turned out perfectly!
Can I ramble on just a little more about how motherhood is still totally the hardest job in the world? YET so freakin’ awesomely rewarding!?!
I heard that all my life and it sounded like this, “When you become a mother, blah blah blaaaah blah blah!”. *eyeroll*
But then I became a Mommy and things completely fell into place and everything started to make sense and I pulled my hair out and I kissed the bejesus out of my kids – all of that at the same time.
Okay. About that food…
COCONUT MILK CHICKEN
Here she be! Aint’ she delicious!?
This chicken dinner is the flavor bomb of my life. I am trying to put into words how much I love this combination of coconut milk with thyme + all the garlic. A whole BULB of garlic. Yeah, baby!
Being the person that is in full blown relationship with one pot chicken dinners, it should come as no surprise that this Coconut Milk and Thyme Braised Chicken is the simplest, but most delicious thing ever.
How to Make Coconut Milk Braised Chicken
As things almost always happen, this lovely din din is the result of coconut milk, chicken drumsticks that I forgot to throw in the freezer, and chicken thighs that my other half was crying for. Thyme and garlic? Always necessary.
The deal is, though, that I’m pretty sure you will also fall in love with the rich flavors of this dish! It is OUT of this world!!! Exclamation points are also always necessary.
With only about 15 minutes of prep time, you will have an entire hour after that to let this baby cook in the oven while you shop online for that spankin’ new Yves Saint Laurent handbag. It’s Mother’s Day – I deserve it. I mean you! YOU deserve it!
ENJOY!
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Coconut Milk and Thyme Braised Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 pounds of chicken pieces, (I used boneless chicken thighs and drumsticks)
- salt and fresh ground pepper, , to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 6 thyme sprigs
- 1 whole garlic bulb, , separated into individual cloves and peeled
- 1 can coconut milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F degrees.
- Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
- Heat olive oil and butter in a dutch oven or any other heavy pot that is stovetop and oven safe.
- Add chicken pieces to the pot and cook for 4 minutes; flip and continue to cook for 4 minutes or until chicken is browned on all sides.
- Add thyme sprigs and garlic; cook and stir for 30 seconds.
- Add coconut milk, cover and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until chicken is cooked.
- Remove from oven and let stand several minutes.
- Serve.
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.
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HI! This looks awesome – could it be make in a cast iron-type dutch oven over coals?
Alicia @ http://www.GirlonaHike.com
Is it ok to use canned coconut milk? And what sides do you fix with this dish? I don’t like brown rice….
Hi Vickie! Don’t use the canned coconut milk because that is much thicker than the coconut milk in cartons, and I am not sure how well it will work with this recipe. In as far as sides, I think anything goes, but I like rice and veggies the best. I have Fried Rice on the blog and I also have Lemon Rice that is really, really good! 🙂
https://diethood.com/lemon-rice-recipe/
https://diethood.com/shrimp-fried-rice/ (you can just leave out the shrimp)
https://diethood.com/lemon-butter-green-beans/
https://diethood.com/garlicky-lemon-parmesan-broccoli-recipe/
https://diethood.com/garlic-butter-roasted-carrots/
I used canned coconut milk and thinned it out with some water. Also added carrots and mushrooms. Really delishous!!
That sounds great! I’m very glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 Thank you for chiming in! 🙂
Hi! Is it 2 cups of the coconut milk? I see a question mark before the 2, and just want to make sure it’s not supposed to be more.
This recipe sounds delicious- I can’t wait to make it!
Hi Lisa!! Thanks for catching that – yes, it’s supposed to be 2 cups. 🙂
Hello Katerina,
How many servings does this make?
I made this recipe while on Whole30 and it was absolutely delicious (currently making it again). I used canned coconut milk, because that’s what I thought it called for… oops! Anyway, the chicken came out really, really tender! Even my husband who isn’t crazy about chicken loved it!
any thoughts about adapting this to the slow cooker?
Dumb question but my only oven safe pan is a cast iron skillet with no lid. Should I cover it with foil when I cook it in the oven?!
Hi Sarah! Yep, just cover it with foil. I hope you’ll like it! 😀
Ok thanks! Will chicken breasts work okay or will chicken with the skin on be better?
This recipe sounds excellent, can’t wait to try!! Seems as though it could be easily adapted to a pressure cooker, any thoughts? Also I’m a bit confused on the coconut milk, canned vs refrigerated? And if using canned should it be diluted perhaps ??
Is this coconut milk that you get in the refigerated milk section, or the thicker canned coconut milk?
Hi Julie! Yes, it’s coconut milk, the one found in the fridge section, not the canned one.
Thanks.
Hello. This looks delicious. How much dried thyme should I use if I don’t have fresh thyme? Thank you!
Hi Billie! That would be around 1.5 teaspoons of dried thyme.
Found your recipe as a phase 3 dinner for Haley Pomeroy’s Fast Metabolism Diet. This is a definite keeper, diet or no… Serious comfort food. I might add an extra head of garlic next time as each clove was succulent and sweet. Even my dad, who does not like garlic (or chicken for that matter) liked this recipe and said it was a keeper. What is the best thing about it? Super EASY!!!!!! I paired it with brown rice and roasted green beans. Thanks for sharing this great recipe.