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Thai coconut lime chicken comes together in less than 30 minutes and is a one-pan meal. This recipe is dairy-free, gluten-free, and really easy to make!
This is the kind of meal I crave when I want something homemade but don't really feel like cooking. Something with all the flavor, minimal effort, and quick!
This recipe uses a similar cooking method as my easy lemon chicken, and pairs well with coconut lime rice or braised leeks. Or anything to sop up the delicious sauce, which you'll want to drink by the cup.
Ingredients
- Chicken breasts - searing and a quick poach keep them from drying out.
- Salt & pepper - generously season the chicken on both sides so that flavor infuses into the dish early on.
- Aromatics - shallot, garlic, and ginger help build the flavor and are an integral reason the sauce has so much flavor.
- Lime zest and lime juice - the juice adds brightness and cuts through the richness of the coconut milk while the zest brings forward that true lime flavor.
- Chicken broth - for added flavor and cooking liquid.
- Unsweetened canned coconut milk - the full-fat variety provides a rich and creamy sauce and is what I recommend using for best results.
- Granulated sugar - a tiny amount helps to bring forward all the flavors.
- Cilantro - optional, but the flavors work really well together.
Instructions
Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise. Then cover with a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap, and pound them with a meat mallet or a rolling pin until they're about the same thickness. This will help them cook quicker and more evenly.
Generously season both sides with salt and pepper.
Add the oil to a hot skillet over medium-high heat and sear the seasoned chicken breasts on each side for 3 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the diced shallot. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the lime zest, lime juice, and chicken broth. Scrape up any of the brown bits on the bottom of the pan before adding the coconut milk and sugar. Whisk to combine.
Place the chicken back into the pan, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for another 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the stove, sprinkle chopped cilantro over the top, and serve immediately.
Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make this Thai coconut lime chicken using what you already have? Here are some ideas...
- No chicken breasts - you can use chicken tenders of chicken thighs instead, but you'll have to adjust the cooking time (less for tenders, more for thighs).
- No shallot - use about ¼ cup of diced red or yellow onion instead.
- No cilantro - you can sub in another freshly chopped herb such as basil, Thai basil, parsley, or a mix.
- Coconut milk - the coconut milk from a carton won't work in this recipe as it's mostly water. If you really only want to use lite canned coconut milk, you'd have to use a thickener such as cornstarch or tapioca starch to get it to thicken up. So, go that route at your own risk.
- Make it spicy - add red pepper flakes at the time you add in the aromatics.
- Add vegetables - after you sear the chicken and remove it from the pan, you can lightly cook some additional vegetables such as carrots, snap peas, bell pepper, or mushrooms in the skillet, set them aside covered, and add them in at the time you serve the meal.
- Add toasted cashews - when serving for added texture.
Equipment
For this recipe, you just need one large skillet and a lid. I used a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, and a lid from another pot, and seared the chicken in two batches. Depending on the size of your tenderized chicken breasts, it may be possible to sear the chicken in one batch using a 12-inch skillet.
Storage
Store in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Although I haven't yet done this, I imagine it you could freeze it as well.
Top tip
Don't forget to generously season (seriously, go ham!) both sides of your chicken. Kosher salt is my go-to for salt and freshly cracked black pepper. You can always add more to taste at the end, but this helps build the flavor early on.
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Thai Coconut Lime Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts about 1 ½ pounds total
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons oil of choice
- 1 shallot, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
- zest of 1 lime
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 15 ounce can full-fat coconut milk about 1 ½ cups
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped optional
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise. Then cover with a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap, and pound them with a meat mallet or a rolling pin until they're a similar thickness. This will help them cook quicker and more evenly. Generously season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Add the oil to a hot skillet over medium-high heat and sear the chicken on each side for 3 minutes until mostly cooked through. Depending on the size of your pan, you may have to do this in batches. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the diced shallot. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the lime zest, lime juice, and chicken broth. Scrape up any of the brown bits on the bottom of the pan before stirring in the coconut milk and sugar.
- Place the chicken back into the pan, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for another 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the stove, sprinkle chopped cilantro over the top, and serve immediately.
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