This coconut lime chicken combines boneless chicken pieces with a creamy coconut milk and lime sauce. Ready to enjoy in just 30 minutes!
If you’re looking for a quick chicken dinner that is full of flavour, this coconut lime chicken fits the bill perfectly. You can start with boneless chicken thighs or boneless chicken breasts. Just add rice and a salad.
What you’ll need
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Chicken – You can use either boneless skinless chicken thighs or boneless skinless chicken breast for this dish. You’ll need about 2 large chicken breasts or 5-6 chicken thighs. I’ve used chicken thighs here. I find they have more flavour and the dark meat stays lovely and moist.
Coconut milk – Start with either full-fat or lite coconut milk. Lite will make a thinner and less creamy sauce, but it can be thickened with a cornstarch slurry if you like (instructions are in the Recipe Card).
Fresh limes – As you’ll need both lime zest and lime juice, you’ll want to start with fresh limes. One lime will probably be enough for the zest and juice needed for the chicken, but you may want an extra for wedges or slices of lime for serving.
Shallots (or onion) – I recommend shallots if you have them, but if not, regular cooking onions is just fine.
Jalapeño – You could substitute a serrano here if you like. If you like a little kick to your sauce, add some of the jalapeño seeds into the skillet.
Fish Sauce – If you don’t have fish sauce you can substitute it for soy sauce.
Garlic and Ginger – You can use fresh garlic or minced garlic. For the ginger, grate it fresh or use ginger paste.
Cilantro – Fresh cilantro really finishes this dish nicely and the flavour pairs so well with the coconut and lime. If you are cilantro-averse, flat-leaf parsley would provide some nice colour to the dish.
How to make coconut lime chicken
- Start by browning the chicken pieces in a little oil until browned and mostly cooked through (they will cook a little more at the end). Remove the chicken to a plate.
- In the same skillet, cook the shallots and jalapeño until softened.
- Add the ginger and garlic to the skillet and cook for about 1 minute more.
- Add the coconut milk to the skillet, along with some chopped cilantro.
- Simmer the coconut milk mixture for a couple of minutes to blend the flavours.
- Return the chicken to the skillet, add the fish sauce, lime juice and lime zest to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper and cook briefly to re-warm the chicken. Serve with rice and lime slices or wedges.
Recipe video
Recipe tips!
- You could certainly add some vegetables to the skillet if you’d like. I think green beans or snap peas would be great. Red bell pepper or even mushrooms could also work nicely.
- Be sure to taste at the end of cooking and add salt as needed, to really bring out all the great flavours in this dish.
- This dish would also be lovely with shrimp or fish.
What to serve with coconut chicken
I love to serve this coconut chicken with rice. I’ve used basmati rice here. Cauliflower rice would also work nicely.
On the side, either a salad or a green vegetable such as green beans or broccoli. As noted above, you can also add some vegetables right to the skillet for an all-in-one-pan meal.
Making ahead and storing
The chicken and sauce hold up well in the refrigerator, so you could certainly make it ahead and reheat. Boneless chicken thighs might be a better choice if planning to make-head, as they are more moist than chicken breast and less prone to drying out.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
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Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 medium shallot, or onion, diced (about 1/4 cup)
- 1 large jalapeno, seeded, finely diced (about 1/3 cup)
- 4 teaspoon ginger, minced, or ginger paste
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 13.5 oz (400 ml) canned full-fat coconut milk, or lite coconut milk
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
- 6 boneless chicken thighs, or 2 large chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 Tablespoon lime zest, from 1 large lime
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice, from 1 large lime
- 1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce, or soy sauce
- Salt and pepper, to taste
To serve:
- Cooked rice
- Additional chopped cilantro
- Lime wedges or slices
Instructions
- Tip! Take a moment to prepare the ingredients you'll need and have them ready, as this recipe comes together quickly.
- Heat the cooking oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook until browned and almost cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate and reduce the heat under the skillet to medium. Add the shallots and jalapeño and cook, stirring regularly, until the shallots are starting to brown about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the ginger and garlic, and cook about 1 minute longer.
- Stir in coconut milk, the cilantro and a bit of salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and let cook for about 2 minutes to blend the flavours.
- Return the chicken to the pan. Add the lime zest, lime juice, brown sugar and fish sauce. Continue to simmer until the sauce reduces slightly and the chicken is cooked through about 5 minutes. Taste the sauce and add salt as needed, to really bring out the flavours.
- Serve over rice with cilantro and lime wedges.
- Tip! If you used lite coconut milk and the sauce is thin, you can thicken it with a cornstarch slurry. Simply mix 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 Tablespoon of cold water. Stir until smooth. Add the simmering sauce a bit at a time until the sauce thickens as desired.
Notes
More chicken recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
I love Asian flavors and added double the ginger, garlic and fish sauce. Did not disappoint! I’m thinking next time I will thinly slice the chicken and cook it in the sauce at the end. I’ll also add thinly sliced scallion greens on top when serving to add a little bit of a different textural component. It’s so fun to get creative!
It is fun to get creative! Glad you enjoyed it :)