Get the Recipe: Coconut Chicken with Peanut Sauce
This easy lime and coconut chicken cooks up quickly in the oven and is sliced and served with a delicious satay-style peanut sauce. Ready to enjoy in just about 30 minutes!
Ingredients
Coconut chicken marinade:
- 1/2 cup coconut milk, stirred (mini can)
- 3 Tablespoons soy sauce, low sodium recommended
- 2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar, can substitute light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup lime juice, about 2 large or 3 small limes
- 2 Tablespoons ginger garlic paste, or 1 Tbsp ginger paste/1 Tbsp minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons mild curry powder, (Indian-style yellow curry powder)
- 1 1/2 lb chicken thighs, about 6
To finish sauce:
- 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
- 1 Tablespoon tamarind paste, optional *see Note 1 below
To serve:
- chopped peanuts
- chopped fresh cilantro
- lime wedges, for drizzling
Instructions
- Place a grill pan in the oven and preheat the oven to 450F (non-convection/not fan-assisted). *Alternately, preheat the oven to 450F and have ready a foil-lined baking sheet to cook the chicken.
- Unfold the chicken thighs and place them into a bowl. Set aside.
- Combine all the coconut marinade ingredients in a 2-cup measuring cup and stir together well. Pour HALF of the marinade over the chicken thighs, reserving the other half in the measuring cup, Toss the chicken thighs in the marinade to coat well.
- Place the chicken thighs onto the preheated grill pan in the oven (or onto the foil-lined baking sheet). Cook the chicken thighs about 10 minutes or until cooked through and 165F internal temperature. You can switch the oven to BROIL for a minute or so to brown the chicken a bit more, if you like.
- While the chicken is cooking, make the peanut sauce by adding the peanut butter and tamarind paste (if using) to the reserved marinade. Use an immersion blender (or whisk) to blend the sauce until well combined and smoother.
- Remove the chicken from the oven to a cutting board. Let rest for a couple of minutes, and then slice the chicken. Place onto a serving plate. Drizzle the chicken with a bit of the peanut sauce, placing the rest of the sauce in a bowl for dipping. Garnish with some chopped peanuts and fresh, chopped cilantro. Add some lime wedges for drizzling.
Notes
Note 1: Tamarind paste brings a bright acidic flavour to dishes, which I would describe as lime with a punch and a slight note of caramel flavour. Look for tamarind paste in with the Asian foods (it's quite easy to find these days!). It is sold in a block similar to block dates. If you think you'll use it in other dishes, it's a great addition to any kitchen. It will keep refrigerated for up to 6 months. If not, you can certainly omit the tamarind. If omitting, consider adding a bit of lime zest to the marinade to bring a bit more lime flavour.
Tips!
- You could substitute boneless chicken breasts for the boneless chicken thighs. I would butterfly them before marinating and cooking. They may take a couple of minutes more oven time. Be sure to cook to 165F internal temperature.
- I like to serve this chicken with rice. Garlic rice is nice. Simply cook the rice with broth instead of water and add some minced garlic to the pot. Cooking the rice with coconut milk or lime juice and stirring in some cilantro at the end also makes great side. You could also serve alongside an Asian salad or Asian coleslaw or try a marinated cucumber salad. Finally, this chicken would be nice enjoyed as a lettuce wrap.
- This is another one of those recipes where it could be a great idea to double up the chicken and freeze half for a later meal. You can freeze it marinated and uncooked or cooked. Package it together with the reserved marinade used for the peanut sauce, and you can quickly finish the sauce when needed.
- There are a number of ways to cook the chicken. You can preheat a grill pan in the oven and place the chicken onto it. You could also place the chicken in the oven on a foil-lined baking sheet. You could also use a grill pan on the stove-top over high heat. Finally, you can grill the chicken on the BBQ.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 592kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 35g, Fat: 42g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g, Monounsaturated Fat: 16g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 167mg, Sodium: 689mg, Potassium: 669mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 154IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 45mg, Iron: 3mg
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