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Easy Coconut Milk Chicken

Easy Coconut Milk Chicken

This easy coconut milk chicken recipe features a creamy marinade and can be prepared in various ways for a delicious, gluten-free dinner.
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Prep Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Resting Time 5 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 25 minutes
Course Main
Cuisine Asian
Servings 5 servings
Calories 305 kcal

Equipment

  • Instant Pot
  • large skillet
  • mixing bowl

Ingredients
  

Coconut Milk Marinade

  • 1 can coconut milk (about 1 ½ cups)
  • 3-4 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1.5 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
  • 1 tablespoon honey or coconut sugar
  • 0.5 teaspoon sweet paprika or smoked paprika
  • 0.5 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 0.5 teaspoon curry powder
  • 2 teaspoons grated ginger or ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • 0.25 teaspoon black pepper
  • 0.5 teaspoon kosher salt

Other Ingredients

  • 1.25-1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil (for stove top)
  • 0.5 tablespoon cornstarch (for optional slurry)
  • 0.5 tablespoon water (for optional slurry)

For Serving

  • cilantro for garnishing
  • green onion for garnishing
  • lime wedges for serving

Instructions
 

Marinade Preparation

  • Add the marinade ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Place the chicken in a shallow baking dish or Ziploc bag and cover with marinade. Refrigerate for 3 hours or up to 24 hrs.

Instant Pot

  • Place the chicken onto a cooking trivet inside the Instant Pot. Pour the marinade over the chicken, cover with the lid, and set the valve to 'sealing' position.
  • Pressure cook on HIGH (MANUAL setting) for 10 minutes (12-13 minutes for thicker chicken), then perform a natural release of pressure for 10 minutes before removing the lid.
  • Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot and let it rest for 5 minutes. While the chicken is resting, thicken the sauce by making a slurry. Press the saute button. Mix together ½ Tablespoon cornstarch and ½ Tablespoon water, then add to the sauce in the Instant Pot and mix until well incorporated. Let it simmer for 30 seconds to a minute then turn it back to WARM mode.
  • Once chicken is cool enough to touch, use two forks to shred the breasts into pieces. Add the chicken back to the Instant Pot and toss in the sauce. Let it simmer on warm for 5-10 minutes to meld flavors.
  • If desired, serve with cilantro and garnish with lime slices. Serve over rice, cauliflower, or vegetables. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Stove Top

  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and wait for it to sizzle.
  • Transfer the marinated chicken to the pan, ensuring it’s not overly coated in the marinade. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sear the chicken breasts for 2-3 minutes, flipping once. Remove from the pan.
  • Add leftover coconut milk marinade to the pan, and once it starts to bubble, stir scraping the brown bits off the pan, about 2 minutes.
  • Add chicken breasts back to the pan, partially cover, and cook for about 10-15 minutes on medium-low until no longer pink inside and internal temp reaches 165F.
  • Rest chicken for 5 minutes before slicing or shredding. Return sliced chicken to the pan, stirring to fully coat in sauce. Let it simmer on low heat for 5–8 minutes.
  • If desired, serve with cilantro and garnish with lime slices. Serve over rice, cauliflower, or vegetables. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Notes

Substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs for chicken breasts. For a nightshade free option, omit paprika. For AIP, omit cumin and paprika; replace with pink peppercorn to garnish.

Nutrition

Serving: 5ouncesCalories: 305kcalCarbohydrates: 5.9gProtein: 32.1gFat: 17.2gSaturated Fat: 12.8gCholesterol: 99.3mgSodium: 196.6mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 2.6g
Keyword Chicken, coconut milk, Easy Coconut Milk Chicken, easy dinner, gluten-free, Instant Pot
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