Coconut Milk Braised Chicken
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Coconut milk braised chicken is a delicious whole chicken recipe that is very easy to make. The chicken is coated with a lemongrass and ginger rub then slow-cooked in coconut milk. The flavorful sauce is incredible poured over steamed rice or cauliflower rice!
This Coconut Milk Braised Chicken is the love child of Jamie Oliver's delicious Chicken in Milk and our all-time favorite Thai flavors.Ā
Slowly cooking the whole chicken for two hours in dreamy, creamy coconut milk infused with lemongrass, ginger, and lime juice creates the most tender and flavorful meat.
Once you (very easily!) pull the chicken off the bone, you serve it with the crazy delicious sauce poured over the top and use each bite to sop it up. Serious yum!
What we love about coconut milk braised chicken
- The gentle Thai flavors are incredible.
- The meat is so tender you could easily mistake it for pulled chicken.
- Once the initial sear is over you can walk away and forget about this dish until it is done. The hands-on time is only 20 minutes, tops.
- The sauce is so good that you'll want to drink it up by the spoonful.
- Despite the richness of this dish, all the ingredients are very healthy for you. Healthy + Delicious = Awesome!
So what does braising mean, anyway?
Don't be intimidated by the term. Braising is really just a fancy word that refers to cooking meat (and sometimes veggies) in liquid for a long time on low heat. Think crockpot; it's exactly the same technique except it's done in a pot in your oven or on your stove.
Braising is best for cheaper, tougher cuts of meat as the long, gentle cooking process breaks down the connective tissues, melts the fat and lets the muscle tissue absorb moisture so the meat becomes very tender. It's also 100% foolproof. If you can put meat in a pot and pour the liquid over it, you can braise.
In this coconut milk chicken recipe, we've used coconut milk as the braising liquid and added some ginger, lemongrass, cilantro and a few other tasty things to give it lots of flavor.
How to make coconut milk chicken
You'll start by mixing together some ginger and lemongrass paste with salt and stuffing this underneath the skin. This puts the flavor right on the meat and makes the chicken absolutely delicious.
Then you'll add the chicken to a pot, large skillet, or (our favorite) a braiser and sear it on all sides so the skin is nice and crisp.
Once you add the coconut milk and a few spices, put the chicken back into the pan and let it simmer gently until the chicken is cooked.
We like to sprinkle some fresh cilantro on top and serve this with jasmine or basmati rice. It's delicious!
What to serve with coconut milk braised chicken
You'll DEFINITELY want something that you can pour the sauce over. Rice or cauliflower rice are two favorite sides that go well with this chicken. As far as veggies go, we love these recipes:
- Best Roasted Broccoli
- Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic
- Spicy Honey Roasted Carrots
- Easy Asian Coleslaw
- Sesame Coconut Kale Salad
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More delicious whole chicken recipes:
- Lemon Herb Butter Roast Chicken
- Roasted Parmesan Crusted Chicken
- Crockpot Roast Chicken
- Orange Cranberry Roast Chicken with Rosemary Balsamic Butter
Coconut Milk Braised Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 lb. whole chicken
- 4 tablespoons melted coconut oil (divided)
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon ginger paste (divided (see notes))
- 1 tablespoon lemongrass paste
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Zest and juice of 1 lime
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon Thai green curry paste
- 10 stems cilantro (leaves and stems separated)
- 14 ounce can coconut milk (about 2 cups)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the melted coconut oil with 1 teaspoon of the ginger paste, the lemongrass paste, and salt. In another small bowl, mix the remaining tablespoon of ginger paste with the lime zest and juice, garlic, green curry paste, and the cilantro stems.1 tablespoon lemongrass paste, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, Zest and juice of 1 lime, 4 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon Thai green curry paste, 10 stems cilantro, 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- If there is a string tying your chicken, remove it. Dry the chicken with paper towels. Carefully seperate the skin from the chicken breast, trying not to tear the skin. Using a spoon, spread the mixture with the lemongrass under the chicken skin. If any gets on the chicken skin, remove it with paper towels or it will burn.4 lb. whole chicken
- Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large pot or braiser. Place the chicken in the pan, bottom side down to start, and sear it on all sides until it is nicely browned. Use a pair of tongs to turn the chicken, inserting one tong end into the chicken and gripping with the other tong end on the outside of the chicken. When brown, remove the chicken from the pan and pour out the oil. (See notes)
- Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pot then pour the mixture from the remaining small bowl into the pot. Let it cook for 1 minute then pour in the coconut milk. Put the chicken in the pot, breast side up. Cover the pot and put it in the oven for 2 hours.14 ounce can coconut milk
- Remove the chicken from the pot and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving. Bring the liquid that is in the pot to a boil over high heat until it reduces to 1 cup.
- Serve the chicken with the reduced sauce on the side and some cilantro leaves sprinkled over the top.
Notes
Pair with steamed basmati rice or cauliflower rice
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
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