Coconut Milk Braised Chicken (Whole Bird with Lemongrass)

My coconut milk braised chicken features a whole bird, gently cooked until the meat pulls apart with a fork, then it’s finished with a lemongrass, ginger, and lime sauce made right in the pot. I spread the lemongrass paste under the skin before searing, so the breast is seasoned all the way through instead of leaving the sauce to do all the work.

My recipe is a whole chicken braised in flavored coconut milk until the meat becomes so tender it pulls off the bone. I season the braising liquid with curry paste, lemongrass, ginger, and lime sauce, which flavors the chicken as it cooks. What started as my Thai take on Jamie Oliver’s chicken in milk is still one of my favorite ways to cook a whole bird.

The trick is where the flavor goes. I spread a paste of lemongrass, ginger, and coconut oil under the skin, right on the breast meat, so the leanest part of the chicken gets seasoned directly. In recipe testing, I learned this is what keeps the breast from tasting like plain poached chicken. Just make sure not to get any of the paste on the chicken skin, or it will burn.

I keep the braising liquid simple: lime, garlic, cilantro stems, and a spoonful of green curry paste cooked into a can of coconut milk. After the chicken comes out, I reduce it down to a silky sauce that tastes great spooned over my favorite coconut rice.

What braising does to a whole chicken

Braising cooks meat slowly in a covered pot with a small amount of liquid. On a whole chicken, the legs and thighs are full of connective tissue, and that gentle, moist heat melts it down until the meat pulls off the bone. The breast is the part that can dry out, which is why the lemongrass paste goes under the skin and the bird sits breast side up, above the coconut milk. The sear at the start gives the chicken its color, and the coconut milk does double duty: it braises the chicken, then reduces into the sauce.

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Coconut Milk Braised Chicken (Whole Bird with Lemongrass)

Prep: 20 minutes mins

Cook: 2 hours hrs

Total: 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

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My coconut milk braised chicken features tender, pull-apart chicken and a lemongrass coconut sauce, all made in one pot. The step that matters most is getting the paste under the breast skin before the sear.

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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 Fahrenheit. 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, and sear it on all sides until it is nicely browned. Use tongs to turn the chicken, inserting one tong end into the chicken and gripping the outside with the other end. When browned, remove the chicken from the pan and pour out the oil. (See notes)
• Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pot, then add the green curry paste mixture. Cook for 1 minute, then pour in the coconut milk. Place the chicken in the pot, breast side up, cover, and bake for 2 hours, until the breast meat reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
  14 ounce can coconut milk
• Remove the chicken from the pot and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving. Bring the liquid in the pot to a simmer over medium-high heat and reduce it to 1 cup.
• Serve the chicken with the reduced sauce on the side, topped with cilantro.

Notes

You can buy ginger paste and lemongrass paste in the produce section of most grocery stores. You can also make your own by grating ginger with a microplane and very finely mincing lemongrass.

After searing the chicken, I remove the oil from the pan, as I find that the flavor is best with fresh oil.

If you’d rather braise this dish on the stovetop, prepare the chicken as directed, but cook it over very low heat. You want the liquid to be at only the slightest simmer.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving = ⅙ of the recipe, Calories: 493kcal (25%), Carbohydrates: 4g (1%), Protein: 29g (58%), Fat: 41g (63%), Saturated Fat: 23g (144%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 109mg (36%), Sodium: 500mg (22%), Potassium: 454mg (13%), Fiber: 0.5g (2%), Sugar: 0.4g, Vitamin A: 715IU (14%), Vitamin C: 8mg (10%), Calcium: 41mg (4%), Iron: 4mg (22%)

© Author Kristen Stevens

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.

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