Meet your new favorite easy weeknight dinner that’s even better than takeout! This Thai-inspired coconut Lime Chicken is packed with flavor and an oh-so-creamy sauce. It’s simple to make as well, with a few ingredients and minimal prep, and it’s a dinner the whole family will love. Try it paired with freshly steamed white rice (or brown rice) and a side of vegetables like my Best Roasted Broccoli for your new family favorite dinner.
It’s no secret we’re absolutely crazy about the coconut lime flavor combo around here and Thai food as well! The obsession started with this Coconut Lime Ice Cream, and I’ve been creating different recipes around those flavors ever since.
Watch How to Make this Coconut Lime Chicken
You’ll love this one because its flavors are similar to a Tom Gai Soup. But it’s more subtle because there’s no curry paste involved, and that makes it something the entire family can enjoy.
There are also no tricky ingredients to track down either, just easy-to-find ingredients at your local grocery store. I wanted to keep this one an extra simple recipe that has so much yummy flavor, you’re going to want to put it on your menu weekly!
This recipe is on the saucy side, so it’s extra good with freshly steamed rice. But if you prefer a thicker sauce, you can either thicken it with a starch of your choice or remove the chicken and reduce it down.
We love all the sauce which is the consistency of a thin curry piled over the above-mentioned rice, with loads of roasted or steamed veggies. This way you have that wonderful coconut-lime flavor infusing your whole plate!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Chicken – I used boneless skinless chicken breasts here, but chicken thighs would work well too. The chicken breasts simmer in the sauce for about 20 minutes, so you can use bone-in chicken thighs which will be a similar time. Or if you’re using boneless chicken thighs and reduce the cooking time to around 10-15 minutes. Simmer the sauce for 15 minutes or so then add the chicken thighs.
- Avocado oil – is perfect for sautéing the chicken, but you can also use coconut oil, olive oil, or any other cooking oil you like.
- Onion, Garlic, & Ginger – These 3 make up quite a bit of the savory backdrop of flavor in this sauce. The ginger is especially important as it pairs so well with the coconut and lime.
- Chili – This one is optional, but we like to add a sliced red chili for just a touch of heat. Feel free to leave it out, or add more depending on your preference. If you don’t have or can’t find fresh red chilis, you can also use red pepper flakes to taste.
- Fish Sauce – this adds a lot of depth to this sauce and gives this dish its characteristic ‘Thai’ flavor. But if you really can’t use it at all for some reason, you can sub in coconut aminos or low-sodium soy sauce for a different but good flavor.
- Lime – I use both the zest in the sauce and some freshly squeezed lime juice added at the end for perfect lime flavor. I recommend using a microplane grater because you end up with super fine zest that fairly melts into the sauce.
- Coconut Milk – You want to go with full-fat coconut milk here for the fullest flavor. And if you want to go all out, try coconut cream!
- Cilantro / Thai Basil – fresh herbs are super tasty here, and these 2 in combination are seriously good. But to keep things simple you can leave them both out, or go with the easily available cilantro. Thinly sliced green onions will also work if you don’t like cilantro.
Step 2: When everything is prepped, heat a large skillet (10-12″) over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot but not smoking, add 1/2 of the oil and sear the chicken breasts until well browned on each side.
Important Note: this recipe serve 6 but there are 3 large 8-ounce chicken breasts. You can cut them in half lengthwise so they are half as thick, but it can be hard to fit all 6 in your average skillet. Instead, I keep them whole and cut them in half wide-wise when it comes time to serve.
Step 3: When the chicken breasts are golden brown on both sides, remove them from the pan and set them aside. Add the remaining oil to the pan along with the onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté over medium heat until golden brown and softened.
Step 4: Next, add the coconut milk, optional chili, and lime zest to the skillet. Stir to combine, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet before adding the browned chicken breasts to the pan.
Step 5: Bring the coconut sauce to a simmer and cook the chicken for 8-10 minutes before turning it and cooking another 6-10 minutes or until the chicken is just done in the center.
Tip: An instant-read thermometer will read 165ºF internal temperature when your chicken is done. A thermometer is the best way to tell if your chicken is truly done without running the risk of overcooking it and having dry chicken breasts. Juicy chicken is always the goal, and a thermometer makes that easy.
Step 6: When the chicken is done cooking, remove the pan from the heat, stir in the fish sauce and fresh lime juice, and season to taste with sea salt. Garnish with either cilantro or Thai basil, or both if you have them, and serve with lime wedges.
Ways to serve this
- Freshly steamed rice (or cauliflower rice) is great with this dish. But I also really love this with roasted sweet potato in place of rice.
- For a fresh veggie, try my Asian Cucumber Salad. Or try my Roasted Broccoli, Roasted Carrots, or Perfect Roasted Asparagus. For a stove-top veggie option, try my Sautéed Green Beans.
- Add chopped-up spinach to the sauce right at the end for the easiest way to add a veggie.
- Also, the fresh herbs are so good with this! You don’t need both cilantro and Thai basil by any means. But if you have both herbs, they’re phenomenal with this.
FAQ’s
Yes, you need to adjust the cooking time accordingly. Brown the chicken thighs as directed, then reduce the sauce by about half before adding the chicken thighs to cook just until done in the center.
Yes, you can use coconut cream in this recipe. But if your sauce loses too much moisture, the fat will separate from the sauce. If you use coconut cream, you may need to add a touch of chicken broth to the skillet to prevent this.
This happens when a sauce has been reduced too far. When there isn’t enough moisture left to keep a sauce emulsified, the fat will separate from the sauce. To fix a broken sauce, try removing the chicken breasts and whisking in a bit of chicken broth until the sauce comes back together. If you’re still struggling with it after adding chicken broth, add a little cornstarch mixed with water until it comes together. In this case, you may need to add even more chicken stock to keep it from being too thick.
Storing leftovers
- To store – place any leftovers into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead – this dish can be made ahead and reheated, but be careful not to overcook the chicken because it will be dry. Refer to the reheating tips next.
- Reheating – to reheat the leftovers I like to cut the chicken breasts into 1/2 slices and reheat them in a covered skillet with some sauce until just heated through. If you try to reheat the chicken breast whole, it tends to get overcooked.
- To freeze – this dish can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost it overnight in the fridge before reheating as directed above. Also, I recommend slicing the chicken before freezing or reheating it so it doesn’t get overcooked.
Tips & Tricks
- The fresh herbs add a lot of flavor to this dish. However, you don’t need both cilantro and Thai basil by any means. Cilantro is most widely available and more affordable than most fresh herbs.
- Don’t skip the lime wedges for serving, a little fresh lime juice squeezed over the top is so tasty.
- Another serving tip is to take the finished chicken out of the sauce and slice it into 1/2″ slices before laying in the sauce to serve. As I mentioned above, my main reason for sautéing 3 chicken breasts is so they fit in the pan. The other option is to cut them into 6 thinner chicken breasts and use a giant skillet. Also, the thin chicken breasts will cook twice as fast. Overall, I think it’s best to slice it right before serving.
More Thai-Inspired Recipes
- Thai Yellow Chicken Curry
- Thai Curry Noodle Soup
- Rainbow Thai Chopped Salad
- Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Easy Thai Green Curry
I really hope you enjoy this Coconut Lime Chicken recipe! If you do get a chance to make this, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
Coconut Lime Chicken
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp avocado oil - or cooking oil of choice
- 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts - 3
- 1/2 cup minced onion - yellow or white
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
- 1 red chili - thinly sliced, optional
- 2 tsp lime zest - grated with a microplane
- 1 can full fat coconut milk - 13.66 oz
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro and/or Thai basil - optional
- Additional lime wedges for serving - and sliced chili for garnish if desired
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat a large skillet (10-12") over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot but not smoking, add 1 tablespoon of the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan.
- Add the chicken breasts to the pan and cook until browned on both sides, 2-3 minutes per side. Then, remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan, along with the onion, garlic, and ginger. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until the onion softens and is lightly browned, 4-5 minutes.
- Next, add the optional chili, lime zest, and coconut milk. Bring the sauce to a boil, and using a wooden spoon, scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Lower the heat to maintain a simmer, and add the chicken breasts back to the pan. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, then turn the chicken breasts over and cook an additional 6-10 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 165ºF.
- When the chicken is done, stir the fish sauce & lime juice into the sauce, and season to taste with salt. Sprinkle the chopped fresh herbs over the top if using, and serve!
Great flavor! One of our favorite dishes.
Thanks so much, so wonderful to hear it’s a favorite!
This is such an elegant and delicious meal! I left the chicken breasts whole last time but we would prefer small pieces of meat. I will slice the breasts in half this time for more even cooking. Love this meal a lot!
Thanks so much for taking the time to write, and I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it and that you’ll give half sized pieces a try next time!
This was great. Everything came together quickly. I loved how light and fresh the meal tasted, perfect for a summer night. I did use chicken thighs in mine and it worked out fine. I served with rice and green beans.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it and thanks for letting me know the chicken thighs worked out as well!
Yummy!!!
So glad you enjoyed it!
This soup turned out very good. Nice flavours too.Also very colourful. Very good!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Is there something else I could use in place of the fish sauce? Thanks
You could use a little coconut aminos to taste instead of the fish sauce.
Hi! To my surprise I was out of fish sauce today and I used soy sauce and rice vinegar. I’d say I did about 3/4 T soy sauce and 1/4 T vinegar. My dish came out great
Thanks so much Karla for taking the time to write this down, it’s definitely going to be helpful!
This was easy and excellent. Will be making it again!
Wonderful to hear you enjoyed it enough to make it again!
Great recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Fantastic recipe, pack full of flavor, highly recommend this recipe. It goes well with plain white rice.
Enjoy!!!
So glad you enjoyed it and we love it with rice as well!
Great recipe easy to follow and tastes great
So glad you enjoyed it!