Coconut Lime Chicken

This creamy coconut lime sauce simply envelopes the chicken and makes for the tastiest easy dinner paired with steamed rice and some roasted broccoli!

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Author : Kari Peters

Cuisine: Thai

Servings: servings

Calories: 309kcal

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

US Customary - Metric

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!

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Notes

For serving, you can remove the finished chicken from the sauce and slice it into 1/2" slices before laying it in the sauce to serve. As I mentioned in the post, 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. The thin chicken breasts will cook twice as fast. Overall, I think it's best to slice right before serving or cut in half lengthwise to create 6 - 4 ounce portions.

Nutrition