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This creamy coconut milk chicken recipe is made with fresh lime juice, creamy coconut cream, and tender, juicy chicken breasts. Easy and delicious, have this one-pan, dairy-free, and low-carb chicken dinner on the table in just about 30 minutes!
This creamy coconut milk chicken is one of my all-time favorite, super easy weeknight dinners! It’s yummy any time of year, rain or shine, and so easy to whip together.
I first shared this Thai and Indian inspired recipe with you guys over three years ago – and it remains, even today, one of my go-to simple recipes.
It’s made with simple pantry ingredients like coconut milk, chicken broth, and soy sauce, plus a few fresh ones like tender chicken breasts, zesty lime juice, garlic, and ginger. The creamy coconut milk combined with the tangy freshness of lime juice and saltiness of soy sauce is one of the most amazing flavor combinations.
Best served over steaming hot rice, it’s also delicious with zucchini noodles, steamed vegetables, or cauliflower rice.
Kids love it, too! Just ask my 7-year-old (and his friends) who practically polished off what you see in these photos before I had a chance to get any myself!
How to Make Coconut Milk Chicken
(Full ingredients and instructions are in the recipe card below)
1. Slice each chicken breast in half lengthwise to make four thinner chicken breast cutlets. If preferred, pound your chicken breasts using a meat tenderizer to equal thickness, however, I find that to be more work and significantly messier.
2. Season generously with salt, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder.
3. Melt some coconut oil in a large skillet then sear the chicken for about 3-5 minutes on each side. The chicken should be golden and nearly cooked through. Remove chicken to a clean plate leaving behind any juices and seasoning in the skillet.
4. In the same skillet, cook the onions over medium heat until softened. Then add the garlic, ginger, and minced chili pepper (such as jalapeño or serrano pepper).
5. Stir in the chicken stock, fresh lime juice, brown sugar, and soy sauce, and simmer for about 5-10 minutes.
6. Stir in the coconut cream and return to a simmer.
7. Add the chicken back to the skillet, cover, and cook everything all together until the chicken is fully cooked and heated through.
What to Serve with Creamy Coconut Milk Chicken?
I recommend serving with a side of fragrant basmati rice or jasmine rice. I also love to serve it with a side of roasted sweet potatoes.
To keep this recipe low-carb, try serving with cauliflower rice, zoodles, or steamed veggies like green beans, broccoli, or cauliflower.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- For best results, use full-fat unsweetened coconut milk or unsweetened coconut cream. Using lite coconut milk is not recommended.
- If you prefer a thicker sauce, you can thicken it up by allowing it to simmer, for longer, over medium-low heat, or by adding a little cornstarch slurry. Note, however, that the sauce for this recipe is not meant to be super thick (which is also why it’s so delicious served with warm rice).
- Add additional veggies like bell pepper, zucchini, or tomatoes.
- To make gluten-free: swap out the soy sauce for coconut aminos or tamari (available at most grocery stores).
- To make keto-friendly: leave out the brown sugar.
- Make it even more flavorful and add a couple of tablespoons of fish sauce.
- Make it even spicier by adding a generous pinch of cayenne powder to the sauce.
- This coconut milk chicken is also delicious with skinless chicken thighs. Simply adjust the cooking time as needed.
Try these other delicious chicken recipes,
Creamy Mushroom Chicken Recipe
Creamy Chicken Florentine Recipe
Skillet Chicken with Bacon, Caper and Olive Sauce
Did you try making this creamy coconut milk chicken recipe?
Tell me about it in the comments below! I always love to hear your thoughts.
Creamy Coconut Milk Chicken Recipe (One-Skillet)
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, (cut in half lengthwise (or 4 chicken breast cutlets))
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, or olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- 1 serrano chili pepper, or jalapeño, diced (optional)
- 1½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar, (see notes)
- 2 teaspoon soy sauce, (use tamari or coconut aminos for gluten-free)
- 1 (15 ounce) can coconut cream, or full-fat coconut milk
- fresh cilantro, to garnish
- red pepper flakes, to garnish
Instructions
- Slice each chicken breast in half lengthwise to make four thinner chicken breast cutlets. Season both sides with salt, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Melt the coconut oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken and sear for approximately 3-5 minutes on each side, or until golden and nearly cooked through. Remove chicken and transfer to a clean plate and set aside.
- In the same skillet over medium heat, add one more tablespoon of coconut oil. Add the onions and sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Once the onions have softened, add the garlic, ginger, and diced chili pepper (if using). Mix well and continue to cook for one minute more, stirring continuously.
- Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in the fresh lime juice, brown sugar, and soy sauce. Mix well to combine.
- Allow the mixture to simmer and reduce for approximately 5 minutes, then add the coconut cream.
- Optional - to thicken your sauce, whisk together 1 tsp cornstarch with 1 tbsp water and add directly to the simmering coconut broth. Repeat, as needed, until the desired thickness is reached.
- Add the chicken back to the skillet. Cover and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked and heated through.
- Serve garnished with chopped cilantro, red chili flakes, and fresh lime juice.
Notes
- For best results, use full-fat unsweetened coconut milk or unsweetened coconut cream.
- The sauce is not meant to be super thick like gravy. You can thicken it up by allowing it to simmer, for longer, over medium-low heat, or by adding a little cornstarch slurry.
- Add additional veggies like bell pepper, zucchini, or tomatoes.
- Use coconut aminos or tamari rather than soy sauce to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Omit the brown sugar to make this recipe keto-friendly.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love how versatile this recipe is, you can add veggies to it and it’s great heated up the next day for leftovers too. My kids and my husband ask for this all the time!
Could you make this with beef and beef broth instead?
Yes, that should be fine 🙂
I was looking for a new recipe for chicken breasts and had a can of Trader Joe’s coconut milk so this recipe caught my eye. Wow! It was a family favorite. I started by sautéing red bell peppers, onion, zucchini in olive oil then removed from the pan. I browned the chicken for 3-5 minutes per side but they were thicker (even after cutting) so I let them cook longer in the simmering broth/milk.
I love your Wow feedback, Stina 🙂
OMG, this is so delicious! I read the reviews but you never know if your going to like. This is a keeper.
Thanks!!!!
I appreciate your review, Kathy 😀
Gosh I rarely have the time to make comments on recipe but I can’t help myself. This was so easy and so freaking amazing. I got so many accolades for this recipe. And the best part is with the leftovers I just added more coconut milk cut up the chicken pieces and I had an amazing soup for leftovers. Thank you so much for this recipe
I just made the recipe and this is the first recipe I make from your site. It turned out to be great even with some substitutes. Thank you so much for the delicious idea for future dinners.
Thanks for the delicious feedback and rating, Birsen 🙂
Hi, the recipe is delicious. Can you make it ahead and reheat before serving?
Yes, a Creamy Coconut Milk Chicken recipe can definitely be made ahead of time and reheated for serving. This is actually a great strategy for flavors, as it allows the ingredients to meld and intensify. When reheating, do so gently on the stovetop or in a microwave, stirring occasionally to ensure even heating and to prevent the sauce from separating. If the sauce appears too thick upon reheating, you can thin it out with a little extra coconut milk or water. Just be sure to store the dish properly in the refrigerator if it’s going to be a day or two before you serve it.
Excellent recipe with the perfect balance of flavors sour and sweet. I even had to make some substitutions based on what I had on hand yet it still turned out amazing. I used an equal amount of yellow curry in place of spices on chicken before cooking. Also, didn’t have fresh lime so used bottled lime juice and juice from a half of a lemon and a half of an orange. Will definitely try this recipe again without Curry and with fresh limes! Thanks for a great recipe!
Excellent, with a nice balance of flavours. I added a red pepper and halved ingredients to serve two
Thanks Joan 🙂
Super delicious! I added thinly sliced carrots and chopped sweet peppers. I think even some pineapple would have worked well. I also used about 1/3 cup lime juice and it worked out great because the coconut cream I used was pretty sweet. I am making shrimp tomorrow the leftover sauce!
This will make a great staple meal in our house. We just recently moved to Costa Rica and I have been struggling to find recipes I can find the ingredients for. Thanks!
Thanks for the delicious feedback, Kelly 😀
Should I make any adjustments if I only have regular (not low-sodium) chicken broth? Cannot wait to try this! (And I’m delighted it makes a lot of sauce – that’s my favorite part!)
Yes, do not add the 1tsp of salt 🙂
If I use coconut milk but leave out the chicken broth, will the consistency be roughly the same as if using coconut cream?
Coconut milk and coconut cream have distinct consistencies, with coconut cream being thicker and richer due to its higher fat content.
If you use coconut milk and leave out the chicken broth, the resulting consistency will be thicker than if you had mixed the coconut milk with the broth. However, it still won’t be as thick or rich as pure coconut cream.
Reduce the broth either way! 1.5 cups is WAY too much. I let it simmer for a long time and it was still incredibly watery. I even used coconut cream and it just never thicken. Not sure if cornstarch would have fixed how thin it was. Reducing it to 0.5 cups next time.
I also had the same experience. I think either reduce broth, or up the amount of meat and veggies. Despite this hiccup, my family of 5 still thoroughly enjoyed this dish (no easy feat)!