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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.
Amazing sauce, made a number of times now. I use diced chicken(so definitely not chewy) I do thicken alittle with corn starch and we have with rice. People that add tomatoes/brocoli, do you think they add into the pan with the sauce and chicken or cook separately? I could have a side of tomato or mushrooms but wouldn’t add anything else in the sauce incase it changed the flavour which is loved in my house. Pasta instead of rice my daughter and her boyfriend have it with.
Thankyou so much for recipe xx
So happy to hear it’s a favorite in your house! Diced chicken and cornstarch are great touches. If you’re adding veggies like tomatoes or broccoli, I’d cook them separately to keep the sauce flavor just as you love it. Thanks again for the kind words!
OMG! The Creamy Coconut Milk Chicken is wonderful!
Thank you for this recipe! I’m looking forward to trying your other recipes!
I’m thrilled you enjoyed the Creamy Coconut Milk Chicken recipe! Thanks so much for your kind feedback—I hope you love the other recipes just as much. Happy cooking!
The only thing missing is a splash of fish sauce!
I love fish sauce, but I know it is not for everyone, which is why I have mentioned adding a tablespoon or two in the notes section of the post 🙂
Love the sauce flavor but found it really needed veggies. I had Tomato’s but broccoli would have been perfect. I did end up thicken the sauce, which it needed. The chicken was a bit chewy preparing it pet this receipt. I will likely grill it separately next time, then right before serving atop of rice, add the sauce. Delicious flavor though. Thank you!
I’m glad you enjoyed the sauce flavor in the Creamy Coconut Milk Chicken recipe! Adding vegetables like tomatoes or broccoli is a fantastic idea for extra color and nutrition. Thickening the sauce and grilling the chicken separately are great adjustments to ensure a creamier texture and tender meat. Serving it over rice with the sauce just before serving sounds delicious! Thanks for your feedback and for trying the recipe—I hope your next attempt is even more successful!
I seared bone in chicken thighs, followed that sauce recipe added sweet potatoes which also help thicken the the sauce.
I had some cans of unsweetened coconut cream taking up space in the pantry that I wanted to use. I knew I didn’t want a coconut dessert so I opted for dinner ideas. This one won my interest! I didn’t have fresh herbs and modified with dried and the flavors still came together incredibly. My only other changes were that I cooked this dish in the IP as opposed to the stove and used boneless skinless chicken thighs for added flavor. My husband loved it and he tends to steer away from curries. I will definitely make this again and make sure to have fresh ingredients on hand. Oh, and we served it over some cilantro lime rice. Chef’s kiss 😘!
I’m thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the Creamy Coconut Milk Chicken recipe and made fantastic use of your pantry items! It sounds like your substitutions and cooking method in the Instant Pot worked beautifully, especially with the boneless skinless chicken thighs. Serving it over cilantro lime rice sounds absolutely delightful. Thank you for sharing your experience and tweaks—I’m so glad it was a hit even for someone who usually avoids curries. Can’t wait for you to try it again with fresh ingredients!
This is delicious!!!! I added some spinach at the end! Great recipe!!
That sounds like a fantastic addition! Adding spinach is a great way to incorporate some greens into the dish and enhance its nutritional value. I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I just made this today, wanting something different with chicken. This recipe is wonderful! Very similar in taste to Thai Tom Kha Gai, which I love. I did use the cornstarch slurry to thicken and used half of my large Serrano chili. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly and am so very pleased! This will go in my favorites recipe folder! Thank you so much for this delightful dish!
This is so flavorful! My husband and I loved it. I think it would be amazing with boneless thighs. I will add some spice to give it a little kick next time.
Thanks for the flavorful feedback and rating, Mandy 🙂
Really good recipe – thank you so much for posting this. Easy to make and delicious.