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This coconut chicken with a hint of lime is creamy and delicious! With just one skillet and a few simple ingredients, you’ll have a tasty, yet healthy dinner. This coconut chicken is packed with flavor and takes less than 30 minutes to make!
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- It’s foolproof and surprisingly easy to make! Sear the chicken, make the sauce, then nestle everything back into the skillet to finish cooking. This is the perfect simple dinner recipe to make when entertaining friends and/or family. Impress everyone with your culinary skills – no one needs to know how easy it was to make!
- It’s jam-packed with flavor! Creamy coconut milk, tangy lime juice, fresh lime zest, and a sprinkling of cilantro give this dish tremendous flavor. When left to simmer in the sauce, the chicken soaks up all of that deliciousness!
- Serve this creamy coconut chicken over cauliflower rice or with a side of veggies for a naturally low-carb meal. That’s right, this drool-worthy dish is naturally low-carb, gluten-free, and easily made dairy-free! This recipe suits a variety of diets and needs.
Key Ingredients
Chicken Cutlets – Either purchase chicken cutlets from the store or slice chicken breasts into cutlets yourself. If starting with chicken breasts, slice them in half horizontally, creating two thin breasts. If you desire a thinner cutlet, use a meat mallet to pound the chicken until about 1/4-inch thick.
Coconut Milk – Be sure to use unsweetened full-fat coconut milk in this creamy coconut chicken recipe. Full-fat milk will give you a deliciously thick and creamy sauce! You should be able to find canned unsweetened full-fat coconut milk in either the baking or ethnic food aisle.
Red Pepper Flakes – Adjust the amount of red pepper flakes in this recipe to your preferred spice level. I love spice so I use a full teaspoon of red pepper flakes in this recipe. However, just half a teaspoon packs in quite a bit of heat and is better for those with a mild to medium spice preference. And if you’re spice-averse, you can leave the red pepper flakes out of this recipe altogether!
Chef’s Tips
- Stir the sauce every minute or two while it simmers on the stove. Stirring will distribute the flavors and ensure that the sauce thickens evenly. You can even give the sauce a taste during this step and adjust any seasoning as desired!
- Store leftover creamy coconut chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. When ready to eat, reheat in a skillet over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or until warm throughout.
- Serve this healthy and delicious dinner however you’d like! I love throwing this chicken over a bed of rice – the rice soaks up the sauce and is just incredible. Though if you’re looking to keep things low-carb and keto-friendly, try cauliflower rice or your favorite sautéed veggies instead.
More Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
- Marry Me Chicken
- Boneless Chicken Wings
- Chicken Pot Pie Casserole
- Best Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe
- Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
- Szechuan Chicken
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Chicken Pesto Sandwich
- Beer-Battered Coconut Chicken with Orange-Horseradish Sauce
- Mexican Chicken Salad (Ensalada de Pollo)
- Slow Cooker Tom Kha Soup (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup)
- Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
- Baked Chicken Meatballs
- Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken
Creamy Coconut Chicken with Lime
Equipment
- Large skillet
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds chicken cutlets about 1/4-inch thick
- 2 tablespoons butter see Notes
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 15-ounce can unsweetened full-fat coconut milk
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- ½-1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Season both side of chicken cutlets with salt and pepper.
- Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat, add chicken cutlets and cook until golden brown on each side, about 2 minutes per side. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
- Add in garlic, cooking for just a few seconds or until fragrant. Add in coconut milk, chicken stock, lime juice, lime zest, and red pepper flakes. Bring everything to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until sauce has reduced by about half.
- Return chicken cutlets to skillet, cover with lid, and cook for about 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove from heat and sprinkle with fresh cilantro. Serve immediately.
- Make it Dairy-Free: Use coconut oil in place of the butter.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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fantastic! I shared this recipe with my mom and my friend Mark 🙂 I’m personally not a big fan of chicken breast, so I’ll make this again with a different kind of chicken, but this is a great summer recipe!!
So happy you all enjoyed it, Samantha! Thank you so much for the kind review!
Can you make in crockpot?
Hi Cheryl, we don’t have a crockpot version of this recipe, but I’m sure you could try it!
DELICIOUS!!!!!!
Thank you so much, Michelle! So happy you enjoyed this one!