Recipe: $4.60
Per Serving: $1.15
Yield: 4 servings
I've always been a fan of roasted chicken, rotisserie chicken, and slow cooker chicken recipes for many reasons. They're cheaper, they're mostly hands-off, and I hate touching raw chicken. I'm not the biggest fan of chicken in general, but I've started shaking things up a bit with new cooking methods, and one of my favorite ingredients: coconut milk.
Spicy Coconut Stovetop Chicken is very easy. Cook the chicken (thighs or legs) on both sides. Add the spices and coconut milk, cover, and simmer. Done!
If you eat chicken legs with your hands, they're definitely going to be a bit messy. I pulled the meat off the bone and mixed it up with some carrot-potato puree and greens. You can use chicken legs or thighs for this recipe, or you could apply the same basic recipe to chopped chicken breasts, with a few modifications.
That plate of food went directly into my lunchbox and it was delicious reheated. Coconut milk is thick and creamy, a little sweet, and a little sticky. It's awesome.
Spicy Coconut Stovetop Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ pounds dark meat chicken with skin (or 12 skin-on chicken legs)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup coconut milk the thick canned stuff!(or homemade)
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- salt pepper to taste
- juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Season the chicken legs with salt and pepper. Let rest with the salt for at least 5 minutes.
- Warm a large skillet (I used a non-stick pan), over medium-high heat. Add the chicken legs (make sure they’re skin-side down). It should be sizzling, but not spattering. If oil is spattering, turn it down a bit. Cook undisturbed for 10 minutes, or until bottom side is dark brown. (For large thighs, cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken skin is crispy.)
- Flip chicken and cook for 5 more minutes undisturbed.
- Make space in the middle of the pan and add the garlic, coconut milk, half the lemon juice (about 2 TBSP), salt, and pepper. Mix well and coat the chicken (if you can). Bring to a very low simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, the chicken should be ready! Be sure to check it with a meat thermometer (160ºF) or by pulling a piece apart and making sure there’s no pink next to the bone. (If it’s pink, stir the chicken and cook another 5-10 minutes.)
- To serve: Remove the chicken to a serving plate. Add the remaining lemon juice to the coconut mixture and stir well, scraping up any delicious brown bits from the pan. Taste and adjust accordingly, then pour sauce over chicken, or place in serving bowl for diners to serve themselves. It’s delicious!
Nutrition
Caitlin this sounds incredible. In step 4, do you mean add coconut oil, or milk? Thanks!
Thanks Stephanie! In step 4, I meant add the coconut milk - I'll fix it right away. Thanks so much for catching that and letting me know. How confusing! :)