Coconut Milk Chicken is a dairy-free and gluten-free marinated chicken dish you can make in an Instant Pot, oven, or on the stovetop. A coconut milk marinade creates moist, delicious chicken. Make this nutrient-rich recipe for an easy weeknight meal that’s nourishing and delicious!
Personal Note – If you’ve never tried using coconut milk as a marinade, you are missing out! Similar to a buttermilk marinade (but dairy-free), coconut milk tenderizes the chicken, keeps it moist, and adds a rich, creamy flavor. This recipe is just that, not to mention it’s super easy to make. And that’s saying something, considering I’m usually not a huge chicken breast fan unless it’s in a chicken salad or on a pizza. I typically prefer roast chicken or crispy air fryer chicken thighs, because they have more taste.
But that’s the beauty of this dish – whether you use chicken thighs or breasts, it works perfectly! With its bold, warming flavors, it completely won me over.
Recipe Ingredients
Below is an overview of the ingredients and instructions to make this coconut milk chicken recipe. Please be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for the complete details!
- Coconut Milk – The star of the show! Make sure to use full-fat canned coconut milk, not liquid varieties.
- Lime Juice – Fresh lime juice is best! The acidity helps tenderize the chicken and adds a bright taste.
- Spices – Ground cumin, sweet paprika (or smoked paprika), turmeric powder, curry powder, salt, and pepper create a warm, savory taste with just a touch of heat. For a spicier marinade, feel free to add ¼ – ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, too!
Ingredient Swaps: For a nightshade-free option, omit the paprika. Or, for an AIP diet-friendly option, omit the cumin and paprika. Replace it with pink peppercorn to garnish.
- Garlic – You’ll need about two cloves, but feel free to add more if you love garlic.
- Honey or Coconut sugar – Both help caramelize the sauce, but coconut sugar adds a slightly nuttier flavor
- Ginger – I use fresh ginger for the best flavor, but ground ginger will also work.
- Chicken – Boneless skinless chicken breast works best as the lean meat absorbs the flavor of the coconut milk marinade best. However, you can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs.
How to Make Coconut Milk Chicken
As mentioned, this chicken and coconut milk recipe can be made in the Instant Pot, on the stovetop, or even in the oven. Below is an overview of both methods. Scroll down to the recipe card for the oven baked recipe, too!
Prep Tip – No matter which version you’re making, it’s important to marinate the chicken! To do so, whisk the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Then, place the chicken in a shallow baking dish or Ziploc bag, and cover it with the marinade. Refrigerator for at least 3 hours or ideally up to 24.
Instant Pot Method
- Place the marinated chicken onto a cooking trivet inside the Instant Pot.
- Pour the marinade over the chicken, cover the pot with the lid, and set the valve to the “sealing” position.
- Pressure cook on HIGH (the manual setting). Then, perform a natural release of pressure before carefully removing the lid.
- Remove the chicken, and let it rest for at least 5 minutes.
Pro-Tip: While the chicken rests, combine cornstarch and water in a bowl, and whisk it into the sauce to help it thicken.
- Shred the chicken into pieces, and add it back to the Instant Pot with the sauce, stirring to combine.
- Simmer to thicken and meld the flavors. If desired, serve with cilantro and garnish with lime slices. Serve over rice, cauliflower, or vegetables of choice.
Stovetop Method
- Heat a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add avocado oil or olive oil, and wait for it to sizzle.
- Place the marinated chicken into the pan (ensure it’s not overly coated with marinade) and sprinkle with salt.
- Sear on both sides and remove the chicken from the pan.
- Add the leftover coconut milk, and allow it to heat until it begins to bubble (lightly boil). Then, scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. This adds incredible flavor!
- Add the chicken back to the pan, and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Note: The chicken and sauce will look more browned on the stovetop versus the Instant Pot due to searing. It’s just as tasty either way, though!
- Rest the chicken for at least five minutes. Then, slice or shred the chicken, and add it back to the pan and coat in the sauce (thickened coconut milk marinade).
- Simmer to thicken and meld the flavors. If desired, serve with cilantro and garnish with lime slices. Serve over rice, cauliflower, or vegetables of choice.
Pro-Tip: The coconut milk sauce will thicken naturally as it reduces, but if you find it too thin, a slurry of cornstarch and water (or coconut milk) can be added to help thicken it further.
Serving Suggestions
In addition to topping the coconut milk chicken with jalapeño mango chutney, I think the dish is delicious with a side of cilantro-lime rice, cauliflower rice, fluffy quinoa, or even cooked rice noodles. You can use gluten-free naan to soak up all the sauce, too!
We’ve even made curried mango chicken salad with this chicken. The options are endless!
More of Our Favorite
Gluten-Free Chicken Recipes
Common Questions
The coconut milk marinade helps tenderize the chicken by breaking down the proteins. It also locks in moisture, infusing the meat with fat and adding rich, delicious flavor while creating a creamy consistency.
Surprisingly, no! The marinade is warm with fresh, citrusy notes and a touch of curry flavor. Plus, you can easily adjust the spices to suit your flavor preferences.
Sure! Feel free to include zucchini, bell pepper, onions, or even sweet potatoes. Just be sure to cook them until tender.
Stored in an airtight container, leftover coconut milk chicken will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You can store leftovers for 2-3 months. However, keep in mind that the taste and texture will change slightly. For the best results, store leftovers in an airtight container, leaving room at the top for expansion.
Then, thaw in the fridge overnight, and reheat gently on the stove. Note that coconut milk may separate and become a bit grainy. So, be sure to stir the sauce well when reheating!
Easy Coconut Milk Chicken Recipe
- Total Time: 3 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 4–5 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Prepare this easy coconut milk chicken recipe with a creamy marinade on the stovetop, in the Instant Pot, or even in the oven for an easy dinner!
Ingredients
Coconut Milk Marinade
- 1 (13 ounce) can coconut milk (about 1 ½ cups )
- 3 to 4 Tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic or about 2 cloves
- 1 Tablespoon honey or coconut sugar
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika or smoked paprika (see notes)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon curry powder
- 2 teaspoons to 1 Tablespoon grated ginger or ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Other Ingredients
- 1 ¼ to 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (see notes)
- 1 Tablespoon avocado or coconut oil (for stove top)
- Optional slurry to thicken sauce – ½ Tablespoon cornstarch and ½ Tablespoon water (mix together before adding to the sauce)
For Serving
- Cilantro and/or green onion, for garnishing
- Lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
-
Add the marinade ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Place the chicken in a shallow baking dish or Ziploc bag and cover with marinade. Refrigerate for 3 hours or up to 24 hrs.
Instant Pot
- Place the chicken onto a cooking trivet inside the Instant Pot. Pour the marinade over the chicken, cover with the lid, and set the valve to “sealing” position.
- Pressure cook on HIGH (MANUAL setting) for 10 minutes (12-13 minutes for thicker chicken), then perform a natural release of pressure for 10 minutes before removing the lid.
- Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot and let it rest for 5 minutes. While the chicken is resting, you can thicken the sauce in the Instant Pot by making a slurry. Press the saute button while you mix together ½ Tablespoon cornstarch and ½ Tablespoon water. Add that to the sauce in the Instant Pot and mix together until well incorporated. Let it simmer for 30 seconds to a minute then turn it back to WARM mode. The sauce will thicken after a few minutes.
- Once chicken is cool enough to touch, use two forks and shred the breasts into pieces. Add the chicken back to the Instant Pot and toss in the sauce. Let it simmer on warm for 5 -10 minutes to meld the flavors and continue to thicken.
- If desired, serve with cilantro and garnish with lime slices. Serve over rice, cauliflower, or vegetables of choice. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Stove Top
This method results in a darker sauce & chicken.
- Heat a large pan/skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and wait for it to sizzle.
- Transfer the marinated chicken to the pan, making sure it’s not overly coated in the marinade, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sear the chicken breasts for 2-3 minutes, flipping once. Remove from the pan.
- Add the leftover coconut milk marinade to the pan, once it starts to bubble (light boil), stir scraping the brown bits off the pan, about 2 minutes.
- Add the chicken breasts back to the pan, partially cover, and cook for about 10-15 minutes on medium-low to medium heat or until no longer pink inside and internal temperature reaches 165F. Cooking times may vary depending on the thickness of the chicken breasts. Rest chicken for 5 minutes before slicing or shredding.
- Return the sliced chicken to the pan, stirring to fully coat it in the sauce. Let it simmer on low heat for 5–8 minutes to infuse the chicken with flavor. See notes.
- If desired, serve with cilantro and garnish with lime slices. Serve over rice, cauliflower, or vegetables of choice.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
Substitute Tips – You can substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs for chicken breasts, but the cooking time may need to be reduced since they are thinner. For a nightshade free option, omit the paprika. For AIP, omit the cumin and paprika. Replace with pink peppercorn to garnish.
Cooking Tips – The chicken and coconut milk sauce will look more browned on the stove top versus the Instant Pot due to searing the chicken. The sauce will continue to thicken on the stovetop version as it cooks with the chicken. If it doesn’t reach your desired thickness, add the optional slurry to help thicken it further.
Flavor Tips – For a spicier marinade add ¼ – ½ teaspoon cayenne. Curry powder brings a blend of sweet and savory spices, while turmeric adds an earthy flavor with hints of ginger and pepper. I like using both, but you can easily leave one out if you don’t have it on hand. Just be sure to increase whichever one you use to 1 teaspoon.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Chill Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 10 – 12 minutes
- Category: dinner
- Method: pressure cooker
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5 ounce serving with sauce
- Calories: 305
- Sugar: 2.6 g
- Sodium: 196.6 mg
- Fat: 17.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 12.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 5.9 g
- Fiber: 0.4 g
- Protein: 32.1 g
- Cholesterol: 99.3 mg
I love cooking with coconut milk, however, we recently found that one of my children has coconut and dairy intolerances, which means a lot of vegan dairy replacements won’t work for her. Do you think oatmilk could work as a sub for coconut milk? I know it would lack the coconut flavor, but I’m hoping in other ways it would be similar.
Hi Katie! I would look for a non dairy milk alternative that has a bit more fat content. Cashew milk would be a great alternative or an almond milk that is not diluted. Have you checked out elmhurst non dairy milks?
Unfortunately my other two children have cashew and almond intolerances! It’s crazy. Since only one child has a coconut intolerance, I would probably just make this for everyone but her, and need to make her a seperate meal. Oatmilk is the only non-dairy milk they can all have. I’m hoping with some targeted probiotics that maybe they can eventually tolerate more foods.
You could try it with an unsweetened oatmilk creamer. It looks like elmhurst has an unsweetened creamer but it does have hemp in it https://amzn.to/43T7Lzn
What size baking dish if cooking in the oven?
Hi Anne! An 8×11 oe 9×13 should work just fine! Or a 12 inch cast iron. Baking times might vary slightly with each. Hope that helps!
Recipe pretty bland but enough spicy taste lol
Will adjust next time I decide to make this again
Hi Sandra! Did you use it in the air fryer? I was going to say that it might not be at flavorful if you air fry. The instant pot and slow cooker really give the chicken more flavor with the chicken marinating in the air fryer. Mind sharing what technique you used?
If you want to air fry, maybe next time marinate chicken for 24 hours and adjust spices. Like you mentioned.
we just updated this recipe and adjusted spices. It’s super flavorful now! Let me know if you try it again Sandra.
Any way to cook in air fryer?
Love this flavor combo!
Great! Thanks!
Omg made it for the first time today and it was amazing! Also made that chutney – can probably eat all in one sitting if left alone lol! Will for sure make again!
Yaayy! So glad you loved it! lol, I totally wouldn’t judge…that chutney is my fav!
I am always reads your recipes Lindsay…but this is one of my favouite dish…and i love your indian style cooking….Thanks for sharing..!
You’re welcome! Thanks for your kind words!
This is so flavorful. It hits all the right notes: juicy chicken, sweet, spicy, amazing!!
Love that this is dairy free! Made it for my friend who just had a baby! Delicious!
This was a huge hit at my house! Packed full of amazing flavors!
You know I love your recipes, but this one just might be my favorite!
This recipe is perfect for weeknight dinners! Easy to make, delicious, and healthy! Thanks for sharing!
This recipe is perfect for weeknight dinners! Easy to make, delicious, and healthy!
This was SO delicious! My husband and I each agreed it will go on the weekly menu. I made some coconut rice to go with it. I packed leftovers for lunch and I can’t wait to have it again!! Thanks for the great recipe!!!!
Oh wonderful! yes, me too! Love this dish!
LOVE this go-to recipe!!! so simple, this is seriously perfect for the workweek grind
Wonderful! Keep me posted
Oh chutney is one of my favorite ethnic condiments! It adds a really nice element of sweetness to any dish! Mango chutney is my favorite! I definitely have to try this one out!
Glad I’m not the only one obsessed with coconut milk 🙂 What is your favorite brand in the States? I am not a big fan of the Whole Foods brand– honestly, they just taste better in Asia!
have you tried the so delicious culinary coconut milk at whole foods? Or the trader joes? I love them both! The culinary one from so delicious is so convenient. and yes, i bet they taste 10x better in asia! haha. I also buy another one from asian market when i can. That one is legit.
This will give so much extra flavor to any dish!
you’d love it megan!
Yum! Love this flavor combo. I’m looking for new ways to spice up chicken! Gotta add this to my menu next week!
Ooooh, this looks amazing! I love that you took typically sweet ingredients and turned them into a savoury sensation! 😉
I am just going to need you to move in while I do this whole 30 day leaky gut crazy diet. I think it all sounds super terrifying and hard, yet am somehow sure you could make it delicious.
Email me anytime! All my Paleo recipes can be made whole30 or AIP
What a perfect way to spice up a classic chicken breast!! Pinned to make for later 🙂
Yay!! Keep me posted
I love Indian flavors! This is so colorful and HOW have I never made my own chutney?! Happening.
YOu must! you’d love!
I’m not sure if I <3 this scrumptious looking, spice filled chicken with jalapeno mango salsa or the fact that y'all luv ethnic eats more!
And why i love you and you recipes! FLAVOR BOMB! haha
So much goodness here! I love mango chutney, and any meal that sounds fancy but is actually EASY is my jam!
I am a sucker for a colorful meal too – we taste with our eyes as well! Love the coconut milk marinade – I literally just did that with chicken 2 nights ago. Now I want to try this idea… need to gather some mangos!
same brain… always.
100% with you on the vibrant dishes. The more colorful my food, the happier I am 🙂 LOVE mango and coconut together – can’t wait to try this!
yes! I knew you’d love! <3
One of my go-tos is marinating chicken in coconut milk! Tis so good!
oh I should have known! You’re my chicken recipe gal! love yours
Love the colors in this dish and LOVE coconut chicken. Well, coconut in general but coconut chicken is delishhhh.
right? so so good. I think you’d love. you are my food twin!
Guess we both had chicken and jalapeño on the brain today. Trade you yours for mine? 🙂
i say we have a dinner party instead! hehe
That chutney… I die…. Chutney goes on everything, even ice cream TRUST ME
Ice cream? Genius!!!!