Coconut Milk Chicken Thighs
This creamy Coconut Milk Chicken Thighs recipe is a great weeknight meal, delicious served with a Fruit and Nutty Brown Rice and sliced cucumbers. It’s a simple Asian chicken with coconut milk and soy sauce (or coconut aminos) marinade, ready for grilling or baking.
Oh, I love an easy chicken weeknight meal. This chicken is so tender and we love to make extra for bowls, wraps, or even a tossed salad (with thinly sliced chicken). This chicken is one of our go-to chicken thigh recipes (it’s been on our blog since 2012!), and it pairs well with our Asian Cucumber Salad.
This easy coconut milk chicken thighs recipe is delish the next day–perfect for meal prepping! We use chicken thighs, but you can use any chicken part of your choice, such as drumsticks or breasts. Give this yummy chicken a try, and I promise it will be on your weekly meal rotation.
Why I love this easy-prep chicken
- This chicken is super easy to make a day or two in advance (just pop it in the marinade).
- Love keeping chicken thighs in the freezer, and coconut milk stocked in the pantry (just buy it at Trader Joe’s) for easy recipes like this. You can also try our Lemongrass Curry Coconut Chicken Thighs recipe, too!
- I must say it’s good enough for company.
- It’s affordable and delicious!
Gather these ingredients for Thai chicken thighs with coconut milk
- Chicken thighs: optional to use favorite chicken parts
- Soy sauce: if you want to make this gluten-free, use coconut aminos
- Coconut milk (I stock up at Trader Joe’s)
- Cider vinegar
- Pressed garlic
- Bay leaves
- White ground pepper
- Fresh chives
- Lime
How do you make Coconut Milk Chicken Thighs?
- Make the marinade. Add the chives but leave some out for garnishing chicken after it’s grilled.
- Add the chicken to the marinade and refrigerator for 12-24 hours. You can marinate in a 9×13 pan or in a Ziploc bag.
- Grill the chicken, and sprinkle with fresh cut chives; serve with Fruit and Nutty Brown Rice. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lime.
- Bake the chicken: Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
Tips and substitutions for coconut milk chicken thighs
- Swap out the protein for shrimp, or flank or skirt steak.
- Don’t have coconut milk? You can also use coconut cream (I buy at Trader Joe’s).
- Marinate in refrigerator for 12-24 hours. You can marinate in a 9×13 pan or in a Ziploc bag.
- You don’t have fresh chives? You can use green onions.
- Or make a specialty rice (my nutty brown rice recipe will be posted soon on the blog).
- Love the option of either grilling the meat or you can bake it in the oven (but of course will not get those cool grill marks that grilling gives).
- Yes, you can take the marinade and make a sauce. NOTE: It must be boiled for 5 minutes first to destroy any harmful bacteria. You can thicken the sauce and drizzle over the chicken!
Storage
The leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. I put in an airtight container and reheat it on the stovetop or even in the airfyer (it might be a little messy). We really love the chicken cold on a big green salad the next day.
How to serve Coconut Milk Chicken Thighs
When our friends came for dinner last week, we had these thighs marinating in the fridge, and we whipped up a big green salad and put a loaf of whole-wheat bread in the oven. Oh, and then we had this amazing cake (just a small piece) for dessert!
Serve with a cucumber salad or this chicken recipe is amazing served with this Asian Chicken Cranberry Salad (minus the chicken). The dressing is spot on!
- Brown rice
- Scallions, finely sliced
- Toasted coconut
- Walnuts
- Craisins
- Salt & pepper
- Your favorite seasoning
- Olive oil
You may want to also try these chicken recipes:
- Lemon Parmesan Chicken
- Pineapple Chipotle Chicken Tacos
- Super easy Baked Apricot Greek Yogurt Chicken Thighs
- Greek Style Chicken Drumsticks with coconut vinegar
Get the Recipe:
Coconut Milk Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 1-2 lb. Chicken thighs, boneless, trimmed
- ⅔ cup soy sauce, or coconut aminos
- 1 13 oz can coconut milk
- ¾ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2-3 cloves pressed garlic
- 3-4 bay leaves
- 2 tsp. white ground pepper
- Fresh chives, finely chopped
- Fresh lime quarters, for serving
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add the soy sauce, coconut milk, apple cider vinegar, bay leaf, and white pepper and whisk together. Add the chives but leave some out for garnishing chicken after it’s grilled.
- Add the chicken to the marinade and refrigerator for 12-24 hours. You can marinate in a 9×13 pan or in a Ziploc bag.
- Grill the chicken, and sprinkle with fresh cut chives; serve with Fruit and Nutty Brown Rice. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lime.
- Bake the chicken: Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
- Serve with rice, a sprinkle of chives and lime wedges!
Notes
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
Can you use bone in thighs?
Yes you can!
Hi. Would this work if making it in the oven? I live in an apartment, so no grill. If so, what temp do you recommend?
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Check for doneness!
This is delicious, but with all these ingredients, it screams spice. Red pepper flakes would be best to add heat but not interfere with all the flavors. I would make it again.
It’s basically chicken adobo with coconut milk. Nice addition though! I made coconut rice to serve it over with veggies.
Hey There–It looks like you have a sauce on top of the chicken. Did you reserve some of the marinade to do this or is it something different? I think that my family would like this but they would probably enjoy a little sauce :)
Yes, exactly! We added in the tip to the recipe about reusing the marinade. NOTE: You have to boil it 5 minutes first (read the tips). Thanks for asking!
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The side looks so yummy! Is there a recipe for that??
Yes, Kelly, and I added the link to the rice! :)
I successfully made this tonight! I halved the coconut and the apple cider vinegar and marinaded for 20 hours. It was moist and had a subtle coconut flavor.
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Sounds delicious. I’ve recently switched from cooking with chicken breasts to chicken thighs which used to gross me out but now I’ve realized how much more flavorful and tender and meat in the thighs is!
Hi Sandy, would you please share the recipe for the side dish you served with your chicken? I would love to try this too.
Okay I’ll admit it I’m a dork and don’t eat chicken with bones, but I am so making this recipe with chicken breasts this weekend. Num-A-liscious!
This looked so good that I just had to try it for dinner tonight. I only had time to let it marinate for about 3 hours but it was really good. The meat from the thigh is more tender (I think) than the breast. The coconut flavor was very mild-not overwhelming. Thanks for a new dish for the grill!
BTW Thanks for the shout out on your facebook page. I’ve gotten over 100 views! Emma
Oh Yum! What a great marinade! I was just trying to think of an easy way to use a spare can of coconut milk in my pantry. I will def give this one a try! Thanks!
I was going to ask the same thing as Kirstin….is the coconut mild? I think I’ll love this dish. Also about how many pounds of thighs did you use?
Hmmmm…sounds good. can you taste the coconut flavor or is it pretty mild. We haven’t done any outdoor entertaining yet. Well, I take that back. Mother’s Day was beautiful and we had my inlaws up. At the last minute we decided to set up a table outside and enjoy our meal on the covered back porch. So nice and enjoyable
Hi Sandy- I stumbled upon your blog today while looking for books on Amazon. I purchased your book and immediately googled your blog! Your blog is lovely, and your entertaining advice is wonderful! I love to entertain and plan parties, and always feel like everything has to perfect. I have spent the past hour reading your summer entertaining series and I love it! I am going to lighten up and not stress so much about entertaining! You have a new fan, and I am looking forward to reading your book when it arrives! :-)
Looks good. I like most every dish that has coconut milk in it. I have to go back and find that dessert recipe too.
Darla
This looks yummy Sandy! Can’t wait to try it. I buy the big bags of skinless boneless thighs from Costco. The chicken thighs are much moister grilled than breasts.