Coconut Milk Chicken Thighs Recipe
Coconut Milk Chicken Thighs recipe is a great weeknight meal, delicious served with a Fruit and Nutty Brown Rice and sliced cucumbers.
Hey Friends! If you’re not a “reluctant entertainer,” have fun hosting this week. If you are, here are a few tips to make entertaining a little easier for you. But first, what do you serve? I say an easy chicken dish. Everyone loves chicken, and this Coconut Milk Chicken Thighs Recipe can’t get any easier.
Coconut Milk Chicken Thighs Recipe
And, I must say it’s good enough for company. I love keeping chicken thighs in the freezer, for recipes like this. It’s affordable and delicious! If you love to cook with coconut milk, then you may want to try this Lemongrass Curry Coconut Chicken Thighs recipe, too!
Tips and substitutions for coconut milk chicken thighs
Welcome to our newest go-to summer marinade for chicken.
- Swap out the protein for shrimp, or flank or skirt steak.
- Make the chicken and serve with brown or Jasmine rice.
- 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!
- 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!
Buy these simple ingredients
Let’s dive in. Here are the ingredients you will need for Coconut Milk Chicken Thighs.
- Chicken thighs
- Soy sauce
- Coconut milk
- Cider vinegar
- Pressed garlic
- Bay leaves
- White ground pepper
- Fresh chives
- Lime
This is what I mean by “easy chicken recipe.”
- Mix soy sauce, coconut milk, cider vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, and white ground pepper together in a bowl. Add fresh chives, but leave some chives out for garnishing the chicken after it’s grilled.
- Marinate chicken in refrigerator for 12-24 hours. We use the “Ziploc” method.
- Grill the chicken; sprinkle with fresh cut chives.
- Serve with brown rice.
How do you marinate the chicken thighs?
Easy!
- Marinate in a 9×13 pan (covered) or in a sealed Ziploc bag.
- Place in the fridge for 12-24 hours.
How do you serve coconut milk chicken thighs?
And what about the Brown Rice? We love this easy savory (and sweet) rice recipe. Recipe coming soon on the blog!
- Brown rice
- Scallions, finely sliced
- Toasted coconut
- Walnuts
- Craisins
- Salt & pepper
- Your favorite seasoning
- Olive oil
This also makes a great weeknight dinner!
You may want to also try these chicken recipes:
Pineapple Chipotle Chicken Tacos
Super easy Baked Apricot Greek Yogurt Chicken Thighs
Greek Style Chicken Drumsticks with coconut vinegar
My 8 Entertaining tips:
Here are a few things you DON’T want to do …
- Don’t over-schedule yourself the day that you are hosting. Make sure to have enough time to cook, set the table, and possibly create last minute touches that make you happy!
- Don’t plan a sit-down meal if it stresses you out! Serve buffet-style; it’s super-easy, and everyone feels right at home dishing up their own food and keeping it casual. [Or, set out a board, like a baked potato board or a chili board.]
- Don’t cook something that you are not familiar with, if that stresses you out. Make a recipe you know, so you can be “present” for your guests.
- Don’t think that silence is a good thing. A little background music is always a must to set the tone, the mood, and can really add to the in-between-moments where no one is talking!
- Don’t worry about every detail–no one is going to inspect your home, or check out your bedroom, or look in the cupboards.
- Don’t talk too much (if you’re an extrovert). Learn to listen more, so you don’t miss out on cool conversation, or learning something about someone else.
- Don’t go into the evening thinking that everything will be perfect. It never will be, and you’re setting yourself up for huge disappointments. Go with the flow, and relax!
- Trust that the people coming over are coming to get to know you, that they are just as interested in investing in your life as you are in theirs!
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!
So good!
Get the Recipe:
Coconut Milk Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 1-2 lb. Chicken thighs, boneless, trimmed
- ⅔ cup soy sauce
- 1 can, 13 1/2 ounce coconut milk
- ¾ cup cider vinegar
- Pressed garlic
- 3-4 bay leaves
- 2 tsp. white ground pepper
- Fresh chives, finely chopped
- Fresh lime quarters
Instructions
- Mix together. Leave some chives out for garnishing chicken after it’s grilled.
- Marinate in refrigerator for 12-24 hours. You can marinate in a 9x13 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.
- Optional to bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
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.