Coconut Milk Chicken Thighs recipe is a great weeknight meal, delicious served with a Fruit and Nutty Brown Rice and sliced cucumbers.

coconut milk chicken thighs with cucumber

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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!

chicken and rice on a plate

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!
     
     

ingredients for coconut milk chicken thighs

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

a serving on a plate of coconut milk chicken thighs with cucumber

This is what I mean by “easy chicken recipe.”

  1. 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.
  2. Marinate chicken in refrigerator for 12-24 hours. We use the “Ziploc” method.
  3. Grill the chicken; sprinkle with fresh cut chives.
  4. Serve with brown rice.

marinade for coconut milk chicken thighs

How do you marinate the chicken thighs?

Easy!

  1. Marinate in a 9×13 pan (covered) or in a sealed Ziploc bag.
  2. Place in the fridge for 12-24 hours.

serving of coconut milk chicken thighs with cucumber

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

fork bite of chicken

This also makes a great weeknight dinner!

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

My 8 Entertaining tips:

Here are a few things you DON’T want to do …

  1. 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!
  2. 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.]
  3. 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.
  4. 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!
  5. Don’t worry about every detail–no one is going to inspect your home, or check out your bedroom, or look in the cupboards.
  6. 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.
  7. 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!
  8. 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!

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!

So good!

serving of coconut milk chicken thighs with cucumber
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Coconut Milk Chicken Thighs

This Coconut Milk Chicken Thighs Recipe is a great weeknight meal, and delicious served with Fruit and Nutty Brown Rice.
NOTE: Yes, you can take the marinade and make a sauce. It must be boiled for 5 minutes first to destroy any harmful bacteria. You can thicken the sauce and drizzle over the chicken!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4
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Ingredients
 

  • 1-2 lb. Chicken thighs, boneless, trimmed
  • 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

Reposted from May 2012.
Cuisine: American
Course: Main Course
Did you make this recipe?Tag @reluctantentertainer on Instagram and hashtag it #reluctantentertainer!

coconut milk chicken thighs with sauce