Lemongrass Chicken Thighs
A flavorful weeknight dinner served with black rice and veggies, enjoy this one-pot Lemongrass Chicken Thighs with Coconut Curry.
We love this Lemongrass Chicken Thighs recipe, a one-pot meal served with rice and veggies, for an easy weeknight dinner!
Lemongrass Chicken Thighs
This Lemongrass Coconut Chicken Curry has a flavorful punch of spice, creamy coconut, curry powder, and smashed lemongrass. It has become a dish served on our weekday menu roation, and we think you will love it, too. You may also want to try our Coconut Milk Chicken Thighs recipe. Or if you like chicken legs with coconut vinegar, try our Greek Style Chicken Drumsticks.
Ingredients for Lemongrass Curry Chicken
The Coconut Lemongrass Chicken marinade is so easy to prepare ahead. Let the chicken sit overnight, and then it’s ready to cook for company!
- Fresh ginger, garlic, and lemongrass
- Spice: Turmeric powder, Garam Masala, cinnamon, and cayenne
- Coconut milk
- Lime juice
- Coconut or brown sugar
- Kosher salt
- Avocado or canola oil
- Chicken: skinless, boneless chicken thighs
What to serve with lemongrass chicken
- Cilantro leaves
- Seared or roasted vegetables
- Lime wedges
- Crispy shallots (optional)
- Rice (we love black rice)
How do you make Lemongrass Chicken Thighs
- Finely grate or mince ginger, lemongrass, and garlic into a medium bowl. Add coconut milk, tumeric, grand masala, cinnamon, chili oil (or cayenne mixture), lime juice, brown or coconut sugar, salt, and 2 Tbsp avocado oil; whisk to combine. Add chicken and toss to coat. Let chicken marinate at least an hour at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator. NOTE: The coconut milk will harden, but it will melt when heated again.
- In a large skillet over high heat, pour in oil for searing—enough to almost coat the bottom. Remove chicken from marinade, and scrape any excess off. Sear the chicken thighs on each side, then pour in the remaining marinade and bring to a boil. After liquid boils, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer the chicken.
- The liquid will reduce in volume and become thicker; use it to top your rice and vegetables. Enjoy!
Le Creuset Signature Cast Iron Round Skillet
Made in our favorite Le Creuset Signature Cast Iron Round Skillet: 10-1/4 inches.
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Tips and substitutions:
- To use lemongrass in marinades, stir-fries, salads, spice rubs, and curry pastes, trim the top and base of the stalks—you want to use only the bottom 4 inches or so. Then peel off any dry or tough outer layers before finely chopping or mincing.
- What part of lemongrass do you use? To use fresh lemongrass in your cooking, always cut off the lower bulb and remove tough outer leaves. The main stalk (the yellow section) is what is used in Thai cooking.
- You can swap out the chicken thighs for chicken breasts, but you will need to cook the dish longer.
How do you serve lemongrass chicken thighs?
Serve with brown rice, white rice, or black (forbidden) rice.
Also serve with warm, crusty bread. Follow the tip how to bake “frozen” bread.
How to bake frozen bread
How easy is winter hosting? Easy! Make a one-pot meal, serve a salad, and pop a loaf of frozen or defrosted bread in the oven.
Did you know you can bake a loaf of frozen bread? Try cooking it at around 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Or, if you pick up a loaf from the grocery store (like a round loaf), then cook heat? it for about 10-15 minutes.
A baguette, of course, would only take 8-12 minutes, depending on the size.
Hosting for me is spiritual, joyous, and even festive, when I’m connected with the reason why I’m hosting. Bringing people together is important because our world needs more of it–we need each other, and we need to sit and listen and laugh and enjoy one another.
Enjoy this cozy, winter meal, and make a dinner invite this week!
More chicken thigh recipes to try:
One Pan Barbecue Sauce Chicken Thighs
20-minute Chicken Picata recipe!
Get the Recipe:
Lemongrass Curry Coconut Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 1 3 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
- 3 garlic cloves, minced (or paste)
- 2 Tbsp lemongrass paste, or fresh and finely chopped
- ½ Tbsp turmeric powder
- 1 Tbsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 15 oz can coconut milk
- 1 Tbsp chili oil, or 1 Tbsp olive oil mixed with 1 tsp cayenne
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 2 Tbsp coconut or brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt
- 2 Tbsp avocado or canola oil, plus some for searing
- 2 ½ lbs skinless boneless chicken thighs
For serving
- ½ cup cilantro leaves
- Seared vegetables
- Lime wedges
- Crispy shallots, optional
- Rice
Instructions
- Finely grate or mince ginger, lemongrass, and garlic into a medium bowl. Add coconut milk, tumeric, grand masala, cinnamon, chili oil (or cayenne mixture), lime juice, brown or coconut sugar, salt, and 2 Tbsp avocado oil; whisk to combine. Add chicken and toss to coat. Let chicken marinate at least an hour at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator. The coconut milk will harden, but it will melt when heated again.
- In a large skillet over high heat, pour in oil for searing—enough to almost coat the bottom. Remove chicken from marinade, and scrape any excess off. Sear the chicken thighs for 2 minutes each side, then pour in the remaining marinade and bring to a boil. After liquid boils, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer the chicken thighs for 25 minutes.
- The liquid will reduce in volume and become thicker; use it to top your rice and vegetables. Enjoy!
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...
The recipe is simple and the flavors were tremendous! This is a very tasty chicken dish.
I think the chicken thighs are terrific for this dish; if you are thinking about trading out the thighs for all white meat chicken, don’t do it.
There is so much flavor in the dish, I wish that I didn’t squeeze the decorative lime in when I plated the meal. And again, so much flavor, I think it only needs a little bit of cilantro on top.
The second time I made the dish, we served it with carrots instead of the grilled veggies.
This recipe is a keeper!