Thai Coconut Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 teaspoons coconut oil, divided
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
- 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
- 1 fresh chile de arbol, seeded and minced
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
- 1 (7 ounce) can coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
Directions
- Mix the chicken with the minced garlic in a bowl.
- Heat 2 teaspoons coconut oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Fry bell pepper in hot oil until beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl.
- Heat remaining 2 teaspoons of coconut oil in the wok and reduce heat to medium. Cook the chicken in hot oil until no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes.
- Return bell pepper to the wok; add the cilantro, chile pepper, soy sauce, lemon zest, and ginger; continue to stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes more.
- Pour the coconut milk over the chicken stir-fry; add the brown sugar and stir to dissolve. Reduce heat to low, bring to a simmer, and cook until the sauce thickens slightly, 13 to 15 minutes.
If gluten is a concern, switch out the soy sauce for a gluten-free alternative such as tamari.
Reviews
What others are saying
Kaylee Adams says:
Tamari was the perfect alternative for soy sauce. I used dried cayenne instead of chile de arbol, it usually works well as a substitute. Perfect recipe, especially with basmati rice.
Steven Gomes says:
Made Thai coconut shrimp instead of chicken. So much flavor and perfect when served with Jasmine rice. Only thing I changed was I left out the brown sugar.
Anthony Cohen says:
Made this dish using tamari instead of soy sauce. Love the different gluten free options. The coconut chicken was fantastic, and paired perfectly with rice. I also added some Thai red curry.
George Delamea says:
This is a solid, if simple, stir-fry. I used a serrano pepper. It was what I could find.
Randall Hauk says:
I have to admit that I did not use the same chile here, because I've never seen one fresh (to my knowledge) and prefer the Fresno chile in my thai food. Made this for my own lunch one day because being a small-town Michigander somehow led to me feeling like Thai was my "comfort food." The zest did okay, but I think next time I might use some juice too and maybe flip the soy sauce for some fish sauce. The soy simply doesn't quite bring as much to the party as does fish sauce. Try that, too!