Coconut Lime Chicken

This Indonesian inspired chicken dish got a definite "thumbs" up from my teens last night!  It was super easy to make which was great because I was playing taxi cab driver back and forth across town for one of my kids.  You just throw the marinade together and shove the chicken in it, then grill it up when you get your brood all back together under the same roof.  

Anything with coconut, lime and cilantro is automatically going to get my vote, because that flavor profile just rocks!  And then with the addition of a spicy kick?  Yes, please!  This dish is adapted from a recipe found in Fine Cooking, Winter 2006.

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Ingredients:

• 1 package of skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 3 Tbsp canola oil
• zest of 1 large lime
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 - 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 3/4 cup canned coconut milk
• juice of 1 lime
• optional - 1 serrano pepper, finely minced or cut into thin slivers
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Step-by-step:


Prep the chicken -
Carefully cut the chicken breasts in half, as if you were butterflying them.

Cut them completely in half.

Put them in a gallon sized zip top bag.

 Pound them to the same thickness.

Make the marinade -
Add all of the marinade ingredients together in a bowl.

3 Tbsp canola oil

zest of one lime

1 tsp cumin

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

3 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp curry powder

3/4 cup coconut milk

juice of 1 lime

Add marinade to the chicken -
Just dump it right in the bag with the chicken.  This makes clean up a breeze!

Squeeze all the air out and allow the chicken to marinate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.  Use this time to continue your "Mom's Taxi Service" gig! Then come home and cook!

Ready-set-go!

Get your pan really hot.  I am using my grill pan because I think the grill marks look so pretty on the chicken.  Spray it with nonstick cooking spray or a splash of oil.

non-stick cooking spray

Using tongs (because I can't stand to touch that chicken) remove the chicken from the marinade and add to the pan.

 Allow some room in between them.  You may have to cook in two batches.  This is a 12" pan.

Can you see all the beautiful spices and lime zest on the chicken?!

 Now pour the remaining marinade into a small saucepan.

Bring to a FULL BOIL for at least 3 minutes.  This will make it safe to eat.  If you are really nervous about this, just double the marinade recipe and divide before putting the chicken into it.

Don't move the chicken around once you add it to the pan.  Just chill out and let it stay put for a few minutes.  See the nice color on here? 

While the chicken is cooking - 

So while you are NOT moving around your chicken in the pan, get your other stuff ready. Prepare some fresh lime wedges - because you MUST squeeze some of this over each dish when you serve it.

Chop your fresh cilantro to sprinkle over the top.

THINLY slice your Serrano pepper.  One pepper goes a LONG way!  I added this to my dish, but not to the kids' dishes.  If your family really likes heat, you could mince these and add them to the marinade, but I know that would have been too hot for my kids.

Now serve -

I served the grilled chicken breasts over rice with the sauce drizzled over the top, fresh lime wedges, thin slices of Serrano peppers, and chopped fresh cilantro.

Enjoy!!

Written Method:

The prep for this dish takes all of about 10 minutes.  Slice chicken breasts in half, as if you were butterflying them.  Place them in a gallon zip top bag and flatten them uniformly with a meat pounder (or heavy pan, or wine bottle, etc).   

In a bowl, add all of the marinade ingredients together:  oil, lime zest, cumin, soy sauce, salt, sugar, curry powder, coconut milk, lime juice, and Serrano pepper if you are using one.  This marinade may taste pretty salty to you right now, but once we put it over the chicken and bland rice, it will balance out.  Pour the marinade over the chicken in the zip top bag, squeeze the air out and allow to marinade at least 30 minutes, or preferably up to 2 hours in the fridge.  (I allowed one hour.) 

After marinating, grill the chicken over moderately high heat in a pan with a bit of cooking spray or canola oil in it.  Get the pan really hot before you add the meat.  You want it to sear.  Allow to sit without moving it for several minutes on each side until just cooked.  The time will depend on the thickness of the meat.  While cooking the meat,  add the marinade to a small saucepan and bring to a full boil for at least 2-3 minutes.  This is sufficient to kill all of the bacteria in it.  Or you could double the marinade, divide in two, and just toss the part that you used for the chicken. 

Serve the chicken and a drizzle of the sauce over rice with chopped cilantro and fresh lime wedges.  This is a very important part, as these flavors bring balance and brightness to the dish.

Looking for more recipes like this one?
Please visit my Recipe Index for tons of ideas!  Almost all of them have step-by-step photos and some even have video tutorials!  Here are a few more Asian ideas to start with:

Sesame Shrimp and Asparagus Stir Fry 

 Vietnames Style Lettuce Cups

 Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli

 Steamed Asian Dumplings

 Crab Rangoons

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