Creamy Coconut Lime Chicken

Coconut and lime is such an under-represented flavour combination. It’s one of my favourites though, especially in this context. Follow me…

Pan-Fried Chicken Breast

We’ll talk about the sauce in just a sec, but first let’s quickly go over what’s going down with the chicken. When it comes to preparation, you’ll simply want to slice and season it. Slicing the chicken breasts will create 4 even-sized breasts, which in turn will cook quicker and more evenly. When seasoning the chicken I like to add in flour. This will help provide the chicken with a nice golden crust, which in turn helps the sauce cling to the chicken.

Frying the chicken

Because you’ve halved the breasts they won’t take long to cook. Plus they’ll carry on cooking slightly as they rest and when placed back in the pan. To add to the coconut flavour of the dish I love frying the chicken in coconut oil. However, you can sub another cooking oil if you don’t have it. Process shots: slice chicken (photos 1&2), dredge in seasoned flour (photos 3&4), fry (photos 5&6).

Creamy Coconut Lime Sauce

The sauce is incredibly simple to make and will start with the leftover fat in the pan. Here’s what you’ll need:

Shallots, ginger and garlic – these create a flavour base for the sauce. Chilli flakes – add a kick of spice to balance the tangy, creamy sauce. Chicken stock – adds a savoury tone and helps create the sauce. Coconut cream – this will be the base of the sauce. Soy sauce – seasons the sauce with salt and adds savoury flavour to balance the sweet coconut cream. Lime juice – make sure it’s fresh lime juice.

Another ‘bonus’ ingredient is the resting juices from the chicken. As it rests, you’ll notice a pool form around it. This is flavour, so don’t waste it! I find the flavours in the sauce develop as it thickens, so don’t leave it watery. It’s really easy to adjust this sauce to your preference too. Don’t be afraid to add more spice or lime juice if you think it needs it! Process shots: remove chicken (photo 1), fry shallots (photo 2), fry garlic, ginger and chilli flakes (photo 3), add stock and coconut cream (photo 4), stir in soy sauce and lime juice (photo 5), add chicken back in (photo 6).

How ‘limey’ is this dish?

This is completely in your control. I typically use between 1 1/2 – 2 tbsp lime juice, which gives a nice tangy flavour.

Where can I find coconut cream?

You’ll find it in cartons in most supermarkets. I use Blue Dragon, but some supermarkets will stock their own brand.

Can I use low-fat coconut cream?

I don’t recommend this as it risks curdling from the lime juice. Plus you need the richness of the full-fat coconut cream to balance the tangy flavour of the lime.

Can I use coconut milk instead?

I use coconut cream because it’s much thicker and has a fuller flavour. I haven’t tried it, but I imagine you could sub full-fat coconut cream and just spend longer simmering and reducing it down.

Serving Coconut Lime Chicken

To serve, my natural instinct is to go with rice. To film I actually used some Sweet Chilli & Lime microwavable rice and stir fried it with some baby sweetcorn and mangetout. I also highly recommend finishing with some coriander/coriander. This really brings the whole dish together (obviously don’t add it if you think it tastes like soap). Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this creamy coconut lime chicken shall we?!