Coconut Milk Braised Chicken
This Braised Coconut Milk Chicken is an easy, one-pot recipe that’s ready in about an hour. There’s creamy coconut milk, mild yellow Thai curry paste, aromatic ginger and garlic, and plenty of lime and cilantro on top.
Braising chicken in a coconut milk-based curry sauce infuses it with SO much flavor and makes it fall-apart tender. I often add Yukon Gold potatoes to the pot and serve it over fragrant jasmine rice, but you can add pretty much any vegetables you like!
“Holy smokes this is so good! I’ve tried a lot of curry recipes at home and this one is by far the best. Can’t wait try some other recipes!” – Alex, So Much Food reader
Table of contents
Cooking Chicken in Coconut Milk Keeps It Super Tender
I’m an avid lover of all things related to Thai cuisine and Thai flavors, and this braised coconut milk chicken is unreal. The recipe was born out of random pantry ingredients and some staples I keep on hand like shallots, garlic, ginger, some kind of spicy chile, and chicken.
I love this recipe because it’s a one-pan wonder that feels way more elegant than it actually is. Lots of big, bold flavors come together in this super easy weeknight dinner that really only requires a handful of ingredients.
Be sure to serve it over jasmine rice with lots of cilantro (or even Thai basil!) and lime for squeezing.
If you love the flavor of this chicken cooked in coconut milk, be sure to try my coconut braised beef next!
Tools Needed
Ingredient Notes
You can find the full list of ingredients, quantities, and method in the recipe card at the end of the page.
- Chicken thighs. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs become meltingly tender as they braise in the coconut milk sauce, while the exposed skin gets super crispy. Avoid using chicken breasts, which are more prone to overcooking.
- Aromatics. Fresh shallots, garlic, and ginger infuse the braising liquid with tons of flavor.
- Serrano pepper. This type of pepper has a medium-hot spice that adds tons of flavor. If spice is sometimes too much for you, omit the sliced serranos from the recipe.
- Yellow curry paste. This recipe gets tons of its flavor from Thai curry paste (this is my favorite brand). You could very easily swap in a different curry paste, but yellow is one of my favorites. (Note that red, green, and Panang curry paste usually contain shrimp paste, so keep that in mind for any shellfish allergies!)
- Canned coconut milk. Use full-fat coconut milk for the richest, silkiest sauce.
- Brown sugar. You need a little sweetness to balance out the spicy serrano and salty fish sauce.
- Fish sauce. It’s tangy, salty, and loaded with umami flavor. It will NOT make your chicken taste even remotely fishy. Choose a quality brand for the best flavor (I like Red Boat).
- Potatoes. Bulk up the dish and give the chicken something to rest on so the skin can peep through the coconut milk sauce and crisp up.
How to Braise Chicken in Coconut Milk
- Prep the chicken so it gets super crispy later on. My tried and true method is to pull the chicken out of its packaging at least an hour, up to 8 hours, ahead of cooking and place it on a plate or small baking sheet lined with paper towels. I do paper towels on the bottom, then place the chicken thighs in a single layer, and cover with more paper towels. This means the chicken skin is very dry ahead of searing it. Water is the enemy of crispy skin!
- Sear the chicken until golden. When you place your chicken in the pan to sear, don’t move it around. Leave it where it is and allow the heat and time to do its work. If after 3-4 minutes I notice that my pan has hot spots, then I’ll rotate the chicken around the pan every so often to make sure each piece is browning evenly.
- Sauté the aromatics. Cook the garlic, ginger, serranos, and shallots in the fat rendered from the chicken. This adds so much flavor! Then, add the curry paste and cook for about a minute to wake it up.
- Finish and braise. Add the remaining ingredients, then pop the entire skillet into the oven and braise uncovered for about an hour. You’ll know it’s done when the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked through.
Jenny’s Tips for Recipe Success
Choose an oven-safe skillet or braiser with a wide bottom. If I’m braising larger cuts of meat, I’ll typically use a Dutch oven for the job, but since we’re braising chicken thighs an actual braiser with shallow sides and a wide bottom is key. This lets us cook the chicken in a single layer with the skin exposed so the middle becomes super tender and juicy without submerging the skin in the coconut milk and making the skin soggy.
Don’t use coconut milk from a carton! It’s far too watery and will not work in this dish.
Fresh aromatics make all the difference. Sometimes you can get away with swapping fresh aromatics for garlic powder, onion powder, etc. but this is NOT one of those recipes. Fresh aromatics are a hallmark of Thai cooking, and this coconut milk chicken is no exception.
If you do give this recipe a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about & seeing your SMF creations!
More Easy Thai Curry Recipes
- Thai Pork Panang Curry
- 30-Minute Thai Red Pumpkin Curry
- Chicken Curry Noodle Soup
- Thai Green Curry Meatballs
This post may contain affiliate links from which I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Affiliate links allow me to keep providing great recipes for free and I never recommend products that I don’t love and personally own.
Braised Coconut Milk Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 – 2 lbs. bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- salt and pepper , to taste
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 2 shallots , thinly sliced
- 5 garlic cloves , thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 serrano , thinly sliced and stem discarded
- 2 tablespoons Thai yellow curry paste
- 3 cups full-fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water
- 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes , peeled and cubed
For serving:
- cilantro
- lime wedges
- sliced serrano
- steamed jasmine rice
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 350ºF. Pat the chicken thighs very dry with paper towels and season all over with salt and pepper.
- Sear the chicken. Heat the oil in a large cast-iron or oven-safe skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Working in batches if needed, add the chicken skin-side down and cook until the fat is rendered and the skin is golden-brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate, skin side up. Pour out the rendered fat, except for 1 tablespoon, and let the pan cool slightly.
- Sauté the aromatics. Return the pan to medium heat and add the sliced shallot, garlic, ginger, and serranos and cook for 2-3 minutes while stirring often until soft. Add the curry paste and cook for another minute or two while stirring, until the curry paste is very fragrant.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Add the coconut milk and scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan while bringing the sauce to a simmer. Add the brown sugar, fish sauce, and cornstarch slurry and simmer the sauce for another 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper to taste.
- Braise. Arrange the cubed potatoes in the pan and stir so that they're coated with the sauce. Gently nestle the chicken back into the pan, skin-side up, in a single layer taking care to ensure that the skin isn't submerged. Transfer the whole skillet to the oven uncovered and bake for 1 hour, or until the potatoes are very tender. Remove the skillet from the oven.
- Garnish and serve. Before serving, top with cilantro, lime, and sliced serranos. Serve over steamed rice.
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Rate & Review This Recipe
Made the Coconut Milk-Braised Chicken last night for dinner. This recipe was so delicious and easy to make. I was worried that this would stick to the bottom of the pan while in the oven but it didn’t. This was a beautiful and tasty dish. I had never cooked with Curry Paste before – so glad I did. Partner and I are looking forward to the leftovers. Thank you again!!!! 🙂
Xavier,
Man you are really working through my recipes! I love it! Thank you for supporting and I’m so happy you and your partner enjoyed the recipe!
Enjoyed this recipe immensely. A few small tweaks… namely braised the chicken until a temp of about 180 F for a softer texture, but flavor was excellent! Thank you Jenny.
Thank you so much Mike!
Another delicious recipe from your website! We added broccoli, mushroom, red pepper and carrots. The next time I make this ( and there will be many more of this for dinner) I’m going to try Japanese sweet potatoes. I only had 3 Yukon potatoes, and felt that it was plenty
Thank you so much! I love the addition of all the veggies–so smart!
Holy smokes this is so good! I’ve tried a lot of curry recipes at home and this one is by far the best. Can’t wait try some other recipes!
So happy you enjoyed it! It’s one of my favorite recipes.