Juicy chicken breasts are smothered in a creamy sauce that’s bursting with bright and fresh flavors! The coconut lime sauce is good enough to slurp with a spoon, and the whole recipe is made in one skillet.
This is one of my One Pot Meals recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
If you’re anything like me, you love chicken, but get tired of the same old chicken recipes on repeat. It happens to all of us!
This is a recipe that’ll break you out of that funk in no time.
The flavors are bold and smooth, and it’s made in one pan (hooray for less dishes)!
Another thing I love about this coconut lime chicken is that it’s mild in heat level, so the kiddos can enjoy it too.
Why you’ll love this recipe!
- Easy – who doesn’t love a one pan meal?
- Family-friendly – a lot of recipes like this one have spicy ingredients added, which means for younger family members you’d have to adjust things. Not with this recipe!
- Bold – despite the mild heat level, the flavors are bold and rich.
What do I need to make this recipe?
- Chicken – this recipe was tested and developed using boneless skinless chicken breasts. Other types of chicken can be used, you just need to adjust the cooking time.
- Spices – in this recipe these are salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Olive oil – this is used to cook the chicken in, but avocado oil is a good substitute.
- Lime juice and zest – this recipe utilizes both parts of a lime, so I don’t recommend using bottled juice instead, as then you wouldn’t have the zest.
- Honey – this just adds a touch of sweetness to balance out the tartness of the lime.
- Garlic – fresh garlic is preferred, but if you would like, you could use about 1 tsp garlic paste, or 1/2 tsp garlic powder.
- Ginger – like as above, fresh ginger is preferred, but if you would like, you could use about 1/2 tsp dried ginger.
- Coconut milk – I’ve only tested this recipe with canned coconut milk, so I can’t say for certain if other types of coconut milk would work just as well.
- Cornstarch – this is mixed with a bit of cold water to form a slurry, which is used to thicken the sauce.
- Cilantro – this adds freshness and a unique flavor, and is added towards the end.
How to make coconut lime chicken:
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Sear chicken. You want the chicken to be cooked through, and golden brown. Don’t clean out the pan afterwards!
- Cook aromatics. To the same skillet, add the garlic and ginger and cook less than a minute, add then lime juice and honey.
- Add coconut milk. Make sure you shake the can extremely well, so the milk is smooth.
- Thicken sauce. Adding the cornstarch slurry will thicken the sauce beautifully, then add the cilantro and lime zest.
- Finish. Return the chicken breasts to the pan, spooning some sauce over the top.
Helpful Tip!
After searing the chicken in the skillet, don’t wipe it out or clean it. All those browned bits on the bottom of the skillet add so much flavor to the sauce. However, if you have a lot of burned, black bits, those should be discarded.
Variations of this recipe
- Chicken – if you’d like to use a different type of chicken than boneless skinless chicken breasts, you’re certainly welcome to. Please keep in mind this may require altering the cook time a bit.
- Balance of flavors – if you’d like the sauce to be a bit more tart, or a bit more sweet, you can play around with the amounts of lime juice and/or honey.
- Coconut milk alternatives – you could swap out the canned coconut milk for some heavy cream with a tiny bit of coconut extract, or you can play around with other dairy-free alternatives. Just know that these aren’t tested, and may alter the flavor.
- Other proteins – I think this sauce would also be delicious on pork, shrimp, or even tofu.
FAQ’s
I would say yes, as the chicken will last several days. If you plan on serving it with rice or other sides, I would store those separately though.
Making chicken ahead of time
I found that this recipe tasted best when made fresh, but you can absolutely prep ahead!
- Chicken – you can trim the chicken breasts to your liking, then store in the refrigerator for a day or so.
- Garlic and ginger – both the garlic and ginger can be minced/grated and stored in the refrigerator.
- Spices – these can be combined and stored at room temperature.
- Cilantro – this can be chopped and stored in the refrigerator.
Storage
Leftover chicken should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
More Easy Chicken Recipes:
My Favorite Enameled Cast Iron Skillet!
Any heavy bottomed skillet will work for this recipe, but I love using cast iron (specifically enameled cast iron) because they last forever and give the chicken a great sear!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts trimmed of excess fat
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika any variety, but we use sweet most often
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup lime juice fresh is best
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 Tbsp ginger paste (or an equal amount of grated fresh ginger)
- 13.66 oz can coconut milk full fat is recommended
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 Tbsp lime zest
Instructions
Prepare chicken
- Pat 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts dry with paper towels, then season both sides evenly on both sides with 1 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp paprika.
Sear
- Heat a large skillet over MED/MED-HIGH heat. Once hot, add 2 Tbsp olive oil.
- Carefully add the seasoned chicken breasts and cook for 4-5 minutes per side, or until golden brown and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Remove chicken to a plate and cover loosely with foil.
Make sauce
- Reduce the heat to MED, then add 3 cloves garlic, and 1 Tbsp ginger paste and cook, stirring often, for about 30 seconds.
- Add 1/4 cup lime juice, and 2 Tbsp honey and stir well. Cook another 30 seconds or so.
- Pour in 13.66 oz can coconut milk, using a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan to pick up any browned bits (these are pure flavor!).
Thicken sauce
- To a small mixing bowl, add 2 Tbsp cornstarch and about 3 Tbsp cold water. Whisk until smooth.
- Pour that mixture into the pan, stirring/whisking continuously. Simmer sauce for a few minutes, until sauce has thickened to your liking.
Finish and serve
- Stir in 1/4 cup fresh cilantro and 1 Tbsp lime zest, then return chicken breasts to the pan.
- Let sauce simmer another minute or two to warm the chicken back up, then spoon some of the sauce over the top of the chicken breasts.
- Serve hot, garnished with additional chopped cilantro, lime slices/wedges, and enjoy!
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Chef Tips
- I’ve estimated this recipe serves 4, but the exact serving size and number of servings are up to you.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
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