One Pot Coconut Chicken and Rice
How was your weekend, dear reader. Milo is *STILL* battling a cold and is SUPER grumpy. We got some much-needed, beautiful rain, and the kids definitely kept us on our toes. We colored and painted, ran ourselves ragged in homemade obstacle courses, and watched Christmas episodes of Sophie and Milo’s favorite shows.
It was a weekend for one pot dinners and Coconut Chicken and Rice really fit the bill.
I love simmering a pot of soup or a rich pasta sauce for hours on the stove, and of course I love my slow cooker. But the ease and simplicity of one pot dinners have a big appeal, and I find I can’t get enough of them on weekends like these.
This One Pot Coconut Chicken and Rice is straight-forward and delicious. I love that it’s a step up from cream of mushroom soup but it’s still super simple to put together. The coconut milk, a little bite of ginger peeking through and some brightness from the lime and cilantro are fabulous.
The rice is exceptionally good. I love the magic little something that happens when you cook chicken over rice. All those glorious, succulent flavors meld together to create something so mouthwateringly amazing you find yourself going back for just one more bite again and again.
For picky eaters, you can grating your onion rather than dicing it (a food processor works great for this). Grated onions will melt right into the rice. Dice up the chicken for little ones before serving, add a green veggie or salad on the side, and you’ve got dinner!
I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs here. Organic ones are priced much better than I can ever seem to findd chicken breast. It’s also really hard to completely overcook them, which gives you tender, delicious chicken! Win for everyone, I say. If you prefer to use chicken breast, that’ll work too, you’ll just want to be sure to nestle it in well and watch carefully so as not to overcook it.
What are your favorite one-pot dinners?
One Pot Coconut Chicken and Rice
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, patted dry
- 1 medium onion, diced or grated
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 1 (15oz) can coconut milk
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups white rice, uncooked
- 1/2 cup unsweetened, finely shredded coconut
- 2 green onions, diced
- 2 limes
- cilantro for garnish
- salt and pepper, to taste
- olive oil
Instructions
- Heat a drizzle of olive oil in an oven-safe Dutch oven or pan. Sprinkle salt and pepper over chicken and brown the chicken in oil for 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from the pan. Add onion, and ginger to the pan. Heat until tender and translucent.
- Pour coconut milk and broth into the pan and stir to scrape up any browned bits. Add rice and stir to coat. Nestle the chicken into the rice mixture and sprinkle with coconut.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or till rice is tender and chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle green onion and cilantro over all, then squeeze lime juice over everything.
- Serve with broccoli or green beans.
This recipe was originally written as a guest post I did over at Bless This Mess. See that post here.
Goodness! This sounds delicious. I can’t wait to be home to give it a try!
Just finished shoving this in my face as fast as I could! I love recipes that are easy, delicious, and healthy like this! It was perfect for a chilly night like tonight too!
Hi! I can’t wait to try this tonight but do you cover the Dutch oven when you put it in oven or leave it uncovered? Thanks!
Leasa – I’ve made it both ways. Covering the pan will steam the rice a bit more, but I prefer leaving it uncovered because the chicken browns a bit more. Hope that helps!
Great recipe! Thank you! I made this in my cast iron dutch oven. My 7 yo and myself are GF. My 10 yo is EXTREMELY picky! I didn’t think he’d eat this but he did!!! He didn’t love the chicken thighs (I’m kind of a chicken breast kind of gal too). However, I chopped it up really tiny and he managed. Maybe a mix of tenders and thighs…hmmm. Next time, maybe. I had to cook it 30-35 min before the rice was soft and it got a little crunchy around the edges (jasmine rice so maybe longer to cook). Hubs and I liked the crunch. Thanks for the fabulous recipe that all 4 of us will eat! That is refreshing!
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Love your recipes! Have you made this in the crockpot? What adjustments would you make?
I haven’t made this in the slow cooker. I’d assume it would need a little more liquid, but I’m afraid I don’t have enough experience to provide more suggestions here. If you try it in the slow cooker, I’d love to know how it turns out!
I have made this twice now, I absolutely love it because I am dairy free and it is full of flavor! Who doesn’t love coconutty-lime things! Great Sunday night dinner for my family, thank you for sharing 🙂
★★★★★
Oh YAY! I”m so happy to hear this! Thank you for sharing!
So simple and delicious! My 2 years old fussy eater enjoyed this meal! Thanks for sharing!
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I’m SO glad! My picky kids love it too! 🙂
Really good. Even my picky 2 year old loved it. Even asked for seconds!
That’s FANTASTIC! It’s always such a win when littles want seconds! 🙂
Everyone loved this! Served with broccoli made with garlic and olive oil and also made Red Lobster-type cheese biscuits. Not a single spec left on anyone’s plate!
★★★★★
Cynthia – That’s FANTASTIC to hear! I bet it was awesome with those biscuits on the side! 🙂
Can this recipe be altered by using brown rice instead.?
Berta – I love brown rice, but I probably wouldn’t use it for this recipe because it takes much longer to cook and the other ingredients would likely dry out or overcook in the process. I’m sorry!
I love this Coconut Chicken and Rice! I have an ulcer and had to go on a gut friendly diet. This recipe was perfect for my tummy and yummy too! Thanks for sharing.🌺💜
I’m so glad it was a win for you!!!