Best Thai Coconut Chicken Recipes

COCONUT CURRY THAI CHICKEN

Steps:

• For the sauce: In a medium bowl, combine all of the sauce ingredients, whisk until thoroughly combined and set aside.
• For the chicken: Cook the whole wheat linguine al dente according to box directions. Drain and rinse under cold water and spray lightly with olive oil cooking spray so it does not stick and set aside.
• Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and add onions. Cook until translucent and beginning to brown, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper and stir in curry powder. Saute chicken until lightly brown. Add the peanut butter and allow it to melt to coat the chicken.
• Add the roasted red peppers, water chestnuts and scallions and season with salt and pepper as you like. Saute for a few minutes just to release flavor.
• Pour the coconut curry sauce over the chicken and vegetables and stir gently. Cook just until warmed through and thickened a bit, about 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, as needed. Garnish with chopped mint and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.
• SUZY'S SERVING OPTIONS: (Serves four or more ? can be doubled easily)
• Family Style ? Put linguine in a large deep platter or decorative bowl and pour mixture over the top. Toss gently with tongs. Garnish with fresh lime juice, and chopped scallions or herbs.
• Low Carb Diets ? On a large dinner plate place Boston lettuce leaves in a fan covering the entire plate. Place 1/4 of the chicken mixture on top and drizzle with fresh lime juice and garnish with scallions. The sauce will form a natural salad dressing for the lettuce.
• Individual Plates: Each serving is 2 oz. dry pasta and 1/4 of the chicken mixture. Garnish it with fresh lime juice, a lime wedge and scallions or herbs. Serve it on a small exotic plate for added presentation.
• NOTE: You may substitute shrimp or tofu for the chicken and it is equally delicious!!

SPICY THAI COCONUT CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• Toss chicken with cornstarch. In a 6-qt. stockpot, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat; saute chicken until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes. Remove from pot., In same pan, saute onion, jalapeno and garlic in remaining oil over medium-high heat until onion is tender, 3-4 minutes. Stir in seasonings, chili sauce, coconut milk and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 20 minutes., Stir in cabbage, snow peas and chicken; cook, uncovered, just until cabbage is crisp-tender and chicken is cooked through, 3-4 minutes. Serve with green onions and lime wedges.

THAI COCONUT CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• For the chicken stock: Place the chicken and vegetables in a large stockpot over medium heat. Pour in only enough cold water to cover (about 3 quarts); too much will make the broth taste weak. Toss in the thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns, and allow it to slowly come to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and gently simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, partially covered, until the chicken is done. As it cooks, skim any impurities that rise to the surface; add a little more water if necessary to keep the chicken covered while simmering.
• Carefully remove the chicken to a cutting board. When its cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones; hand-shred the meat into a storage container.
• Carefully strain the stock through a fine sieve into another pot to remove the vegetable solids. Use the stock immediately or if you plan on storing it, place the pot in a sink full of ice water and stir to cool down the stock. Cover and refrigerate for up to one week or freeze. Makes: 2 quarts
• For the soup: Bring 4 cups of stock to a boil over medium heat in a soup pot. Add the lime leaves, chiles, garlic, ginger and lemongrass. Lower the heat to medium-low; cover the pot and gently simmer to let the spices infuse the broth, about 10 minutes.
• Uncover the pot and stir in the chicken, coconut milk, mushrooms, fish sauce, sugar and lime juice. Simmer to heat the chicken through, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into a soup tureen or individual serving bowls. Garnish with the cilantro. Be careful to avoid chewing the lemongrass, ginger or lime leaves.

EASY THAI CHICKEN CURRY WITH COCONUT MILK

Steps:

• Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add curry powder and chili paste and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add chicken, onion, and bell pepper. Stir-fry until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 5 minutes.
• Add fish sauce and garlic and saute for 1 to 2 minutes. Add coconut milk, chicken stock, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Bring to a low simmer and cook until flavors come together, 7 to 10 minutes more.

TOM KA KAI (THAI COCONUT CHICKEN SOUP)

Steps:

• In the bottom of a large soup pot, heat the oil over high heat until very hot but not smoking. I often make this is a wok on the stove.
• Salt the chicken and add to oil, tossing to brown all the pieces. Cook about 3 minutes or until outside is browned, but not necessarily cooked all the way through.
• Add mushrooms and toss. Allow to cook until some of the moisture is cooked out and the mushrooms are soft. Turn down heat to medium-low.
• To prepare the lemongrass, slice and mince the lower portion and reserve the stalk to flavor the soup. You can use a food processor for this, or just mince it by hand. The woody upper portion of the stalk will be removed later, so don't chop it up, simply score it by making a few superficial cuts in it to allow it to flavor the soup.
• Add the whites of the onions, reserving the greens. Add the minced lower portion of the lemongrass, grated galangal, and chilies. Toss until just warmed through.
• Add the lemongrass stalk, lime leaves, chicken stock, coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar and remaining onions, reserving just a few for garnish. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes to allow flavors to blend well.
• Taste test and adjust flavors as follows:.
• Not salty enough - add more fish sauce.
• Too sour - add a little more brown sugar.
• Too spicy - add more coconut milk.
• Not spicy enough - add more chilies.
• Ladle into 4 soup bowls and garnish with remaining onion greens, cilantro, and basil.
• Variations:.
• Add more vegetables such as some sliced red bell peppers with the mushrooms.
• Serve over wide rice noodles for a main dish serving.
• Make vegetarian by increasing mushrooms in place of chicken and substituting vegetable stock.

THAI COCONUT CHICKEN CURRY SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add minced ginger and garlic; saute for 1 minute. Stir in curry paste and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add stock, coconut milk, water, ginger piece, lime juice, and 1/4 cup cilantro stems. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
• Discard ginger piece. Stir in snow peas and noodles. Cook until noodles are tender, about 3 minutes. Top with cilantro sprigs and serve with lime wedges.

KHAO SOI GAI (NORTHERN THAI COCONUT-CURRY NOODLES WITH CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Make the curry paste: Bring 1/4 cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the dried chiles and makrut lime leaves (if using) to a small bowl; pour the boiling water on top and let steep for 10 minutes.
• While the mixture steeps, separate the cilantro leaves from the stems; set leaves and any tender stems aside for garnish. Roughly chop cilantro stems and add to a small food processor (or the bowl of a large mortar and pestle) along with the shallots, turmeric, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, curry powder, shrimp paste (if using) and lime zest.
• Add the soaked chile mixture (including its liquid) and process (or crush with a pestle) until curry paste is smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, about 10 minutes for either method. Curry paste can be made up to 2 weeks ahead; store in a covered container in the refrigerator.
• Prepare the fried noodles: In a medium (2-quart) saucepan, bring 3 cups neutral oil to 325 degrees over medium-high heat. Add 4 ounces noodles and fry, flipping once or twice, until light brown, 30 to 60 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer noodles to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside until ready to serve. Cool, strain and store remaining oil in a covered jar for another use.
• Heat a large Dutch oven or pot over medium. Add about 1/4 cup coconut cream, scraped from the top of one of the cans of coconut milk, to the pot and let it melt, about 10 seconds. Add at least half of the curry paste - or more, for a more pungent khao soi - and stir until deeply fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 1 1/2 cups chicken broth and the remaining coconut milk, and increase heat to medium-high. Bring mixture just to a low boil, about 3 minutes.
• Use 1 tablespoon salt to season drumsticks, then add them to the boiling curry mixture. Cover, and let simmer until chicken is cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes. Uncover, lower heat, and add remaining 1/2 cup chicken stock along with 1 cup water. (It should be more like soup than stew.) Season to taste with fish sauce, sugar and salt. Turn heat to very low, and cover to keep warm.
• Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Add 2 teaspoons salt and remaining 12 ounces noodles. Cook until al dente. Drain and portion into four bowls. Add 2 drumsticks to each bowl, and about 2 cups curry broth. Garnish with fried noodles, pickled mustard greens, sliced shallots, chile paste or oil, reserved cilantro leaves and lime wedges. Serve immediately.

THAI-STYLE COCONUT CHICKEN

Steps:

• In nonstick wok or 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over high heat. Add chicken; stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Add lime peel, gingerroot, garlic, chilies and cilantro; stir-fry 1 minute.
• Pour coconut milk over chicken. Stir in brown sugar, salt, soy sauce, pea pods and bell pepper. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer uncovered 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir into tomato.
• Spoon into shallow serving bowls; top with basil. Serve with rice.

THAI BASIL CHICKEN WITH COCONUT CURRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat sesame oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet. Add onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger; saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Stir chicken into the hot skillet and season with salt and pepper. Mix in curry paste. Brown chicken on both sides, about 10 minutes total.
• Pour in coconut milk, chicken broth, snow peas, mushrooms, red bell pepper, and bamboo shoots. Season with cinnamon and stir well. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low; let simmer until chicken is no longer pink in the center and juices run clear, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in basil and lemon juice.

THAI COCONUT CHICKEN SOUP (NOODLE BOWL)

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Remove from heat, add noodles, and cover.
• Peel and discard tough outer leaves from lemongrass. Roughly chop pale inner stalk and transfer to a food processor; pulse until minced, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Bring chicken broth to a boil in another large pot. Add lemongrass, chicken, mushrooms, red chile pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; stir in coconut milk, ginger, fish sauce, and garlic. Simmer soup gently until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the chicken reads at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), 10 to 15 minutes.
• Transfer chicken to a cutting board; slice thinly and return to the pot. Stir in lime juice and sugar.
• Drain noodles and divide among serving bowls. Ladle soup on top. Garnish with a lime wedge, green onions, and basil.

THAI CHICKEN AND COCONUT MILK SOUP

Steps:

• Place the chicken stock in a heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Add the lime peel, lemon peel, ginger root, green chiles, and the cilantro stems and roots. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook until reduced to 3 cups. Press occasionally on the solids with a wooden spoon to release flavor. Working with a sharp knife, cut the chicken breasts into broad slices, as thin as possible. Salt lightly, and reserve in refrigerator. When broth is reduced, strain into a measuring cup. Press on the solids in the strainer with a wooden spoon. Place the coconut milk in the soup pot over medium heat. Slowly stir in the reduced broth. Warm rapidly but do not allow to boil (otherwise the coconut milk will separate). When the soup is just below the boiling point, add the chicken slices. Remove from heat after 30 seconds (or when the chicken is just cooked through). Just before serving, mix together the lime juice and sugar in a small bowl. Blend in the fish sauce. Pour mixture into hot soup, season to taste and garnish soup with a little bit of chopped scallion and cilantro leaves. Yield: 6 first-course servings.
• Optional step: If your soup has curdled a bit, or if you'd like a fluffier texture in the soup, before you add the chicken, place the soup in a blender at high speed for 30 seconds. Then return to pot, add chicken and proceed as before. As an appetizer: Looks lovely served individually in six wide, shallow soup bowls. Great starter for many kinds of meals, not just Thai. As a main course: By doubling the amount of chicken and keeping the same amount of liquid, you convert this soup practically into a stew. The six wide, shallow bowls still work well; place a half-cup of steamed white rice to one side in each bowl, then divide the soup/stew among the bowls. Serve a tomato salad on the side that has been dressed with lime juice, sugar, fish sauce, and topped with chopped peanuts and minced cilantro. If you can get the Thai ingredients: for the lime and lemon peel, substitute 3/8 cup Keffir lime leaves, 2 lemon grass stalks chopped, 3 thick slices dried galanga root.

SLOW-COOKER THAI COCONUT CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• Spray 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In slow cooker, mix carrots, onion, bell pepper, garlic, gingerroot, fish sauce and curry paste. In 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in oil 6 minutes, turning once, until browned on both sides. Place chicken over vegetables in slow cooker. Pour broth over chicken.
• Cover; cook on Low heat setting 5 hours or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken from slow cooker to plate; shred, using 2 forks. Return chicken to slow cooker. Stir in coconut milk, mushrooms and basil. Cover; cook 30 minutes longer or until mushrooms are tender. Stir in lime juice before serving.

THAI COCONUT PEANUT CHICKEN

Steps:

• For the Sauce: Heat coconut milk, peanut butter, and broth in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until smooth and heated through (do not let boil).
• Add remaining sauce ingredients, seasoning to taste, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens to the consistency of thin spaghetti sauce.
• Remove from heat and cover, if will continue to thicken off the heat.
• To prepare the chicken:.
• Heat some sesame oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and stir fry the chicken chunks until almost cooked through.
• While the chicken is cooking, squeeze some lime juice into the pan to add moisture, as much as needed.
• Set aside about 1/2 cup of the diced scallions for a garnish later, and add the rest to the chicken, along with the carrots and stir fry until the veggies are lightly browned and the chicken is fully cooked, adding even more lime juice as needed for moisture.
• Pour some of the peanut sauce over the chicken in the pan and toss to coat (a ladleful or two).
• Portion cooked pasta onto serving plates and ladle some more peanut sauce on top of each (or if you prefer, toss pasta with some of the sauce first).
• Ladle chicken mixture on top of each portion, and drizzle with a bit more peanut sauce if desired.
• Sprinkle with some cayenne pepper and some reserved scallions (and nuts if desired) as garnish.
• You may have extra sauce, which keeps about 2 days covered in the fridge, a nice dip for chicken fingers.

THAI-STYLE CHICKEN IN COCONUT SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large kettle heat the oil over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking and in it brown the chicken, patted dry, in batches, transferring it as it is browned to a plate. To the kettle add the gingerroot and the garlic and cook the mixture for 1 minute. Add the flour and the curry powder and cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 minute. Whisk in the Sherry, the coconut cream, and the broth and bring the mixture to a boil, whisking. Add the black pepper, the chopped coriander, the soy sauce, the jalapeño, the chicken, and any juices that have accumulated on the plate and simmer the mixture, covered, for 10 minutes. Add the bell peppers and simmer the mixture, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooled through. Transfer the chicken with a slotted spoon to a serving dish and keep it warm. Boil the liquid until it is thickened and reduced to about 2 cups, skim off the fat, and season the sauce with salt and pepper and the lime juice. Nap the chicken with some of the sauce, garnish it with the coriander sprigs, and serve it with the rice.

COCONUT BASIL CHICKEN BURGERS WITH THAI PEANUT PESTO

Steps:

• Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high.
• For the slaw: Whisk together the lime juice and sugar in a medium-sized bowl to dissolve the sugar. Add the pear and carrot and toss to coat. Cover and chill until serving time.
• For the pesto: Place all of the ingredients except the tomatoes in a small food processor; process briefly until the mixture forms a coarse paste. Transfer to a small bowl and gently stir in the tomatoes. Cover and set aside.
• For the patties: Combine the coconut milk, lime zest, and lime juice in a 10-inch fire-proof skillet. Place the skillet on the grill rack and bring the mixture to a simmer. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and reduced to 2/3 cup, about 15 minutes. Add the curry paste to the mixture and whisk until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl to cool.
• Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl. Add the cooled coconut milk mixture, basil, panko and salt. Using a large fork, mix the ingredients together gently but thoroughly. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and form the portions into patties to fit the buns, making a slight indentation in the center of each patty.
• When the grill is ready, brush the grill rack with oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook for 4 minutes. Flip the patties, cover, and cook an additional 4 minutes, or until the juices run clear from the center of the patties when pierced. During the last few minutes of cooking, arrange the buns, cut side down, around the edges of the grill to toast lightly.
• To assemble the burgers: Distribute an equal amount of the slaw on the bottom buns. Top each with a patty and a dollop of the pesto. Add the bun tops and serve.

THAI-STYLE COCONUT CURRY CHICKEN TACOS

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over low heat. Add the curry paste and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is softened, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium heat, stirring, until no longer pink, 2 or 3 minutes.
• Stir in the coconut milk and simmer until the sauce is thickened and the chicken starts to caramelize, about 15 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons lime juice.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, make the pico de gallo: Toss the tomato, onion, cilantro and the remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice; season with salt and pepper.
• Divide the chicken mixture among the tortillas. Top with the pico de gallo and avocado, if using. Serve with lime wedges.

THAI CHICKEN-COCONUT SOUP

Steps:

• Place noodles in a bowl; add enough warm water to cover and let sit until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain. Combine broth, pepper, garlic, ginger, lemon zest, lime zest, lemon juice and 3 tablespoon fish sauce in a medium saucepan. Season with salt. Bring to a simmer, add noodles and cook 3 minutes more. Using tongs, transfer noodles to a bowl and cover with foil to keep warm. Add mushrooms to broth; season with salt, if desired; simmer 3 minutes more. Add chicken and coconut milk and simmer, stirring, until chicken is just cooked, about 3 minutes. Stir in spinach until it begins to wilt, about 1 minute. Add chopped cilantro and season with remaining 1 tablespoon fish sauce. Using tongs, divide noodles among 4 bowls. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with sprigs of cilantro and slices of pepper.

TOM KHA KAI - THAI COCONUT/CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• 1. Cut lower portion of lemon grass into 1 inch lengths and crush. Tear kaffir lime leaves in half. Combine half the coconut milk with the broth, galangal, lemon grass and lime leaves in a large saucepan and heat to boiling.
• 2. Add the chicken, fish sauce and sugar. Simmer for about 5 minutes, or until chicken is cooked, then add remaining coconut milk.
• 3. Heat just to boiling, add chili paste and lime juice, stir until blended. Garnish with cilantro leaves and crushed chili peppers.
• 4. NOTE: The galangal and lemon grass are for flavoring, not to eat! When I can't get fresh kaffir lime leaves at my local Asian market, I substitute kaffir lime powder. Fresh leaves, lemon grass and galangal can all be successfully frozen. I've also used minced lemon grass in a tube from the produce section. Powdered galangal is available, too. Fresh is better, of course!

AWESOME THAI CHICKEN COCONUT CURRY

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large wok, add the garlic, saute.
• Add the curry, ginger and the thicker cream on top of the can of coconut milk to the wok, whisk.
• Now add the rest of the coconut milk in along with everything but the chicken and pineapple, whisk.
• Bring to a slow boil for 7 minutes, then discard the lemongrass Add the chicken and pineapple and cook till the chicken is no longer pink inside, about 7-9 minutes.
• Serve over Jasmine rice and top with green onion.
• Soooooooooooooo yummy!

OPRAH'S THAI CHICKEN COCONUT CURRY SOUP

Steps:

• In a large heavy-bottom pot over high heat, combine chicken stock, garlic, ginger, curry paste, coriander, cumin, peppercorns and cilantro.
• Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.
• Strain broth over a bowl through a fine-mesh sieve; discard solids.
• Return broth to pot; add coconut milk, shallots, mushrooms and chicken.
• Return to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until chicken is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.
• In a small bowl, combine fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar and jalapeño, if desired; stir until sugar is dissolved, then add mixture to soup.
• Garnish with tomato, coconut shavings and cilantro; serve hot.