With classic Thai flavors in a creamy coconut milk sauce, this Thai Coconut Chicken is both mouth-watering and easy to make! Enjoy this explosion of flavor over white rice for a quick and easy weeknight dinner ready in 30 minutes!
Love the ease of making stir fry for dinner? Don’t miss our Chicken Stir Fry, Sweet and Sour Chicken, or Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry.
Easy Thai Chicken Stir Fry
When it comes to international cuisine, I have a soft spot for Asian food – especially Thai food. I love the robust, hearty flavors that ignite your taste buds without being particularly spicy. (In most cases, at least!) While many people automatically think of curry when talking about Thai food, this Thai Coconut Chicken is a little different.
It’s similar to a curry, with vegetables and a coconut milk base, but contains no ground curry or paste. Instead, the sauce is a combination of coconut milk, peanut butter, and chili garlic sauce, with hints of Worcestershire sauce, lime juice, and brown sugar. Is your mouth watering yet?! Then we add in some chicken and veggies to make it a complete dinner. All in under 30 minutes. So easy and delicious!
Ingredients Needed
While this recipe is full of traditional Thai flavor, it doesn’t require any fancy or unusual ingredients. Just a few spices and some pantry staples.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Chicken thighs – We prefer boneless, skinless chicken thighs because they lend more flavor, but chicken breast is delicious, too.
- Vegetables – A mix of broccoli and carrots, which is one of our favorite combinations for taste and color.
- Coconut milk – Whole or light canned coconut milk. Be sure to shake before using. (Make sure to use coconut milk, not coconut cream. Coconut cream will make the sauce much too sweet.)
- Creamy peanut butter – Thai food is particularly peanut rich. In this recipe, peanut butter is used for flavoring and thickening the sauce. Due to allergies, we always use creamy almond butter, which also works beautifully.
- Chili garlic sauce – This condiment is hot and tangy, with a punch of garlic. A staple in most of our stir fry recipes.
- Ginger – Fresh ginger provides delightful aromatics to the dish.
- Worcestershire sauce – Adds even more depth of flavor and balances out the sweet, savory, and tangy taste.
- Lime juice – For acidity and a delicious zippy flavor, which complements the creamy coconut milk and peanut butter.
- Brown sugar – A hint of sweetness to balance out the lime juice.
- Seasonings: Coriander, cumin, salt, and pepper so the dish isn’t flat.
- Vegetable oil – Used to sauté the chicken.
- Thai basil – Added as a garnish for a pop of color and flavor.
- Cooked white rice, for serving – Coconut milk chicken is traditionally served over white rice, which soaks up all the wonderful pan sauce!
How to Make Thai Coconut Chicken
Dinner is just 30 minutes away when you make this Thai chicken stir fry! Be sure to prep all of the ingredients before you start cooking, as it all comes together quickly. Here’s a brief summary:
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Prepare the sauce. Whisk together all of the ingredients used in the Thai coconut sauce.
- Cook the chicken & vegetables.. Season the chicken with salt and pepper then saute in the vegetable oil. Remove from heat, then add the vegetables to the skillet until tender.
- Assemble. Return the chicken to the skillet, along with the ginger. Stir the sauce then pour into the skillet, just long enough to warm through. Remove from heat.
- Garnish and serve. Serve over white rice with a sprinkle of Thai basil or scallions.
Recipe Variations
- Adjust the vegetables to what you have on hand. Cauliflower, water chestnuts, snap peas and more can easily be substituted or added to this recipe.
- Use chicken breasts instead of thighs. If you prefer white meat chicken, you can use that instead of thighs in this recipe.
- Try some shrimp. Using shrimp instead of the chicken is also a delicious option, just be aware that it won’t take as much time to cook.
How to Store Leftovers
Leftovers: Allow any leftovers to cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To freeze: Thai coconut chicken makes a great freezer meal. Allow to cool completely, then transfer to a freezer-safe container. It will keep for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
To reheat: Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Thai Coconut Chicken Video
More Thai Recipes:
I hope you love this delicious and simple recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Thai Coconut Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut milk , shaken
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (or almond butter)
- 1/2 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 teaspoons lime juice
- 3 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 3 tablespoons vegetable olive oil , divided
- 12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken thighs , cut into small bite-sized pieces
- salt and pepper , to taste
- 2 cups small broccoli florets
- 1 cup sliced carrot rounds
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- chopped Thai basil , for garnish
- cooked white rice , for serving
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, peanut butter, chili garlic sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, coriander, and cumin. Set aside.
- In a large nonstick skillet, warm 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Once oil is shimmering, season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Cook, undisturbed for 1 minute to develop a crust. Then saute for 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
- Add the remaining vegetable oil to the skillet; toss in the broccoli and carrots. Saute for about 3 minutes until vegetables are tender.
- Add the cooked chicken back to the skillet, along with any accumulated juices, and the ginger. Cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Give the sauce a stir and pour it into the skillet. Toss to coat only for 15-20 seconds to warm through. Remove from heat.
- Serve immediately with cooked white rice and a sprinkle of chopped Thai basil.
Video
Nutrition
Other Notes
I used brown rice. I made my own chili garlic sauce with hot peppers, garlic and vinegar. The recipe for the chili garlic sauce said to cook it but I didn’t – was hotter than heck! Husband loved it. Thank you loved this.
This is the best new recipe I’ve tried in a long, long time! Will become a staple in my house from now on. The flavors are incredible – honestly better than any takeout that I’ve had! And it’s easy, quick, and so versatile – I can see it being just as good with other proteins and I can swap out for any veggies I have that need to get used up. The sauce is magic!!
I love this menu, very simple and delicious.
Oh wow this recipe hit the spot! Gonna be one of my favorites for sure!
This was restaurant quality food! Even the kids loved it! Only changes we made were veggies and honey instead of sugar. Used onion, carrots, bell pepper and zucchini. Soooo good! Will definitely make this again.
This was easy and delicious!
This recipe turned out amazing. It is the best stirfry recipe that I’ve ever made, and I’ll continue to make it for my family.
Delicious and simple to make pretty quickly. Might have taken me a bit longer than half an hour but it was well worth it! Highly recommend!
wow, I was skeptical as this had peanut butter and I was afraid it might overpower, but boy was I wrong. The flavours just burst in your mouth! My husband loved it and complimented it 3-4 times. I added bell pepper as well. This recipe is saved in my “favourites” and will def be used again!
This recipe was delicious! I really liked the lime juice and Worcestershire in it. I did add some red curry paste and sweet chili sauce and a few shakes of organic ginger to make up for the chili garlic I did not have. It was very good and a definite sauce for other meats and fish/shellfish. Thanks for taking the time to share this recipe. Love it!!
Easy and delicious!
Great recipe. I wanted a thai dish but not curry.
It was Yum
Delicious! I made it with almond butter and it came out great.
I didn’t know what to expect from this dish, but wow we loved it!
Delicious!!! The sauce is so good!! Thank you!
Excellent, beyond comparison! My husband said it was his favorite dish EVER!
Delicious! I’ll definitely be making this again! It’s a dish that I’d serve for dinner guests!
Oh my goodness was this tasty. I loved how simple it was and how quickly it came together. I wasn’t able to get to my carrots (we have painters inside) so we just used broccoli and it was delish. I’m not sure if I got the correct “chili garlic sauce”. I’d love to see a quick snapshot of what you used. I felt like a teeny bit more heat would be great (and I’m a total wimp) – I’m pretty sure I just didn’t get the right sauce.
This will be a new, and needed shake up to our regular menu. My college aged son wants to make it next time so he can take the recipe with him to his apartment this fall.
This was my first visit to Bellyfull and I’m super impressed! Now to see what other treasures you have to offer! Thank you!
This recipe was so delicious! I doubled the recipe, used two full cans of coconut milk so I heaped all the other ingredients. I also used and meat alternative instead of chicken. My people said it was restaurant quality food and now it is definitely in the rotation.
this was just devine.
This was delicious – entire family loved it including my picky kids! Thank you. I need all the new/different chicken recipes I can get!