- Hands-onabout 35 min
- Choppinga fair bit
- Freezer friendlythe chicken
Coconut chicken is thighs, Thai yellow curry and coconut cream in a bowl, then 30 minutes in the fridge while you sit down. Fry, slice and plonk it on creamy hemp quinoa with a crunchy cucumber and tomato salad and a minty lime dressing.
One lot of coconut cream does three jobs: the marinade, the dressing and the quinoa. A quinoa and rice pouch and bottled lime juice take out the fiddly bits.
Can I manage this today?
- Spoon level: More Spoons
- Hands-on time: about 35 minutes, plus 30 minutes hands-off while it marinates
- Main effort: frying the thighs, 6 to 8 minutes a side
- Chopping: a fair bit. Cucumber, tomato, mint and peanuts, plus zesting a lime
- Standing and attention: 12 to 16 minutes at the stove turning the chicken, with the quinoa on the side
- Thinking and sensory load: six short stages and a few timers. The thighs can spit when they hit the pan, so a splatter guard helps. Zesting the lime is the fiddly bit, and bottled juice skips it. The smell is mild curry and lime
- Washing up: a frying pan, a quinoa pot, a marinade bowl, a dressing bowl, a board and knife, plus the plates
Quick spoon check
- Low-spoon version: bottled lime juice instead of zesting, and a quinoa and rice pouch instead of cooking quinoa
- As written: the full recipe below
There’s no no-spoons version of this one. It needs raw chicken and a frying pan.
Kerry’s notes
Marinate it overnight if you’re organised. Thirty minutes still tastes good, so don’t skip the marinade just because tonight didn’t go to plan.
The coconut cream goes three places: a couple of spoonfuls on the chicken, some in the dressing and the rest through the quinoa. Measure it once and you’re sorted.
The dressing carries the mint and lime, so the chicken and quinoa can stay simple.
Hemp seeds are Leigh’s territory. Her guide has the full rundown, and I’ll put the kettle on.
Make a double batch of the quinoa while the pot’s out. Tomorrow’s lunch is half done.
What’s that ingredient?
Thai yellow curry paste: a mild, golden paste from the Asian aisle at most supermarkets. Check the label for how to store it once it’s open. Easiest swap: Thai yellow curry powder, with a little extra coconut cream.
Hemp seeds: small, soft seeds with a mild nutty flavour, usually sold hulled in the health food aisle or with the nuts and seeds. Easiest swap: leave them out.
Coconut aminos: a coconut-based sauce, a bit sweeter than soy sauce, from the health food aisle. Easiest swap: soy sauce.
Nature’s Hollow keto honey substitute: a sweetener, used for 1 teaspoon in the dressing. Easiest swap: honey, which stops the dressing being keto.
Why this recipe works
- The marinade does the flavour work while you sit down.
- Tangy lime and mint cut through the creamy chicken and quinoa.
- The salad is raw, so the only real cooking is the chicken and the quinoa.
No Spoon Swaps
- Bottled lime juice instead of zesting and juicing a lime. Add a drop to the marinade where the zest would go. You lose the zest’s fragrance, and you skip the grater.
- A quinoa and rice pouch instead of cooking quinoa. Heat it, then stir through the hemp seeds and coconut cream. It’s a convenience ingredient doing its job, and the texture is a little different from plain quinoa.
- Marinate the night before. Tonight is then mostly frying. It needs a little planning the day before.
- Curry powder instead of paste. Use the same 2 teaspoons, with a splash more coconut cream in the marinade bowl. Both work well.
Dietary swaps
- Gluten free: use coconut aminos or tamari instead of soy sauce, and check your curry paste label.
- Keto: not keto as written, because of the quinoa. Swap it for cauliflower rice, or Qetoe low carb rice if you want the lower-spoon version. Heat either one as the packet says, then stir through the hemp seeds and coconut cream the same way. Honey instead of the keto honey substitute also stops it being keto. Not sure of the difference? Keto vs low carb explains it.
Allergen notes
- Peanuts: scattered on top. Leave them off.
- Hemp seeds: stirred through the quinoa. Leave them out.
- Soy: in soy sauce. Use coconut aminos instead.
- Gluten: in soy sauce, and in some curry pastes. Check the label.
- Coconut: coconut cream runs through the whole dish.
Storage, freezing and reheating
- Fridge: cool, then refrigerate within 2 hours. Keep at 5°C or below. Store the chicken and quinoa in separate airtight containers. Eat the chicken within 3 days and the quinoa within 2 days. Make the salad fresh. The dressing keeps in a covered jar for 1 day.
- Freezer: freeze the cooked chicken for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge, use within 24 hours and don’t refreeze.
- Reheating: cover the chicken and quinoa and microwave for 90 seconds. Stir, then microwave for 60 seconds more. Add 10 seconds at a time until it’s steaming hot all the way through. Reheat once only.
Frequently asked questions
Can I marinate the chicken overnight? Yes, and it’s worth it. Cover the chicken in the marinade and keep it in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Thirty minutes still tastes good. You can also make the dressing a day ahead, and cook the quinoa up to 2 days ahead. Cool the quinoa within 2 hours, then refrigerate it.
Can I use curry powder instead of paste? Yes. Powder or paste works well, so use whichever is already in the pantry. Measure the same 2 teaspoons of powder, and add a little extra coconut cream to the marinade bowl. That’s the only change you need to make.
Can I use something other than quinoa? Yes. A quinoa and rice pouch works if time and effort are tight. Heat it as the packet says, then stir through the hemp seeds and coconut cream the same way. For a keto plate, use cauliflower rice or Qetoe low carb rice instead of the grain. Qetoe is the lower-spoon choice.
How do I know the chicken is cooked? Cook the thighs for 6 to 8 minutes each side, then check the thickest piece. It should have no pink in the middle and clear juices, and reach 75°C if you have a food thermometer. Rest it for 3 minutes before you slice it.
Is this coconut chicken dairy free? Nothing in the recipe as written contains dairy, because the creaminess comes from coconut cream. Jarred pastes and sauces differ between brands, so check the label on yours before you rely on it. The same goes for the keto honey substitute, if you use one.
Coconut Chicken with Minty Lime Dressing
Equipment
- Frying pan or BBQ
- Fine Grater skip with bottled lime juice
- Microwave only if using a pouch
Ingredients
Chicken and marinade
- 300 g chicken thigh fillets
- 2 tsp Thai yellow curry powder or paste
- ½ lime zested and juiced
- 2 Tbsp coconut cream
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Dressing
- ¼ bunch fresh mint
- 1 Tbsp lime juice from the lime above
- 50 ml coconut cream
- 1 tsp coconut aminos or soy sauce
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp honey or keto honey substitute
- Salt and pepper
Quinoa
- ½ cup quinoa
- 2 Tbsp hemp seeds
- 60 ml coconut cream
To serve
- 1 small Lebanese cucumber
- 50 g tomato
- 1 Tbsp peanuts
Instructions
Marinate
- Zest the lime, then juice it.
- In a large bowl, mix the zest, curry powder or paste, 2 Tbsp coconut cream, olive oil, ¼ tsp salt and a pinch of pepper.
- Add the chicken and turn it to coat.
- Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Overnight is better.
Chop
- Roughly chop the peanuts.
- Cut the cucumber into roughly 1 cm dice.
- Cut the tomato into roughly 1 cm chunks.
- Pick the mint leaves, bin the stems and chop the leaves finely. Set 1 tsp aside for garnish.
Dressing
- In a medium bowl, whisk the rest of the mint with the lime juice, 50 ml coconut cream, aminos or soy sauce, vinegar, honey, ¼ tsp salt and a pinch of pepper.
Quinoa
- Cook the quinoa as the packet says.
- Stir through the hemp seeds and 60 ml coconut cream.
- Add ¼ tsp salt, taste, then add more if you want it.
- Cover to keep warm.
Cook the chicken
- Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Cook the chicken for 6 to 8 minutes each side, until no pink is left in the middle and the juices run clear (75°C if you have a thermometer).
- Rest the chicken for 3 minutes, then slice.
Plate up
- Divide the quinoa, cucumber and tomato between two bowls.
- Add the chicken and any resting juices.
- Drizzle with the dressing, then scatter over the peanuts and the reserved mint.
Notes
- Fridge: chicken and quinoa in separate airtight containers. Eat the chicken within 3 days and the quinoa within 2 days. Make the salad and dressing fresh.
- Key swap: bottled lime juice instead of zesting.
- Calories: 2581 kcal Carbohydrates: 5g Protein: 47g Fat: 44g
Nutrition
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A final spoon-saving note
Marinate the chicken tonight and tomorrow’s dinner is mostly frying. Buy the bottled lime juice if the zester is lost in the bottom drawer. Dinner won’t know the difference. Fancy more peanuts and chicken? Thai Peanut Satay Chicken is next. Give this one a go.
