This incredibly easy Coconut Garlic Chicken Recipe has become my new, favorite go-to chicken recipe when I need a fast and simple Weight Watchers Dinner that tastes unbelievably delicious, while only using a handful of ingredients.
A friend of mine, who is Filipino and an amazing cook, told me about this chicken dish that his mom used to make for him that made his mouth water every time he thought about it. Of course, I harassed him for the recipe and made him call his mom to find out what was in it. She didn’t give me an exact recipe but listed the ingredients.
When reviewing just these few simple ingredients, I was admittedly skeptical that this was going to be such a “mouth-watering” dish as my friend had touted. But I played around with the ingredients, and after a few attempts, the end result was this UNBELIEVABLY delicious chicken that was not only a healthy and low Points recipe at just 5 Points per serving, but it was one of the quickest and easiest chicken recipes I’ve ever made.
You get a mildly sweet, coconut flavor with a hint of acidity and a savory garlic taste. Total perfection. I served it over some steamed brown rice, which soaked up that extra sauce, and some roasted asparagus for one seriously tasty dinner. I will absolutely be making this dish again and again!
Coconut Garlic Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb skinless boneless chicken breasts - diced
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 14 oz light coconut milk - 1 can
- 6 cloves garlic - minced
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat coconut oil over medium high heat in a non-stick skillet.
- Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper, and place in skillet. Sauté for about 2 minutes, then add in vinegar and garlic. Cook until most of the liquid has cooked off, then stir in the coconut milk.
- Turn heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid thickens, about 8-10 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper as desired. Top with fresh cilantro and serve.
11 Comments
I am SO glad I stumbled across this recipe. I have already made it twice. It is by far one of my favorite dishes. I added straw mushrooms and broccoli to it just for an extra filler. Absolutely delicious! My sauce never thickened so I was worried it would be a bit runny but nope! Not at all. I added a little chili garlic paste as well for an extra kick. I will say, this is a dish I will be making frequently. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for this recipe, I love it! It’s my new favorite low point option. I added chopped green onions and I roasted zucchini in the toaster over with chicken broth and lime juice (zero points!) to add into the bowl to volumize it. The lime goes really well with this flavor profile.
Oh my sauce didn’t really thicken…But that’s okay. I don’t mind a tasty liquid-y sauce to saturate the brown rice. But maybe I will experiment with a little corn starch to thicken it.
YUM!!!!! : )
I made this tonight with this rice recipe:
http://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/2014/04/crockpot-coconut-rice-and-beans-recipe.html
it was REALLY good. the sauce DID look bland but it had a GREAT flavor! It never thickened up for me either and I didn’t add water , i used a can of light coconut milk! but thats OK i poured it over the rice!
I made this last week just as the recipe was printed. It was so good and easy. This week I made it again. Used 8oz of chicken, 1/2 large onion, a handful of mushrooms, a small sliced zucchini, 1/2 can of baby corn and about 1/2 cup fresh pineapple. I served it over brown rice, garnished with a bit of coconut and the cilantro. It made two large servings and was yummy! It would also be good with bok choy, red bell peppers or nearly any other veggies. I cooked the onions with the chicken and added the other veggies a few minutes before the coconut milk.
I see canned coconut milk and the coconut milk in the paper containers in the supermarket. Can I use either one for this recipe? I want to be sure I’m using the correct ingredient. Thank you.
I’d suggest the canned one with this. I haven’t tried it with the other type of coconut milk, but I believe those are more watered down versions of the canned kind. The taste would still be good, but it would most likely be more runny.
Thank you.
I made this tonight and it was AMAZING! I served it over cilantro lime rice and topped with home made pico de gallo. My picky husband loved it, too! Thanks for the recipe!!
I made this for dinner last night and it was good. As it was cooking I was skeptical since the sauce is pale and looked bland, but it had a nice flavor.
Made this tonight and it was DELISH!!! I was a bit skeptical as well but it was wonderful. My 6 year old had seconds – but didn’t like the “salad” (aka cilantro) on top. I didn’t have light milk so I used regular coconut milk and just added some water. Be sure not to cook down the sauce too much because it was awesome. Mine never thickened. My husband couldn’t believe there was no butter used it was so creamy and buttery. Definitely going into the rotation.
Didn’t thicken? Probably because you watered it down