The lightly sweet, uncomplicated rice is the perfect bed for the tender, high-intensity-flavor chicken in this grilled lime coconut chicken with coconut rice dish.
Clearly lime and coconut are on my brain lately. And for good reason.
The fabulous thing about these flavors is that they can combine in a completely different way with each given recipe.
The chicken marinade is an easy-peasy concoction of extreme flavor blasts: lime, curry, coconut milk, cumin, soy sauce and a few other goodies.
The ethereal coconut rice that is not only extremely tasty but it does you a big favor by using up the extra coconut milk leftover after measuring it for the marinade.
The lightly sweet, uncomplicated rice is the perfect bed for the tender, high-intensity-flavor chicken. I’m really not sure I’ve had a more delicious grilled chicken dish, not to mention the fact that I was nearly licking my plate to savor each delicious drip of the succulent sauce.
Really, the whole combination is amazing.
GRILLED LIME COCONUT CHICKEN WITH COCONUT RICE
YIELD: 4 SERVINGS
PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES COOK TIME: 32 MINUTES
TOTAL TIME: 47 MINUTES
INGREDIENTS
CHICKEN AND MARINADE/SAUCE:
3 tablespoons oil
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 cup canned coconut milk, light or regular
pinch cayenne pepper
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (see note)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Fresh limes, cut into wedges
COCONUT RICE:
1 cup jasmine rice
1 cup canned coconut milk, light or regular
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
INSTRUCTIONS
*In a large liquid measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together the oil, lime zest, lime juice, cumin, coriander, soy sauce, salt, sugar, curry powder, coconut milk, and cayenne pepper. Place the chicken in a large ziploc bag and pour the marinade over the chicken. Seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours.
*For the coconut rice, bring the rice, coconut milk, water and salt to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15-16 minutes until the liquid is mostly evaporated. remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork and serving.
*Preheat a charcoal or gas grill (see note above if not grilling) to medium-high heat. Grill the chicken for 6-7 minutes per side (actual time will depend on the thickness of the chicken). While the chicken is cooking, pour the marinade into a small or medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil and boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
*Place the grilled chicken on a serving platter or plate. Drizzle with sauce (reserve the remaining sauce to serve separately) and sprinkle fresh cilantro over the top.
*Serve with lime wedges and additional sauce.
NOTES
Oil: you can really use any type of oil here (extra virgin olive oil, vegetable, grapeseed, etc.).
Marinade: if you don't want to use the marinade for the sauce (it boils for 10 minutes to cook thoroughly), you can always make a second batch of the marinade and cook it for 5-10 minutes.
Curry: also, curry powder really varies depending on brand. My two top favorite brands are the sweet curry powder from Penzey's Spices and the curry powder from Spice Islands (the yellow powder not the red).
Chicken: if the chicken breasts are really thick, I like to cut them in half (like a hamburger bun) to form two thinner chicken cutlets before marinating. This helps the flavor permeate the chicken and also helps the chicken go further.
Cooking Method: finally, if you don't have a grill/don't feel like grilling, you could absolutely broil these in the oven or cook them in a hot skillet.
